My Morning Jacket continue to reinvent themselves while celebrating 20 years of ‘Z’ during two more dazzling performances at Red Rocks

August 22, 2025 by 3 Comments

My Morning JacketBy Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Melt //
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 15th-16th, 2025 //

When it comes to experiencing My Morning Jacket in the flesh, there is no place I would rather see the Kentucky-bred band take the stage than at Red Rocks.

Colorado’s world-famous, open-air amphitheater has become one of the quintessential music venues — along with The Fillmore in San Francisco and Palace Theatre in Louisville — to catch a MMJ show and a rite of passage for many fans thanks, in part, to frontman Jim James dubbing it “the birth canal of the universe” in 2019.

That’s why I have made the trip out from Los Angeles each of the last three times that James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) have come through Denver to headline two nights “on the rocks.”

What still amazes me after attending quite a few concerts at Red Rocks for almost two decades is that the experience doesn’t seem to grow old or tired, and that rings even more true every time I have seen Jacket perform there (read our First Times coverage from 2023 here). A lot of bands have become too popular to book the 9,525-person venue, opting for larger, more lucrative arenas and stadiums instead, but the psychedelic, jam-adjacent five-piece — for whatever reason we have yet to understand — has not garnered audiences nearly as large despite working with an outside producer for the first time ever on its 10th LP is that came out in March.

That honor, no less, would go to three-time Grammy winner Brendan O’Brien, whose decorated career includes studio time with AC/DC, Pearl Jam, The Offspring, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, Rage Against the Machine, the Killers and Bruce Springsteen. The result is a tight, 10-track effort that doesn’t rank among MMJ’s best but fits in quite seamlessly with the rest of their catalog. While some of the album finds them exploring new sonic avenues on lead single “Time Waited” and “I Can Hear Your Love” that sounds as if it could have been written by Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison, the back half is — or we should say is — what stands out with “Beginning from the Ending”, “Squid Ink”, “Die for It” and “River Road” all having the potential to be long-standing earworms.

My Morning Jacket

But this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the group’s seminal full length Z, which saw it move away from the heavy reverb that dominated their earlier material to incorporate other genres such as reggae and dub, with Friday’s performance at Red Rocks marking the first of five dates that Jacket is allocating to celebrate the 2005 release on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.

MMJ has a penchant for extending and stretching certain songs live, and though James and company didn’t veer off the beaten path for most of Z, they did unleash the longest “Dondante” since their 2019 version between “Creation Rock” and “Ship Rock,” with this one clocking in at a whopping 23 minutes. The unconventional second set that followed delivered its fair share of highlights — from Melt vocalist Veronica Stewart-Frommer assisting on “Here in Spirit” from James’ solo work to a shortened rendition of “Cobra” that was subsequently reprised during “Squid Ink” and flowed right into “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” — but maybe none bigger than their live debut of Steely Dan’s hit single “Do It Again” considering no one could have seen it coming or had such on their Red Rocks bingo card.

The recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne, conversely, had been on my mind for the last several weeks with tributes pouring in all over the world, and I knew from social media that some of the members in Jacket were Black Sabbath fans. I had sent a direct message to Blankenship on Instagram after Night 1 with a request for some Sabbath to remember the late Prince of Darkness, and as I put on my Vol. 4 T-shirt on Saturday when I arrived for Night 2, something was telling me that my wish might actually come true. A woman in the parking lot made a comment in a sort of “rock on” tone as she passed by my car not long after I arrived, making me feel for a second like I had chosen the wrong gig to broadcast my affinity for heavy metal’s pioneers.

I wasn’t going to be fazed that easily, though. My Vol. 4 T-shirt had become an omen of good luck after watching Primus the week before cover “N.I.B.” with Ty Segall on the mic during their star-studded stop at LA’s Greek Theatre (read our show review here), and my love for Ozzy ran too deep for me to change shirts (yes, I had an extra). His death, albeit less surprising given his age, moved me much in the same way that Chris Cornell’s did when it happened in 2017. The farewell concert in Birmingham just weeks prior had serendipitously proved to not only be a fitting send-off for Sabbath, but also a larger-than-life figure. And what better place to show some appreciation for an absolute rock god than at Red Rocks?

Sure enough, MMJ would have plenty of more surprises up their collective sleeves for Saturday as they touched on all 10 of their albums to create a career-spanning setlist in a matter of two and a half hours. Crowd favorites “Phone Went West” and “Steam Engine” came early, with the former getting a quick tag of Bruce Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain” down the homestretch. Yet, the biggest moment came in the encore after dedicating “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” to Diana Ross. That’s when Jacket officially put a bow on the weekend with the haunting, eponymous opener to 1970’s Black Sabbath for the first time in close to 15 years, leaving room for Broemel to briefly offer his own Tony Iommi impression. By that point, I was completely satiated and satisfied. The ensuing “One Big Holiday” was an extra cherry on top, and as I took one last look at the natural beauty that has built one of music’s most sacred spaces, I thought to myself how sweet this life can be with both MMJ and Red Rocks in it.

MY MORNING JACKET – AUGUST 15TH

Setlist:
Set 1 (Z)
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Anytime
Lay Low
Knot Comes Loose
Dondante (longest version since 8-2-2019)

Set 2
How Could I Know
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Half a Lifetime
Everyday Magic
Cobra
Squid Ink (> “Cobra” reprise >)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Where to Begin
Do It Again (Steely Dan cover) (live debut by MMJ)
Dancefloors

Editors’ Note: “Z” 20th anniversary show.

MELT – AUGUST 15TH

Setlist:
Veronica’s Apology / The Idiot
Shy
The Door
Waves
Stay for the High
Sour Candy
Plant the Garden

MY MORNING JACKET – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
The Dark
It’s About Twilight Now
The Way That He Sings
X-Mas Curtain
Phone Went West (with “Mandolin Rain” tag) (>)
Steam Engine
I’m Amazed
Aluminum Park
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (>)
Victory Dance (>)
Circuital
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” tag)
Still Thinkin
Feel You
Least Expected
Love Love Love
Out in the Open
Lemme Know
Die for It

Encore:
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song) (dedicated to Diana Ross) (>)
Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover) (first time since 2010)
One Big Holiday

MELT – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
Fake Romantic
More than Ever
Inside
Waves
Walk to Midnight
Stay for the High
Plant the Garden
Surrender
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From covers of Black Sabbath & King Crimson to surprise guests Bill Burr, Matt Stone & half of Tool, Primus wow at LA’s Greek Theatre

August 11, 2025 by 3 Comments

Primus - Les ClaypoolBy Josh Herwitt //

Primus with Ty Segall //
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles
August 6th, 2025 //

If you are a fan of live music and have been following the current rock landscape lately, you probably already know the last few months have been a rough time for drummers.

Legendary bands like The Who, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters have all experienced changes behind the drum kit recently while well-established mainstays in the jam scene such as Umphrey’s McGee and Goose have also had to find new blood on the skins.

But another rock-leaning act that saw its timekeeper step off the stage — and rather abruptly — was Primus, the 90’s alt-metal group led by bassist, vocalist and founding member Les Claypool that has cycled through its share of drummers since first forming under the name Primate more than 40 years ago in the Bay Area.

Whether it has been Vince Parker, Mark Edgar, Peter Libby, Robbie Bean, Tim “Curveball” Wright, Jay “Jayski” Lane, Bryan “Brain” Mantia or Tim “Herb” Alexander laying it down, Claypool and guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde have seen the drum throne become a revolving door for the majority of their careers. So with Alexander leaving the band unexpectedly for a third time in October and revealing that he “lost his passion for playing,” Claypool and LaLonde were once again faced with the unfortunate reality the two close friends would become accustomed to after leaving their former band Blind Illusion and reforming Primus at the end of 1988.

