Apparently sick of paying hundreds of dollars for festival tickets, these hippies built themselves a tunnel directly to the parking lot at this year's All Good Music Festival...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Review: STS9 & Umphrey's McGee 07/15/08 Cincinnati, OH
Sound Tribe Sector 9 and Umphrey's McGee continued their tour of the midwest last night at Moonlite Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio. Moonlite Gardens is actually part of Coney Island Amusement Park, so you can imagine the looks on all of the parents' faces when the Umphreaks and Sound Tribe tour rats descended upon their quiet day with the kids at the amusement park. The parking lot was actually a hilarious scene; there were two or three security guards who weren't even old enough to drink riding around on their bikes enforcing the no drinking, no loitering, and no fun in the lot rules. The funny thing about kicking everyone out of the parking lot was that it kind of backfired and the amusement park itself became the shakedown street (though some 8th graders probably had the time of their lives eating goo-balls and riding roller coasters).
STS9 took the stage on time and played a pretty decent set. One of the first things I noticed is how little the stage was. I really had no idea how they were going to fit Umphrey's and all of their equipment up there. While I thought Sound Tribe started out really well it seemed to get a little monotonous after a while. That and it was hot! They might as well have changed the name of the venue to the Moonlite Sweat Gardens, because it was at least 100 degrees in the pit (despite the fact that the venue was outdoors). We also had the unfortunate luck of getting stuck next to the two dirtiest, smelliest, loudest, most obnoxious tour rats in the whole place for a few songs.
Personally, I think that STS9 always puts on a better show once it's dark out and their lights are in full force. To an extent, it felt like they were just getting warmed up when the set ended. That is definitely the main problem with the two-headliner tour: the risk that you end up leaving without getting your fill from either band (fortunately, I still have 3 shows left to get my fill, plus a late night). Last night definitely got me psyched for STS9's late night show at the House of Blues in Chicago on Saturday, even if it didn't melt my face completely off.
STS9 Set 1 (8:05 - 9:35): Aimlessly, Blu Mood, Be Nice, Empires, New Soma, Oh Little Brain, F. Word, From Now On, Rent w/ start-stop intro, Peoples
It seemed like the Umphrey's crew was having a tough time making enough space for all six members of the band plus instruments and gear on such a small stage ("fat guy, little coat" problems). To be clear: the UM crew did a great job (as they always do) with what they had to work with, but this stage was so tiny that I was surprised that Jake didn't wack Stasik in the head a couple of times with his guitar neck because they were crammed that close together in order to fit on the stage.
Umphrey's finally took the stage around 10:35 and I really hoped that there wasn't a midnight curfew, because I wasn't sure if an hour and a half would be enough. The band took the stage and launched into "Utopian Fir" like it was their second set already and they had been warming up for an hour. The highlight for me was definitely the end of the set with "Hurt Bird Bath" and "40's Theme". The great thing about the show was that I really enjoyed every song they played even though none of them are particular favorites of mine ("Bright Lights" and "Search 4" especially). Unfortunately, it was already midnight at the end of "40's Theme" and there simply wasn't any time left for an encore without breaking the curfew.
Although it would have been nice if Umphrey's topped off their rager of a set with an encore, I wasn't that upset about it. I noticed when I got back that neither group has been playing encores on this tour, which I think is kind of interesting. The encore is obviously so standard that you can't help but feel let down when there isn't one played, but I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. Either way, considering that the curfew was midnight last night, I was happier that Umphrey's played an hour and a half straight rather than an hour and 10 minutes, a 5 minute break, and then a 15 minute encore.
Overall I'd give the performance a B+/A-: even though it was only an hour and a half there was not a wasted minute the whole show. Jake Cinninger is a fucking animal. I couldn't write this review without saying that somewhere. I've got videos of most of the show although the audio quality on my camera leaves much to be desired.
UM Set 2 (10:35-12:00): Utopian Fir > Out of Order, Bright Lights, Big City > Search 4, Hurt Bird Bath, 40s Theme
Utopian Fir
Out of Order
Bright Lights, Big City
Search 4
Hurt Bird Bath
40's Theme (intro)
40's Theme (outro)
I have a day off today and will be rejoining the tour tomorrow in Columbus before hitting Indianapolis on Friday and Chicago on Saturday. If anyone has any good Columbus or Indianapolis recommendations (lodging, food, fun, etc), please let me know!