Rather than going back to the well or only accepting referrals for the role, they decided to open up the process to anyone and everyone in their search for “the greatest drummer on Earth.” What came as a result was at least 6,200 submissions followed by a multi-week audition process at Claypool’s studio in Northern California that the band would coin the “Primus Interstellar Drum Derby.” The competition was stiff, with an All-Star cast that included Thomas Pridgen, Nikki Glaspie and Thomas Lang in the mix, but the honor ultimately went to John Hoffman, a relatively unknown from Shreveport, La., whose style and impeccable chops blended perfectly with what Claypool and LaLonde like to cook up when they plug in.

Primus are one of those rare bands that can bring jam fans and metalheads together into the same space. As we have said before after witnessing his Fearless Frog Brigade mark their first tour in two decades with a sold-out gig at The Wiltern a couple years ago (see more photos from the show here), Claypool remains among rare company as a one-of-a-kind musician who has made his living at the intersection of the alt-metal and jam scenes. When you hear a song by Primus, you can tell almost immediately it’s them. Much of that has to do with Claypool’s unmistakable spoken-word vocals of course, though the way he continues to captivate listeners with his innovative bass playing still has Primus sounding like nothing else out there to this day.

It has been nearly eight years since Primus have dropped an album, and there’s a sense with Hoffman officially in the fold now that new material can be expected at some point. But the first order of business for Claypool and LaLonde had to be getting back on the road with their new comrade since performing Rush’s A Tribute to Kings in 46 North American cities on their last headlining tour.

Ty Segall


Ty Segall

That’s not to say Primus haven’t been active. We have actually caught them each of the last two years, first at the Hollywood Bowl with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle for Sessanta (read our show review here) and then at Acrisure Arena out in the desert for Sessanta V2.0 (read our show review here).

With the “Onward & Upward” tour this summer providing 25 more opportunities for Claypool, LaLonde and Hoffman to continue building their chemistry onstage, we can tell that Primus are beginning to hit their stride as they introduce fans to “Hoffer.” On a weeknight at LA’s charming Greek Theatre, things began with an onslaught of noise from prolific garage rocker Ty Segall, whose 45-minute opening set was highlighted by a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive”. The singer-songwriter from Laguna Beach put out his 17th studio album Possession in May and his penchant for honoring the greats, from Bob Dylan to T. Rex, is no secret to those who are familiar with his music. While his overall energy this time didn’t quite match what we remember being impressed by back in 2016 at the Teragram Ballroom (read our show review here), Segall’s ability to shred at a moment’s notice is always evident when he takes the stage. Coincidentally enough, his hometown friends were actually sitting beside me and they were definitely feeling it as enough chunky riffs filled our earholes to make us wish that “Sloppo” would tour with San Jose stoner/doom metal duo Sleep in the future.

The sonic similarities between Segall and Primus remain few and far between, but that didn’t take away from what proved to be a magical evening under the stars … and there were plenty of them at the Greek in addition to Claypool, LaLonde and Hoffman. The three-piece opened with two tracks off 1997’s Brown Album, and although this wouldn’t be the same sort of exhibition Primus staged last month at Red Rocks Amphitheatre when seven songs from it were performed, the surprises that ensued could give any fan of 90’s music instant FOMO.

It had come to my attention last spring when I attended Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme’s benefit show that comedian Bill Burr can hold his own on the drums, and even after noticing him outside the venue before entering, it somehow didn’t dawn on me that he was anything other than a spectator. A colleague had mentioned to some of us between sets that he spotted Tool drummer Danny Carey, who had previously filled in for Alexander, and as soon as I saw two kits set up on the stage, I knew we were in for something special. So when Burr walked out with Tool bassist Justin Chancellor after “Bob’s Party Time Lounge” and broke into “Too Many Puppies” on Frizzle Fry, the crowd essentially lost its collective mind and we would have as well if we weren’t busy trying to capture it from behind the camera. What’s more is that Burr totally nailed his part, locking in from the start while Chancellor came equipped with a gift that just so happened to be one of Claypool’s beautiful Pachyderm bass guitars.

Surprises as such are often reserved for the encore, yet considering this was only the third song and we were in one of the biggest entertainment capitals in the world, more were likely in store. The details were certainly unknown, but my Black Sabbath Vol. 4 T-shirt did draw a comment from one of the band’s crew members, which made me believe that a cover might be forthcoming after seeing on social media that Primus uncorked “N.I.B.” in New Orleans with Puddles Pity Party offering his best Ozzy impersonation. My inclination would eventually be proven true after Primus dove into some Oysterhead before crushing King Crimson staple “Thela Hun Ginjeet” with South Park co-creator Matt Stone on the drums, except this time it was Segall manning the mic and sending the place into an absolute frenzy as the Prince of Darkness’ maniacal face was projected on the video screen.

And if that wasn’t enough, Primus gifted us a “DMV” tease prior to launching into “The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman’s Chronicles, Part 3)” and followed it up with “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” that received a roar of applause. Not every Primus setlist will feature the lead singles on 1991’s Sailing the Seas of Cheese and 1993’s Pork Soda, but this rendition of “My Name Is Mud” was extra dirty — in a good way — with Carey finally taking his place stage right to Hoffman and unleashing a dual drum solo that had Claypool slapping his strings in unison, creating a double-bass effect that you could feel in your chest and down to your bones.

How could a Primus show be complete without a bass solo or better yet, a bass off? From solely our perspective, it really couldn’t be. So after a brief encore break, Claypool did what only a bass master would do and brought out MonoNeon, who’s well-known for his work with Prince, for Tales from the Punchbowl single “Southbound Pachyderm” and one of our personal favorites. As the two low-end wizards traded licks down the finish line, it wasn’t very hard to consider this one of the best Primus shows I have ever caught and there have been many. Their recipe of swamp funk mixed with metal might not be everyone’s cup of tea. For us as well as anyone in attendance who found themselves chanting the band’s paradoxical inside joke “Primus Sucks!” — because if you know, you know — however, it never seems to get old no matter what age any of us are.

PRIMUS

Setlist:
Restin’ Bones
Bob’s Party Time Lounge
Too Many Puppies (with Bill Burr) (and Justin Chancellor)
Dirty Drowning Man
Groundhog’s Day (>)
Polka Dot Rose (Oysterhead cover) (partial) (> “Groundhog’s Day” reprise)
Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson cover) (with Matt Stone) (with “Dueling Banjos” tease)
Over the Falls
John the Fisherman
N.I.B. (Black Sabbath cover) (with Ty Segall) (with “Bassically” intro)
The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman’s Chronicles, Part 3) (preceded by “DMV” tease)
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
Welcome to This World (>)
My Name Is Mud (with Danny Carey)

Encore:
Southbound Pachyderm (with MonoNeon)

Editors’ Note: “Amos Moses” and “Mrs. Blaileen” were on the written setlist, but “John the Fisherman” and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” were played instead.

TY SEGALL

Setlist:
Void
Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd cover)
Candy Sam
Buildings
Possession
Feel
Wave Goodbye (Ty Segall Band song)
Love Fuzz (slowed down)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

First Times: Experiencing a piece of SF history as My Morning Jacket take over The Fillmore for four sold-out nights with no repeats

June 7, 2024 by 1 Comment

My Morning Jacket - disco ball - The FillmoreBy Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
May 27th-28th & 30th-31st, 2024 //

Growing up in Los Angeles, I have always loved going to the Bay Area. Sure, there is definitely no love lost between SoCal and NorCal when it comes to certain professional sports teams and their fan bases, but that hasn’t changed my feelings or how I think of it now — even if I bleed Dodger blue.