STS9 took the stage on time and played a pretty decent set. One of the first things I noticed is how little the stage was. I really had no idea how they were going to fit Umphrey's and all of their equipment up there. While I thought Sound Tribe started out really well it seemed to get a little monotonous after a while. That and it was hot! They might as well have changed the name of the venue to the Moonlite Sweat Gardens, because it was at least 100 degrees in the pit (despite the fact that the venue was outdoors). We also had the unfortunate luck of getting stuck next to the two dirtiest, smelliest, loudest, most obnoxious tour rats in the whole place for a few songs.
Personally, I think that STS9 always puts on a better show once it's dark out and their lights are in full force. To an extent, it felt like they were just getting warmed up when the set ended. That is definitely the main problem with the two-headliner tour: the risk that you end up leaving without getting your fill from either band (fortunately, I still have 3 shows left to get my fill, plus a late night). Last night definitely got me psyched for STS9's late night show at the House of Blues in Chicago on Saturday, even if it didn't melt my face completely off.
STS9 Set 1 (8:05 - 9:35): Aimlessly, Blu Mood, Be Nice, Empires, New Soma, Oh Little Brain, F. Word, From Now On, Rent w/ start-stop intro, Peoples
It seemed like the Umphrey's crew was having a tough time making enough space for all six members of the band plus instruments and gear on such a small stage ("fat guy, little coat" problems). To be clear: the UM crew did a great job (as they always do) with what they had to work with, but this stage was so tiny that I was surprised that Jake didn't wack Stasik in the head a couple of times with his guitar neck because they were crammed that close together in order to fit on the stage.
Umphrey's finally took the stage around 10:35 and I really hoped that there wasn't a midnight curfew, because I wasn't sure if an hour and a half would be enough. The band took the stage and launched into "Utopian Fir" like it was their second set already and they had been warming up for an hour. The highlight for me was definitely the end of the set with "Hurt Bird Bath" and "40's Theme". The great thing about the show was that I really enjoyed every song they played even though none of them are particular favorites of mine ("Bright Lights" and "Search 4" especially). Unfortunately, it was already midnight at the end of "40's Theme" and there simply wasn't any time left for an encore without breaking the curfew.
Although it would have been nice if Umphrey's topped off their rager of a set with an encore, I wasn't that upset about it. I noticed when I got back that neither group has been playing encores on this tour, which I think is kind of interesting. The encore is obviously so standard that you can't help but feel let down when there isn't one played, but I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. Either way, considering that the curfew was midnight last night, I was happier that Umphrey's played an hour and a half straight rather than an hour and 10 minutes, a 5 minute break, and then a 15 minute encore.
Overall I'd give the performance a B+/A-: even though it was only an hour and a half there was not a wasted minute the whole show. Jake Cinninger is a fucking animal. I couldn't write this review without saying that somewhere. I've got videos of most of the show although the audio quality on my camera leaves much to be desired.
UM Set 2 (10:35-12:00): Utopian Fir > Out of Order, Bright Lights, Big City > Search 4, Hurt Bird Bath, 40s Theme
Utopian Fir
Out of Order
Bright Lights, Big City
Search 4
Hurt Bird Bath
40's Theme (intro)
40's Theme (outro)
I have a day off today and will be rejoining the tour tomorrow in Columbus before hitting Indianapolis on Friday and Chicago on Saturday. If anyone has any good Columbus or Indianapolis recommendations (lodging, food, fun, etc), please let me know!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
re: Umphrey's McGee & STS9 Summer Tour
For those of you who don't know, Umphrey's McGee and Sound Tribe Sector 9 just kicked off their big Summer tour together. I've got my tickets for Cincinnati and just bought my tickets for both shows in Chicago this Saturday. If all goes as planned, we'll be able to catch the tour tonight in Cincinnati, Thursday in Columbus, Friday in Indianapolis, and Saturday in Chicago. Maybe I'll even learn how to liveblog this week, though probably not.