With my aunt, uncle and late grandparents living in the City, I have many fond memories of our family trips up north and still consider SF to be one of my favorite towns in the world that I have ever been to (and to be honest, there are a lot I haven’t stepped foot in). But from beautiful parks and breathtaking views to world-class art and innovative cuisine among a plethora of tourist attractions, there’s never a shortage of things to do in “The City by the Bay” no matter where your interests lie or how much time and money (obvious tip: it helps to have a lot) you have on your hands.

Since I began covering concerts more than a decade ago in this space though, my adventures in “music journalism” — if we can call it that — had not yet taken me to the same city where this blog was founded for “work.” I had visited back in 2011 to attend Outside Lands and Treasure Island Music Festival before returning five years later to cover what ended up being a disastrous and largely forgettable 2016 edition of TIMF (read our festival review here). Nevertheless, the right opportunity to photograph any individual shows had not presented itself despite all the years I have lived in the Golden State. That is, until one of my favorite acts in live music announced by early March that it had booked four in the span of five days at the historic Fillmore and promised not to repeat songs.

The first time I saw My Morning Jacket in the flesh, Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) completely blew me away after a three-night run at The Wiltern in LA with a unique opener — featuring Portugal. The Man, Iron & Wine and Shabazz Palaces — and setlist (inspired by fan requests submitted online) each night serving as the impetus for the Louisville-bred band’s “Spontaneous Curation Series.” The five-piece by that point was in between albums, having already released 2011’s Circuital almost 18 months earlier and toured the country in support of it, and the circumstances in the 415 felt similar with 2021’s self-titled marking the group’s last proper studio effort (unless you are counting MMJ’s holiday-themed LP entitled Happy Holiday! that they released in late November comprised mostly of Christmas carols plus two originals).

The weeks in May leading up to The Fillmore were certainly bittersweet. After all, this wasn’t supposed to be the first time I was seeing Jacket since their rescheduled — thanks to Tropical Storm Hilary — co-headlining date with Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl in August (read our show review here) after two sold-out gigs at Red Rocks (read our show review here). That was intended to be the first week of May instead of the last one, when they were scheduled to lead the third and final day of BeachLife Festival with ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes and Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB also rounding out an excellent lineup. But after covering the event’s first two days in Redondo Beach (read our festival review here), the final four hours were unexpectedly canceled — and many would say prematurely — due to a high-wind advisory.

My Morning Jacket - The Fillmore

In the matter of an hour, the only LA date that MMJ had slated for this year had been completely wiped from the record. The decision had already been made, and with the staff and security being sent home and an earlier curfew for Sunday in place, there was no way all the remaining artists could still perform. Attendees left that day visibly frustrated and angry with the fest’s organizers for calling it off so quickly, considering the wind had died down by 7 p.m. with time left on the clock. Subsequently, we have been wondering in the aftermath why BeachLife doesn’t target a weekend in June or another summer month rather than early May when it’s not exactly “beach weather” — unless you think daytime temperatures that peak in the mid-60’s and high winds of 45-50 mph is for some reason.

Is there any chance MMJ will eventually announce a makeup date for their SoCal-based fans? No one knows right now, but alas, there we were driving along Interstate 5 through California’s Central Valley a few weeks later, excited and gratified to be making the roughly 800-mile trek roundtrip to catch them at least on one occasion in 2024 and use that, on a personal level, as a way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade. Assuredly it helps when the weather in the Bay Area cooperates over the course of your stay, and with warm, sunny days filling the forecast, the stars were finally starting to slowly align after the disappointment we had recently experienced at BeachLife. Because when I walked up those burgundy-colored carpeted stairs at The Fillmore for the first time and was greeted by hundreds of old photos and posters plus a large bucket of apples (we can’t confirm if they were organic even if they passed our taste test), I could immediately feel the history of the place. And in the leadup to these shows, I had curiously spent some time learning more about Bill Graham and became fascinated with his backstory as I dived deeper into it. The legendary promoter whose mother placed him in an orphanage that helped Graham escape Nazi Germany has been credited with hosting some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most legendary musicians — Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Otis Redding — as the counterculture movement in the 60’s exploded all across Western civilization. Whether it’s the iconic Jerry Garcia photo that greets you at the top of the staircase on your way to the Poster Room or the bevy of ornate chandeliers that hang above the hardwood dance floor, there’s nothing quite like an evening at The Fillmore. It has been said that Graham wanted to make patrons believe as if they were hanging out in his own personal living room, and the warm, friendly staff we encountered matched the auditorium’s cozy vibe that he created thanks to entrepreneur and businessman Charles Sullivan, who owned the property’s master lease in 1965 and let him use his dance hall permit to put on concerts.

Holding only 1,315 guests, the former Majestic Hall built in 1912 is easily the smallest music venue that I have ever seen MMJ play. While they have never quite reached the level of an arena or stadium act like other popular rock bands, any room under a couple of thousand folks would be considered an “intimate” setting for them at this point in their 25-year-plus history. Between the live music industry shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing demands of touring upon its resumption however, you also won’t find Jacket throwing down three- and four-night runs with much regularity nowadays outside of their own destination festival One Big Holiday in Mexico and a select few U.S. cities such as Denver and Chicago where some of the highest fan concentration in the MMJ community exists. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty who traveled great distances to arrive at the corner of Geary Blvd. and Fillmore St. on the edge of Japantown. One couple I met, in fact, came all the way from northeast Pennsylvania to catch all four performances, and that’s the kind of dedication you will see from longtime enthusiasts and loyal listeners.

But considering the setlists that were assembled, no one could have asked for much more when the final note of “Wordless Chorus” was struck. After an opening night that boasted a myriad of highlights, including “Master Plan” with a “China Cat Sunflower” tag as an ode to the Dead, a stretched-out “Only Memories Remain” that reached the 14-minute mark, the first “Librarian” since March 2018 and a Bob Dylan cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” during the encore, there were more Fillmore fireworks on Night 2 when James and company broke into Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and later offered up “I Get Around” from The Beach Boys, which we were hoping to hear at BeachLife since MMJ performed the 1964 single last year during the GRAMMY’s televised tribute for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. Yet, I knew Jacket would save some of their biggest bangers for the last two shows in SF and we can only imagine the 48-hour break between Nights 2 and 3 provided some necessary respite before they dove into another round of jams to unleash only the fourth “If It Smashes Down” ever, extend “Steam Engine” for a whopping 18 minutes, bring back “By My Car” for the first time in almost five years and close with a huge “Phone Went West” that included Journey’s “Lights” interpolated midway through.

That collection of songs would satisfy most Jacket fans on any given night, but I was sure they would save their best for last — and by “best,” I mean “Dondante” without a doubt. The Z finale has been my favorite MMJ tune for quite a while, and the nearly 22-minute version they uncorked at The Fillmore was by far the best (no pun intended) one I have witnessed out of four. You could tell by the end of it that the capacity crowd, having already been gifted “Cobra” at the onset as well as a cover of George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” earlier, was officially on cloud nine. Something special had seemingly happened in that moment and nothing could bring us down to Earth from that point forward — only making James’ ensuing “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” all the more powerful to experience live (you would have thought “the power is going out” from the way they played it with such fervor) along with the apropos live debut of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, which was written following the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in a Sausalito houseboat the “King of Soul” rented. The three-time Grammy nominees, on the other hand, have always made a point to mix in covers that correspond to a particular time or place, and this was one that couldn’t have been more perfect for the moment. It was just another example of what has us coming back around time and time again … and ultimately why we will have our fingers crossed for that makeup date in LA.

MAY 27TH

Setlist:
At Dawn
O Is the One That Is Real
Master Plan (with “China Cat Sunflower” by Grateful Dead tag)
Mahgeetah
Rollin Back
Run It
Evelyn Is Not Real
Carried Away (Carl Broemel song) (“Just My Imagination” by The Temptations tag)
Only Memories Remain
A New Life (Jim James song)
You Wanna Freak Out
Outta My System
Honest Man
Librarian (last played 3/5/2018; “Let’s Live for Today” by The Grass Roots tag)
What a Wonderful Man (preceded by a Jim solo version on omnichord)
In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)
Holdin On to Black Metal
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Here in Spirit (Jim James song)
Love Love Love

Encore:
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
Feel You
Gideon
Dancefloors (with “China Cat Sunflower” and “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” by Grateful Dead transition teases)

MAY 28TH

Setlist:
In Color
It’s About Twilight Now
Strangulation! (instrumental intro due to technical difficulties)
War Begun
Slow Slow Tune
The Way That He Sings
X-Mas Curtain
Never in the Real World
How Could I Know (Oxen)
I Will Sing You Songs
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
Come Closer
I Think I’m Going to Hell
Victory Dance
Aluminum Park
I Get Around (The Beach Boys cover)
Anytime

Encore:
Old Sept. Blues (with “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny during intro)
It Beats 4 U
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles tag)
One Big Holiday

MAY 30TH

Setlist:
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Compound Fracture
Off the Record
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Death Is the Easy Way
If It Smashes Down (only performed live three times & last played on 3/2/2018)
The Dark
Lowdown
Climbing the Ladder
Least Expected
Penny for Your Thoughts
Steam Engine
By My Car (last played 08/09/2019)
I’m Amazed
Picture of You
Believe (Nobody Knows)
Lay Low
Wasted

Encore:
Sooner
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (Elton John cover)
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Phone Went West (“Lights” by Journey interpolation > Phone Went West)

MAY 31ST

Setlist:
Cobra
If All Else Fails
Golden
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (George Harrison cover)
Circuital
Easy Morning Rebel
Nashville to Kentucky
Like a River
Thank You Too!
Lucky to Be Alive
Evil Urges
Dondante
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song)
Remnants
Run Thru

Encore:
Highly Suspicious
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding cover) (Live debut)
Wordless Chorus

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Live Music Reviews, Show Experience Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

First Times: Covering a concert at Red Rocks as My Morning Jacket return to sacred ground for two awe-inspiring nights rain & shine

August 31, 2023 by 5 Comments

My Morning Jacket with M. WardBy Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with M. Ward //
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 25th & 26th, 2023 //

No matter where you are from, a trip to Red Rocks should be on every live music fan’s bucket list. The mile-high, open-air amphitheater only a short drive from Denver in Morrison, Colo., has over the years become a destination venue for live music fans all around the globe with its otherworldly rock structure and stellar natural acoustics.

Red Rocks’ annual attendance numbers certainly prove that to be true, too. Just a couple of years ago, it received the distinct honor of being named the top-grossing and most-attended concert venue of any size in the world. For a lot of artists and bands, having the opportunity to perform in such a unique and sacred space ranks up there with playing other famous sonic sanctuaries like The Gorge Amphitheatre, Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

That’s some elite company to be included with, but ask anyone who has been and they will say Red Rocks is worthy of such acclaim. It’s why the 9,525-person amphitheater also holds a special place in the hearts of so many performers, including one of live music’s absolute best: My Morning Jacket.

Since opening in 1941, Red Rocks has been home to quite a few noteworthy performances from U2 to Widespread Panic, with the latter holding the venue’s record for most consecutive sold-out shows at 69 after their latest three-night run in June. And though MMJ hasn’t nearly reached that high mark, there’s no doubt that some of their most important moments over the past quarter century have taken place in between “Creation Rock” and “Ship Rock.” So it shouldn’t be a surprise that fans travel from all corners of the country to catch the Louisville-bred outfit there.

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Jacket’s very first appearance at the amphitheater, in fact, came in 2007 opening for the legendary Bob Dylan, but it only took another year before they were being offered their own date to headline. It wasn’t until 2012 for their “Spontaneous Curation Series” when MMJ started booking two nights “on the rocks,” with this year marking the quintet’s fifth time doing so for its 14th and 15th shows.

Nevertheless, it was a pair of performances at Red Rocks in 2019 that ultimately helped reignite the band and inspired Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) — with James coining the venue as “the birth canal of the universe” that year — to get back in the studio to record their ninth full-length album. Even the cover artwork for the ensuing, self-titled My Morning Jacket directly paid homage as you can see here. That’s how much one of Colorado’s most prized possessions has meant to the group’s success and longevity.

So after making the short pilgrimage from LA for two nights of MMJ at Red Rocks last August, I wasn’t about to miss them when it was announced that they would be returning for two more gigs in 2023. This time would be a little bit different, though. Not only had the supporting act changed with M. Ward slated for both shows, but being granted a photo credential for Friday and Saturday had finally afforded me the chance to capture a concert (or two) at the one and only “RR” with my camera equipment.

Red Rocks has always been one of my favorite places to witness live music. It’s somewhere that I have found myself going back to time and time again for almost two decades because there’s really nowhere else like it. The sound, atmosphere and fans all make it a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the best spots anywhere to watch a concert. From the first to the last row, there’s truly no bad seat in the house. Plus, the tailgating in the Lower South Lots alone is worth going for — and why you should always plan to arrive early before the doors open. You might even make some new friends in the parking lot!

My Morning Jacket

For a band that rocks as hard as MMJ does, it only seems fitting that one of their beloved venues to visit would be Red Rocks. Friday’s show would see James and company not holding back as they performed their 2003 LP It Still Moves in its entirety, enlisting M. Ward to sit in on “Golden” and “Steam Engine”. As elated as I was to hear “Master Plan” again however, it was also the first time since 2018 that “Just One Thing” and “One in the Same” had been played. Thanks to an extended encore with deep cuts such as “Honest Man” from 2001’s At Dawn and “Smokin’ From Shootin'” off 2008’s Evil Urges, the evening still finished a lot better than it began after heavy rains put a damper on any pre-show partying and soaked plenty of us from head to toe.

Saturday’s forecast, on the other hand, proved to be quite the opposite. With clear skies and sunshine setting the stage for MMJ’s second night, we were treated to a setlist that was well worth hopping on a plane for. There was another sit-in from M. Ward — this time on “At Dawn” and “Off the Record” — but there was also the debut of Cat Stevens’ “The Wind” as well as a cover of Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright?” for only the second time ever with surprise guest and Colorado native Nathaniel Rateliff on vocals. Those were definitely two of the biggest highlights (no pun intended) amid the light motif that MMJ signaled to us with “At Dawn”, “First Light”, “It’s About Twilight Now” and “The Dark” coming consecutively midway through their set, but it was the encore centered around a four-part “Cobra” — the track, after all, runs more than 24 minutes long on 2002’s Chocolate and Ice — with “Highly Suspicious”, “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” interspersed in between, leaving the sold-out crowd mostly speechless. It was a setlist technique that you would see a jam band like Phish or Umphrey’s McGee employ, but not MMJ. The three-time Grammy nominees have always lived in the jam-adjacent space, even if they have been booked for some of the same music festivals you might find other jam bands at, including Bonnaroo, Hulaween and Peach. But ever since forming in 1998, MMJ have never presented or considered themselves to be a jam band and the same applies today.