For those of you who are still on the fence, check out one of the latest entries in Umphrey's own blog "The Floor":
Umphrey's McGee: Nothing too Fancy > Divisions 08/31/07
STS9: Lo Swaga
For those of you who are still on the fence, check out one of the latest entries in Umphrey's own blog "The Floor":
"In the spirit of pure, unadulterated ambition, [we] felt it was time to switch gears from our normal lighting rig and seek out the newest and truest technology out there. In a twist of fate, our lighting vendor just so happened to buy a bunch of brand new lights...I won't give anything away, but they are brighter, faster, and have many more options than our previous moving lights and are sure to compliment STS9's brilliant light rig. We are also travelling with some huge surprises for our headlining gigs that are sure to drop some jaws and create applause. Bottom line: we are PSYCHED to throw a futuristic rock show with a hint of old school on a much larger stage than we are typically use to."I will probably be returning tomorrow with a full review, unless of course the show is so good that I suddenly become inspired to hit up the Richmond, Virginia show on Wednesday as well. Here's some videos to get you as hyped as I am. The show's aren't for another 10 hours and I can barely sit still!
Umphrey's McGee: Nothing too Fancy > Divisions 08/31/07
STS9: Lo Swaga
Monday, July 14, 2008
Rothbury 2008 (or These Rothburys Taste Like Rothburys): Sunday
Sunday was by far our busiest day at the smoothie booth. We were slammed for most of the morning which was great because we were not only making money, but I knew that once the afternoon rolled around I might be watching the three members of Phish who were at the festival play together. Our resident-artist Jumbie decided to give away all of his posters for free which meant that we had tons of people milling around, which in turn attracted even more people to the booth. One thing that I've noticed about lines at festivals is that the longer the line at the booth, the more people that will flock to the line. Anyways, the only thing of interest Sunday morning was when we got a hold of some ice cream and added the Goo-ball milkshake to our unofficial menu.
We caught most of Rodrigo y Gabriela and it was really, really good. I just don't know how so much music can come from two acoustic guitars. Somehow the duo was able to infuse all sorts of riffs from Metallica, Deep Purple, and Jimi Hendrix into one 30 minute version of "Stairway to Heaven". The cameras mounted on the guitar necks was a cool little effect as well:
Seriously though, these two know how to play for an audience. I really think they could have started playing Madonna and I would have liked it. Those aren't drums in the background, by the way, that's the sound of their hands slapping the guitars.
Trey Anastasio was scheduled to play right after Rodrigo y Gabriela, so we rushed to get seats right in front of the soundboard when the first show ended. For some reason I felt kind of nervous before this show. It's not like I was playing my first show in 15 months or anything, but I felt kind of nervous nonetheless. Not to over-analyze the set or anything, but it seemed like a lot of the songs were not only carefully chosen but many seemed to take on a new meaning coming from this older, sober, kind of humbled, and seemingly wiser Trey Anastasio that took the stage. There weren't any distractions, no extravagant lights, not even the Languedoc was present for this one. It was just one man trying to connect with his fans, his band, and his music.
Get Back on the Train
Driver
Brian & Robert
Farmhouse
Sample in a Jar
For those of you who don't already know how this story ends, Mike Gordon sat-in at the end of the set for two new songs, "Backwards Down the Number Line" and "Alaska", as well as "Chalkdust Torture".
I thought Backwards Down the Number Line was fan-fucking-tastic. It had really emotional, direct, powerful lyrics and I bet this will probably be the first song Phish plays when they eventually reunite (instead of Shine). Not only were the lyrics themselves touching, but the song made me excited to think about the prospect of more new Phish songs, new albums, New Year's Eves, Summer tours, Halloweens, and everything and anything in between.
Alaska was fun, a little funky, and definitely has a few of those Phishy lyrics that inevitably get stuck in your head for days and days.
Chalkdust was a great way to close the set, and the whole crowd ran over to catch Mike's set, which began 15 later at another stage. Cactus started off hot with "Another Door" from his new album, the Green Sparrow. You could tell that Mike was really in great spirits. He professed his love for the audience, his new band, and of course, his old band. I professed my love for Mike, but I don't think he heard me.
The best way way to describe the second half of Mike's set: nearly perfect. Trey came in, did a little shredding, they played "Meat," and then Fishman joined for a kick-ass rendition of the Beatles' "She Said, She Said." It was definitely 30 of the best minutes of the weekend, and it gave me an overwhelming sense of relief, not just about the music, but about everything.
Meat
She Said, She Said
The trade off to seeing nearly 6 hours of music in a row on Sunday was that I had to work during Phil Lesh & Friends. Although I was slightly disappointed, I didn't have much time to reflect on my disappointment considering that the booth was really busy because it was warm out on Sunday night unlike the previous two nights. I was just in too good of a mood after the day's events to even care that we were missing Phil.