Regardless of how you want to label their music, James, Blankenship, Hallahan, Koster and Broemel looked and sounded at Red Rocks as locked in as they ever have. A sincere joy emanated from all five members that was palpable the minute they walked onstage, and by the time MMJ had wound us down after more than two hours with “Love Love Love” to wrap up their two-night stand, nothing but immense gratitude and a genuine love for what we had just heard remained inside.

It’s safe to say that you can’t tell MMJ’s story now without referencing Red Rocks at some point along the way. The band knows that, and many of its most loyal enthusiasts have come to understand what’s there, too. Because if recent history serves as any indication, rocking out to MMJ under the stars while being surrounded by some red sandstone monoliths is like nothing else. Quite simply, it’s magical.

AUGUST 25TH

Setlist:
Mahgeetah (>)
Dancefloors
Golden (with M. Ward)
Master Plan (>)
One Big Holiday (>)
I Will Sing You Songs (>)
Easy Morning Rebel (>)
Run Thru
Rollin Back (>)
Just One Thing (first time since 2018)
Steam Engine (with M. Ward)
One in the Same (first time since 2018)

Encore:
Victory Dance
Least Expected (>)
The Way That He Sings
Honest Man
Feel You
Slow Slow Tune (>)
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (>)
Gideon
Wordless Chorus

Editors’ Note: “It Still Moves” 20th anniversary show; portions of “Wordless Chorus”, “At Dawn”, “Butch Cassidy”, “Feelin’ Alright?”, “Highly Suspicious” and “Cobra” were played during soundcheck.

AUGUST 26TH

Setlist:
Anytime
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Spring (Among the Living) (Beatles “Dear Prudence” outro)
Evil Urges (>)
War Begun (>)
At Dawn (with M. Ward)
First Ligh
It’s About Twilight Now (>)
The Dark
Lay Low
Only Memories Remain
Butch Cassidy (>)
The Wind (Cat Stevens cover) (first time played)
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Circuital
Feelin’ Alright? (Traffic cover) (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
Wasted

Encore:
Cobra (Pt. 1>)
Highly Suspicious
Cobra (Pt. 2>)
Off the Record (with M. Ward) (>)
Cobra (Pt. 3>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Cobra (Pt. 4>)
Holdin on to Black Metal
Love Love Love

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Live Music Reviews, Show Experience Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Goldenvoice announces inaugural Power Trip festival in 2023 led by Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica & Tool

March 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Power Trip - 2023 lineup

Power Trip //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
October 6th-8th, 2023 //

Goldenvoice has made a name for itself over the years — for more than two decades, in fact — as the creator of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in addition to hosting many concerts and plenty of other large-scale, multi-day events throughout the Southern California region.

But for those who are fans of hard rock and heavy metal, the famed concert promoter still sees you and hears you — loud and clear.

In a somewhat similar vein to the inaugural Desert Trip in 2016 that saw The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who take over the same site as Coachella for two weekends, Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett and company are finally catering to headbangers everywhere with the debut of Power Trip this October.

Taking the desert by storm for three days at the Empire Polo Club out in Indio, Power Trip will welcome six legendary acts beginning with Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden on Friday and resuming with AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne on Saturday before concluding with Metallica and Tool on Sunday.

Those interested in attending can register here for tickets that will go on sale starting Thursday, April 6th at 10 a.m. PT. Three-day GA tickets will be available for $599 or $699 that includes a shuttle pass, while three-day reserved floor, reserved grandstand and pit seats will go for $799-$1,599 and boast exclusive access to the fest’s North and South Lounges where food and drink vendors, restrooms, shaded seating areas and full cash bars can be found. If you are willing to splurge and go even bigger though, there are a variety of three-day VIP packages that you can purchase for $1,749-$2,999. There are also a number of camping options should you choose not to stay at one of the event’s featured hotels, plus a few add-ons like camping campion parking or preferred parking and a limited-edition print by J. Bannon.

So, who’s ready to go on a power trip this year?

UPDATE (July 10th): Bad news, Power Trippers … Ozzy has canceled his appearance at this year’s festival, citing issues with his current health. The legendary singer wasn’t supposed to perform again until the summer of 2024 but agreed to join the Power Trip lineup when he was approached about it. While Ozzy’s body is “not ready” for what would have marked the Hall of Famer’s first show in almost five years, he did hint that his replacement will be announced soon and are even “personal friends” of his. So, who do you think it will be? You can offer up your best guess in the comments below, and stay tuned for more updates on Power Trip here.

UPDATE (July 11th): One day after announcing that Ozzy will not be performing at Power Trip after all, the fest has revealed his replacement. Filling in for “The Godfather of Heavy Metal” on Saturday will be none other than Judas Priest. The English heavy metal act’s last and 18th album Firepower dropped in 2018, but despite it being more than five years since Judas Priest released new material, 2022 marked a banner year as the six-piece celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new North American tour and was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Set on going to Power Trip now? You can still pick up tickets here with flexible payment options available until July 15th, so don’t miss out on what’s sure to be a rockin’ good time in the California desert.

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The War on Drugs prove in Adam Granduciel’s new hometown why they deserved to win a Grammy more than four years ago

March 4, 2022 by 1 Comment

The War on DrugsBy Josh Herwitt //

The War on Drugs //
Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles
February 26th, 2022 //

What can you say about Adam Granduciel that hasn’t already been said or written?

Let’s just cut to the chase then: the guy keeps getting better and better with age. And though he might give off the impression that he’s a tad bit older than the 43 years he just turned last month thanks to all of those late nights writing songs in his bedroom or at the studio, Granduciel has continued to push the band he formed in Philadelphia more than 17 years ago to new and greater heights.

The War on Drugs’ foray into music’s mainstream has been a slow churn dating all the way back to 2005 before it culminated four years ago when they beat out a number of hard-rock heavyweights in Metallica, Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age and Nothing More to win the Grammy for “Best Rock Album” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

It was a career-defining moment for the group that’s heartland sound has centered around Granduciel’s fascination with Bob Dylan — an enthusiasm for the legendary folk singer-songwriter that he and fellow Philly-bred indie rocker Kurt Vile shared when they first started playing together in each other’s projects — and continued with his love for Bruce Springsteen. (There’s also a hint of Rod Stewart and Tom Petty in Granduciel’s work for good measure.)

Six months prior, I had caught The War on Drugs at Apogee Studio for KCRW’s Apogee Sessions (read our review here), and after hearing them preview a few songs off A Deeper Understanding that evening, it was right then and there that I knew the album was well deserving of some significant hardware.

But following 2014’s seminal Lost in the Dream — the band’s third album which might be arguably better than its award-winning follow-up — with another 10-track masterpiece, Granduciel had done what only a few are capable of these days, particularly in the rock space, by creating an emotional, yet timeless gem for our earholes to bathe in.

With little room to go up from there, Granduciel certainly had a challenge on his hands when it was time to make another LP. It wasn’t just that he had become a father to his son Bruce (yes, he really is named after the Boss) in 2019 and officially moved to LA’s San Fernando Valley shortly thereafter even if those were two major life changes, but the expectations surrounding The War on Drugs’ next studio effort had only grown even more since the last one.

For Granduciel, it didn’t matter. He went back to the grind and delivered once again. What resulted after hours at his Burbank rehearsal space with engineer and producer Shawn Everett was I Don’t Live Here Anymore, which arrived back in October and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. It’s another record worthy of high praise — in fact, I ranked it my favorite album last year (see our 2021 picks here) — and at the same time more accessible than its predecessors.

What makes The War on Drugs’ albums so great, however, is that you can just let them run. There’s no need to skip a track as one flows right into the next, and I Don’t Live Here Anymore follows suit much in the same way Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding do. And as Granduciel seemingly settled into his new environs with music videos filmed in California for “Living Proof” and the title track featuring Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, I was eager to hear the new material with an audience on hand.

So when The War on Drugs announced a tour for 2022 last summer and scheduled only one show in 2021 at Desert Daze, I knew their gig in LA at the Shrine Auditorium would feel even that much more special given Granduciel’s story but also because it was the final U.S. date before the band heads to Europe for a month. While that fact wouldn’t completely hold up with The War on Drugs replacing My Morning Jacket at Innings Festival the ensuing day, they made sure to offer quite a proper 2 1/2-hour concert experience for the nearly capacity crowd inside the landmark venue of 6,300.

Granduciel (vocals, guitars, harmonica, keyboards, samplers) and his cohorts — David Hartley (bass, backing vocals), Robbie Bennett (keyboards, piano, guitar), Charlie Hall (drums, organ), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboards), Anthony LaMarca (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eliza Hardy Jones (keyboards, backing vocals) — were treating us to “An Evening of LIVE DRUGS” and most were happy to oblige. That meant “Old Skin” leading things off with “Pain” batting second. “An Ocean in Between the Waves” never disappoints, and slotting it third before one of the highlights off I Don’t Live Here Anymore in “I Don’t Wanna Wait” created a huge wave of momentum that The War on Drugs carried through the rest of the set, which boasted “Strangest Thing” and “Red Eyes” back to back, another new standout in “Harmonia’s Dream” that has been extended live and an appearance by Lucius as expected with Wolfe and Laessig leaving their East Coast origins for the City of Angels a few years ago.

When it came time to take things up a notch, Granduciel turned to “Under the Pressure” as still one of the most shining achievements in his ever-expanding repertoire. That’s not to say what came after — the previously unreleased “Ocean of Darkness” that didn’t make it onto I Don’t Live Here Anymore but was debuted during The War on Drugs’ performance on “The Tonight Show” in 2020 — didn’t carry the same weight, because in many ways it did considering the song has only been played live seven times in total so far.

After taking a couple nights off in Portland and San Francisco, “In Reverse” subsequently returned to the setlist and propelled us into a short-lived encore break that only lasted a minute or two. Granduciel, after all, had more to get to before saying goodbye, as he used “Thinking of a Place” to jumpstart a four-song finish that included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Born in Time” and “Comin’ Through” from The War on Drugs’ 2010 EP Future Weather to mark only the second time fans got to hear it on this tour and since 2019.

Granduciel isn’t one for much stage banter, and after one last thank you, he broke into I Don’t Live Here Anymore finale “Occasional Rain” to take us all home. Even though it has served as The War on Drugs’ closer for several shows on this tour, the title seemed rather appropriate in a city as dry as LA where we haven’t seen a whole lot of precipitation this winter.

People often say the phrase “when it rains, it pours” when they experience a barrage of misfortune all at the same time. In Granduciel’s case notwithstanding, the past eight years have been one big downpour of success for The War on Drugs. Now with the band at an all-time high, it doesn’t appear that the storm Granduciel has been riding will be letting up anytime soon.

Setlist:
Old Skin
Pain
An Ocean in Between the Waves
I Don’t Wanna Wait
Victim
Strangest Thing
Red Eyes
Living Proof
Harmonia’s Dream
Your Love Is Calling My Name
Come to the City
Rings Around My Father’s Eyes
I Don’t Live Here Anymore (with Lucius)
Under the Pressure
Ocean of Darkness
In Reverse

Encore:
Thinking of a Place
Born in Time (Bob Dylan cover)
Comin’ Through
Occasional Rain

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At the Fox Theater Oakland, Tedeschi Trucks Band float beautifully in the balance

September 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Tedeschi Trucks BandPhotos by Mike Rosati, Karen Goldman & Kory Thibeault // Written by Kory Thibeault //

Tedeschi Trucks Band //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
September 8th-9th, 2016 //

Tedeschi Trucks Band are one of those acts that transcend a person’s taste in music. Everyone walks away from a Tedeschi Trucks show with a few moments that resonate with their heart and soul. The coupling of Susan Tedeschi’s powerhouse vocals with husband Derek Trucks’ slide-guitar genius creates a blues-rock masterpiece that will rock you to your soul. And that statement fails to tip my hat to Tedeschi’s beautiful guitar musings.

TTB are big, both in size and sound. The 12-piece band consists of seasoned professionals who understand the kind of collaboration needed to realize the group’s vision. Not a single member sounded flat during a two-night run at the Fox Theater Oakland last Thursday and Friday. Their music was tight yet improvisational, loud yet restrained, powerful yet gentle. Practice and passion have seemingly allowed them to float beautifully in the balance, or in other words, to “ring those lofty bells” as the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir might say. And by the time their Bay Area run was over, they had delivered two solid performances to a grateful and full house.

On Friday night, the group presented “An Evening with Tedeschi Trucks Band”, featuring two full sets and an encore. TTB craft their setlists from the solo careers of Tedeschi and Trucks as well as a couple of their studio albums. They started the night ripping right into “Anyhow”, a standout track off their latest album Let Me Get By, and transitioned into “Don’t Know What It Means”, another on the LP. The energy was palpable from the start as everyone anticipated a sublime night of music.

Tedeschi Trucks Band

The “Swamp Raga” opening to their hit “Midnight in Harlem” introduced what would easily be considered the highlight of the first set. This ballad features a tear-jerking performance from Tedeschi as her vocals were nothing less than awe inspiring. A certain calm came over the crowd as everyone softly sang along to her musings. They finished the set strong with “Had to Cry Today” and sent everyone buzzing into the set break.

The rest of the evening was spectacular as the band weaved in and out of both originals and covers, the latter of which included Sleepy John Estes’ “Leaving Trunk”, John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery”, Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and lastly Joe Cocker’s “Space Captain”, with all of them exemplifying the band’s superb taste and perfect execution. “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” featured high-flying vocals from Chris Robinson, formerly of The Black Crowes and now the driving force behind the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

Catching an evening of Tedeschi Trucks Band in such a brilliant environment as the Fox was certainly a treat. Fortunately for those not in attendance, the band will be releasing a live LP and DVD to remember the two-night run in Oakland. I am overjoyed at the idea of that I will get to relive this experience as TTB continue to push the sonic boundaries of blues rock. So, don’t sleep on this band — they have something for everyone.

tedeschi-trucks-band-36

Set 1: Anyhow, Don’t Know What It Means, Keep on Growing (Derek and the Dominos cover), Bird on the Wire (Leonard Cohen cover), Within You Without You (The Beatles cover), Just as Strange, Crying Over You, Swamp Raga (The Derek Trucks Band cover), Midnight in Harlem, Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith cover)

Set 2: These Walls (with Alam Khan on sarod), Right on Time, Leaving Trunk (Sleepy John Estes cover), Don’t Drift Away, I Want More, Soul Sacrifice (Santana cover), Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover), Sugaree (Jerry Garcia cover), Get What You Deserve (The Derek Trucks Band cover), I Pity the Fool (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis cover), Let Me Get By

Encore: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover) (with Chris Robinson), Space Captain (Joe Cocker cover) (with Chris Robinson)

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

25 of the best cover songs ever

November 27, 2012 by 10 Comments

It’s pretty hard to proclaim the best cover songs of all time — there have been so many great covers performed in the studio and in a live environment. So that’s why we’re framing this as “25 of the Best Cover Songs Ever”. This list is not as hyperbolic as we prefer to be, but our top 10 is pretty damn solid.