I really have to hand it Madison House, Charm City Hospitality, and the folks at JJ Ranch for putting on one hell of a weekend. Rothbury not only did the big things right, but they did all of the little things right as well, which is even more impressive considering that this was the festival's inaugural year.
And while I'm still a long way from being rich, we did well enough to hop on the Umphrey's McGee & STS9 Summer tour for a couple of stops.
Currently, the little smoothie booth that could has no plans until All Points West.
We caught most of Rodrigo y Gabriela and it was really, really good. I just don't know how so much music can come from two acoustic guitars. Somehow the duo was able to infuse all sorts of riffs from Metallica, Deep Purple, and Jimi Hendrix into one 30 minute version of "Stairway to Heaven". The cameras mounted on the guitar necks was a cool little effect as well:
Seriously though, these two know how to play for an audience. I really think they could have started playing Madonna and I would have liked it. Those aren't drums in the background, by the way, that's the sound of their hands slapping the guitars.
Trey Anastasio was scheduled to play right after Rodrigo y Gabriela, so we rushed to get seats right in front of the soundboard when the first show ended. For some reason I felt kind of nervous before this show. It's not like I was playing my first show in 15 months or anything, but I felt kind of nervous nonetheless. Not to over-analyze the set or anything, but it seemed like a lot of the songs were not only carefully chosen but many seemed to take on a new meaning coming from this older, sober, kind of humbled, and seemingly wiser Trey Anastasio that took the stage. There weren't any distractions, no extravagant lights, not even the Languedoc was present for this one. It was just one man trying to connect with his fans, his band, and his music.
Get Back on the Train
Driver
Brian & Robert
Farmhouse
Sample in a Jar
For those of you who don't already know how this story ends, Mike Gordon sat-in at the end of the set for two new songs, "Backwards Down the Number Line" and "Alaska", as well as "Chalkdust Torture".
I thought Backwards Down the Number Line was fan-fucking-tastic. It had really emotional, direct, powerful lyrics and I bet this will probably be the first song Phish plays when they eventually reunite (instead of Shine). Not only were the lyrics themselves touching, but the song made me excited to think about the prospect of more new Phish songs, new albums, New Year's Eves, Summer tours, Halloweens, and everything and anything in between.
Alaska was fun, a little funky, and definitely has a few of those Phishy lyrics that inevitably get stuck in your head for days and days.
Chalkdust was a great way to close the set, and the whole crowd ran over to catch Mike's set, which began 15 later at another stage. Cactus started off hot with "Another Door" from his new album, the Green Sparrow. You could tell that Mike was really in great spirits. He professed his love for the audience, his new band, and of course, his old band. I professed my love for Mike, but I don't think he heard me.
The best way way to describe the second half of Mike's set: nearly perfect. Trey came in, did a little shredding, they played "Meat," and then Fishman joined for a kick-ass rendition of the Beatles' "She Said, She Said." It was definitely 30 of the best minutes of the weekend, and it gave me an overwhelming sense of relief, not just about the music, but about everything.
Meat
She Said, She Said
The trade off to seeing nearly 6 hours of music in a row on Sunday was that I had to work during Phil Lesh & Friends. Although I was slightly disappointed, I didn't have much time to reflect on my disappointment considering that the booth was really busy because it was warm out on Sunday night unlike the previous two nights. I was just in too good of a mood after the day's events to even care that we were missing Phil.
I really have to hand it Madison House, Charm City Hospitality, and the folks at JJ Ranch for putting on one hell of a weekend. Rothbury not only did the big things right, but they did all of the little things right as well, which is even more impressive considering that this was the festival's inaugural year.
And while I'm still a long way from being rich, we did well enough to hop on the Umphrey's McGee & STS9 Summer tour for a couple of stops.
Currently, the little smoothie booth that could has no plans until All Points West.
Only in Kentucky...
I was filling out this application when I stumbled upon question #12.
RENT APPLICATION FORM
RENT APPLICATION FORM
1)Your Full Name..........................
2)Your Full Address.......................
3)How old are you...........................
4)Are you married or engaged.......................
5)How many people will be living in the house..............
6)Do you have a pet...........................
7)Do you have a car...........................
8)Occupation..................
9)Phone Number........................
10)ADDRESS OF YOUR CURRENT HOUSE.........................
11)THE NAME OF YOUR LANDLORD........................
12)ARE YOU BORN AGAIN.........................
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