Some prescribe to the theory that a cover song has to be better than the original to be great, or considered one of the the best. I don’t believe this to be true. There are cases in this list where the cover song does not surpass the original in greatness (see #25 for example). But if a cover song attempts to be different and successfully recreates a track to make it original and timeless in its own way, credit should be granted.

What did we miss? Leave us a comment with a YouTube link.

25. Chromatics – “Into the Black”
Originally by Neil Young

24. Guns N’ Roses – “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”
Originally by Bob Dylan

23. Bob Dylan – “Train of Love”
Originally by Johnny Cash

22. Johnny Cash – “I’m on Fire”
Originally by Bruce Springsteen

21. Bruce Springsteen – “Trapped”
Originally by Jimmy Cliff

20. Birdy – “Skinny Love”
Originally by Bon Iver

19. Sublime (featuring Alex Grenwald) – “Scarlet Begonias”
Originally by the Grateful Dead

18. Grateful Dead – “Morning Dew”
Originally by Bonnie Dobson

17. Alison Krauss & Robert Plant – “Trampled Rose”
Originally by Tom Waits

16. Santana – “Black Magic Woman”
Originally by Fleetwood Mac

15. Sharon Jones – “It’s a Man’s World”
Originally by James Brown

14. Radiohead – “The Headmaster Ritual”
Originally by The Smiths

13. Eric Clapton – “Coccaine”
Originally by JJ Cale

12. Tina & Ike Turner – “Proud Mary”
Originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
Originally by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

10. The White Stripes – “Jolene”
Originally by Dolly Parton

9. Joe Cocker – “With a Little Help from My Friends”
Originally by The Beatles

8. The Beatles – “Twist & Shout”
Originally by The Top Notes, made famous by The Isley Brothers

7. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
Traditional song; arranged by Lead Belly

6. Janis Joplin – “Me and Bobby McGee”
Originally by Kris Kristofferson

5. Phish – “Remain in Light” LP in it’s entirety
Originally by Talking Heads

4. Talking Heads – “Take Me to the River”
Originally by Al Green

3. Aretha Franklin – “Respect”
Originally by Otis Redding.

2. Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower
Originally by Bob Dylan.

1. Johnny Cash – Hurt
Originally by Nine Inch Nails.

Filed Under: BAM of the Week Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pass that shit: Top 10 weed songs

November 19, 2012 by 7 Comments

Subscribe to our Spotify Playlist “Pass that shit ➜ Top 10 weed songs” and listen to the 50 best weed songs ever!

Our list is based on the criteria that the best weed songs are blatantly about marijuana and very catchy. So as the movement to legalize and tax marijuana like alcohol gains steam, light up a spliff and check out our 10 favorite weed songs of all time.

What did we miss? Leave a comment below.

10. Let’s Go Go Get Stoned – Ray Charles
Originally recorded by The Coasters in a 1965, Ray Charles made “Let’s Go Get Stoned” a #1 hit a year later. This classic blues track was released after Charles was released from rehab, as he was attempting to kick heroin. It’s assumed that Charles smoked copious amounts of marijuana as well…Thanks Billy Preston!

9. Ganja Smuggling – Eek-A-Mouse
Jamaican reggae singer Eed-A-Mouse is about two things: repetition and weed. His concerts often consist of “a-Wa-Do-Dem” being repeated for 65% of the time, but he placates the stoner rastas and trustafarians with his biggest tracks “Ganja Smuggling” and “Sensee Party.” “Ganja Smuggling” still has the mouse’s patented repetition and sends positive irie vibes.

8. Smoke Two Joints – The Toyes
Sublime made this track famous, but it belongs to The Toyes. According to The Toyes website, “Bradley (Nowell) himself had happened upon the song and recorded it before he knew The Toyes or their music.”

7. The Next Episode – Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg, or Snoop Lion as he wants to be called now, must legally be included in this list, as he is the current cultural ambassador of ganja. Just check his twitter feed. Most list makers would probably use Gin & Juice, or something from The Chronic. We’re going with the track that had every pot smoking teenager saying “Smoke weed every day” with the spot in our top 10.

6. I got 5 On It – The Luniz
“I got five on it” refers to throwing down with your buds on a sack and puffin’ away. Just check the lyrics: “Kinda broke so ya know all I gots five, I got five. Unless you pull out the fat, crispy five dollar bill on the real before its history. I got 5 on it, let’s go half on a sack.”

5. Champagne & Reefer – Muddy Waters
“Yeah bring me champagne when I’m thirsty. Bring me reefer when I want to get high…Well you know there should be no law on people that want to smoke a little dope.” The Rolling Stones still cover it.

4. Mary Jane – Rick James
Rick James may be more well known for his addiction to cocaine thanks to The Chapelle Show, but “Mary Jane” proved that Rick James was multi-faceted in his drug use. History proves that Mary Jane was an actual girl Rick James loved, but she left him. In this case, music fans have spoken, and Chapelle’s movie Half-Baked help solidify this song and the woman Mary Jane into pot popular culture.

3. Rainy Day Women #12 & #35 –Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan was an early cannabis supporter – hell he introduced herb to the Beatles. And no song signified this more than the refrain “Everybody must get stoned!” Dylan reportedly got everyone super high before this recording that appeared on the legendary album Blonde on Blonde.

2. Hits from the Bong – Cypress Hill
No one has owned Weed Music more than Cypress Hill. Just look at the way they’ve described the details of their love for herb in tracks such as “I wanna Get High” & “Dr. Greenthumbs.” But it’s “Hits from the Bong” that has left the biggest impact. Remember, ‘just like chong, I hit the bowl and I reload it.’

1. Legalize It – Peter Tosh
At a time when support for marijuana legalization and taxation is at a all time high in the US, Peter Tosh’s track “Legalize It” is as relevant as ever. Legalize it. Don’t Criticize it.

No Bob Marley??? Leave a comment!

Subscribe to our Spotify Playlist “Pass that shit ➜ Top 10 weed songs” and listen to the 50 best weed songs ever!

Filed Under: BAM of the Week Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

10 most important Political Protest Songs of the last 50 years

November 9, 2012 by 36 Comments

As President Obama looks ahead to four more years, let’s look at the 10 most important political protest songs of the last 50 years, from oldest to most recent. What did we miss? Leave a comment below.

(1963) Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come

Upon hearing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1963, Cooke was greatly moved that such a poignant song about racism in America could come from someone who was not black. (Source: The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time). This was an era of segregation, and Cooke was very popular with white audiences due to his hit “Twistin’ the Night Away,” so it took guts to create this song and perform it before the Civil Rights Movement had really begun.

(1964) Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A Changing

In 1985, Dylan told Cameron Crowe for Rolling Stone, “This was definitely a song with a purpose…I wanted to write a big song, with short concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. The civil rights movement and the folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time.” This song, along with “Blowin’ in the Wind,” cemented dylan as a lead counter-culture figure.

(1969) Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son

Many of the best US political protest songs relate tot he Vietnam War, and one of the best is “Fortunate Son” by CCR. Fogerty is pretty blunt and loud in speaking for the working, middle and low-income earners, the sons drafted to fight. John Fogerty told Rolling Stone, “Julie Nixon was hanging around with David Eisenhower, and you just had the feeling that none of these people were going to be involved with the war.

(1970) Gil Scott Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Probably the biggest influence in hip hop history, even after his death in 2011, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is Gil Scott Heron’s most important and influential poetic track. Heron wins the listener over with his humor, but it’s one of the best political protest songs of all time due to it’s subversion during the Nixon era.

(1970) Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Ohio

“Ohio” was written by Neil Young as a reaction to the US military personel killing of four Vietnam War protestors at Kent State University, the event that effectively ended US support of the disastrous war. CSNY added to the pressure with this classic, catchy song that ensured that the the Kent State shooting stayed on the mind of the American public for months and years to come.

(1973) Bob Marley & Peter Tosh – Get Up,Stand Up

Like “Ohio,” “Get Up, Stand Up” is an overtly political song. Unlike CSNY, Bob Marley is best known for being the most prominent Raggae musician of all time, smoking copious amounts of marijuana, and for his political protest songs. (Alright, CSNY probably smoked lots of weed) And this track owns the best lines in political protest music history: “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. So now we see the light! We gonna stand up for our rights!”

(1984) Bruce Springsteen – Born In the U.S.A.

This song was mistaken as a positive American anthem for years, and still is today by many. Ronald Reagan even used this song in his 1984 reelection campaign and tried to claim Bruce as a supporter! Lyrically the song takes a realistic approach the effects of the Vietnam war on those that were forced to go fight in Southeast Asia, but if you manage to only listen to the chorus, it can be seen as a patriotic anthem. Brian Doherty wrote, “The song’s lyrics are about a shell-shocked vet with ‘no place to run, nowhere to go.’ Bruce once said it’s about “a working-class man…It’s like he has nothing left to tie him into society anymore. He’s isolated from the government. Isolated from his family…to the point where nothing makes sense.” It’s not an overt political protest song, but it’s way closer to that then a national anthem.

(1989) Public Enemy – Fight the Power

“Fight the Power” was brilliantly used as Radio Raheem’s jam of choice and musical motif to the classic Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing. It was Public Enemy’s breakthrough song, and it incorporates references to many parts of African-American culture, including civil rights samples, black church services sounds, and the music of James Brown. And laying the smack down on Elvis Presley & John Wayne for their on-the-record white supremacist views certainly is the cherry on top of this political protest firestorm of a sundae.

(1992) Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name

Rage was one of the most politically active groups at a time when political protest songs weren’t and aren’t very common. “Killing in the Name” is the quintessential Rage Against the Machine song, with it’s confronting vocals that link police to racism with the line “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses,” and with the ending refrain “Fuck You, I won’t do what you told me.” Zach de la Rocha & Tom Morello almost inspired a riot at the Democratic National Convention in 2000. Then de la Rocha abruptly left the group, but Tom Morello has continued his political activity, most recently getting involved in the Occupy WallStreet movement.

(2012) Killer Mike – Reagan

Hip hop artist Killer Mike put out an excellent LP this year called R.A.P. Music, and Mike’s passion and effective deconstruction of Reaganomics & the man himself is stinging. He explores the Iran Contra scandal, privatization of the prison system, how all US presidents are puppets to the elite (including Obama). One of the best tracks of 2012, “Reagan” shows that political protest songs are far from dead.

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Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Bowl … warts and all

October 30, 2012 by 3 Comments

By Pete Mauch //

Bob Dylan //
Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles
October 26th, 2012 //

Bob Dylan came to The Hollywood Bowl on Friday night and played a solid 15-song set that contained many raspy growls, bluesy harmonica solos and not-so-quiet sing-alongs. The 71-year-old living legend managed to put together a fine little show, despite having a frog in his throat the entire time on stage.

Any Dylan fan these days should know to expect the raspy voice, very little guitar playing and unusual song arrangements from his shows. Knowing this, I went in with an open mind and a sense of amazement that I was actually seeing Dylan. He has played the Bowl three times before this show, the first time being all the way back in 1965 when he was just 25 years old, back in 1965 was when he first plugged in and went full electric at the classic Newport Folk Festival.

He opened the show with the upbeat classic “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, which I’ve always loved, and it was a great way to get things rolling. Dylan traded off between his mic stand and his piano the entire night. Not once did he care to pic up a guitar, which I felt was odd, but he does have Charlie Sexton on guitar duty. I was glad to hear “Tangled Up in Blue” early in the set. It had a nice bluesy solo by Dylan on harmonica, which was well-received by the crowd.

Being the enigmatic figure that he is, Dylan didn’t make good use of the many big screens at the Bowl. Instead of focusing in on his playing or at least giving us different perspectives on the screen, all they showed was a zoomed-out view of the stage. I’ve been to many shows at the Bowl, and these screens really do help with the overall show experience, so I felt bad for the many fans in the upper tiers. Dylan and his band continued with a standout version of “The Levee’s Gonna Break”, as he growled to the crowd in his raspy voice, which by this time had cleared up a bit.

Dylan has done a decent job of switching up songs this tour, except for his finale, so I was glad to hear “Desolation Row” and the swirly rocker “Highway 61 Revisited.” Dylan’s four-song finale was quite fun, as it consisted of classics of “Ballad of Thin Man”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, “All Along the Watchtower” and the stripped-down encore featuring “Blowing in the Wind”. It’s quite impressive knowing he penned all these songs, and I feel privileged to have seen him perform them live. I also found it pretty amusing to watch people try and sing along with Dylan because his arrangements and vocal phrasing are very different today then they were in all his classic albums.

Dylan is arguably the greatest American songwriter of our generation. Go see him live … warts and all.

Setlist:
You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
To Ramona
Things Have Changed
Tangled Up in Blue
The Levee’s Gonna Break
To Make You Feel My Love (Billy Joel cover)
Cry a While
Desolation Row
Highway 61 Revisited
Love Sick
Thunder on the Mountain
Ballad of a Thin Man
Like a Rolling Stone
All Along the Watchtower

Encore:
*Blowin’ in the Wind

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: ,

New Music Tuesday: Bob Dylan • The xx • The Avett Brothers • The Presets • The Raveonettes • Calexico • Chris Robinson Brotherhood • David Byrne & St. Vincent

September 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Bob Dylan - Tempest

Every Tuesday, we focus on new music releases by naming our top tracks and supplying the latest videos for select albums.

Bob Dylan – Tempest

Top Track: “Duquesne Whistle”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

The xx – Coexist

Top Track: “Swept Away”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter

Top Track: “Live & Die”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

The Presets – Pacifica

Top Track: “Youth in Trouble”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

The Raveonettes – Observator

Top Track: “Observations”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

Calexico – Algiers

Top Track: “Splitter”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

Chris Robinson Brotherhood – The Magic Door

Top Track: “Vibration & Light Suite”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant

Top Track: “Who”

Listen to the album on Spotify.

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Best tracks of 2012: August

August 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Showbams presents the best tracks of 2012 ➜ updated daily, through August 31st. We’ll be updating this list weekly, and the list will surely change significantly by the end of September.

Notable September releases include Animal Collective, Cat Power, Bob Dylan, A$AP Rocky, St. Vincent & David Byrne, The Avett Brothers, The xx, The Presets, Band of Horses, Mumford & Sons, Calexico, Django Django, Grizzly Bear and many more.

Subscribe to this Spotify playlist and follow along until the final ranking at year’s end.

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