Tag Archives: mth-v

MTH-V: Dave Matthews & Friends

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Almost ten years ago, Dave Matthews released his Some Devil, his first solo album separate from DMB. Featuring a more standard rock instrumentation of guitars, keys, bass, and drums (with occasional horns, etc. in the studio), the songs were more straight ahead than the usual DMB fare. Winter 2003/04 saw a brief tour in support of the album with Dave Matthews & Friends, a powerhouse consisting of:

Dave Matthews – guitar, lead vocals
Trey Anastasio – guitar, vocals
Brady Blade – drums, vocals (brother of another drumming Blade…)
Tony Hall – bass, vocals
Ray Paczkowski – keys
Tim Reynolds – guitar

Just the other day I was thinking of what a great time I had at the 12.22.03 show outside of Chicago – the band’s last show of the year. It remains one of the best concerts I’ve attended (and not just Dave Matthews-related). For one, we (the audience) got a lot of show that night for the price of one ticket. Not counting Emmylou Harris‘s opening set, DM&F played for over 3 hours 20 minutes, and the energy continually built throughout the evening.  This of course begs the question on how/why the band would play such long shows while touring to support one album. Well, the show was broken down into a few segments:
• ~30 minute acoustic opener by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, performing acoustic renditions of a few DMB songs
• …transitioning into a 2+ hour set by DM&F, performing songs from Some Devil as well as select covers from The Beatles to to Peter Gabriel to Led Zeppelin to The Band to Sly & The Family Stone and more
• Opening the encore with a brief acoustic set by Dave Matthews & Trey Anastasio, playing a few DMB and Phish numbers a la Billy Joel & Elton John
• …transitioning into a finale by the full band

One of my favorite parts of the show was just how fun it was. The band was solid, locked in with one another and playing as a unit. And they all seemed to really enjoy playing together. And the mix of originals and covers made me feel like I was watching them in a bar as opposed to an arena. I’d love to see the band hit the road for another brief tour sometime. I’d definitely attend. (DM&F later appeared at Bonnaroo 2004, Vegoose 2005, and a special Dave Matthews & Friends cruise in 2006.)

It’s worth noting that the full band only performed one nearly forgotten DMB song, “Sweet Up and Down.” And, oddly enough, except for “So Damn Lucky,” Some Devil‘s songs didn’t start creeping into full DMB sets until recent years. I’m glad to see that latter firewall start to erode. (They’ve always been a part of the acoustic Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds canon.)

Below are some live clips of both original and cover songs. If you’re a fan, you’ll dig ’em. If DM&F is new territory for you, I suggest checking them out even if you don’t like DMB. Different band, different vibes.

“Up and Away” by Dave Matthews | Allstate Arena; Rosemont, IL 12.22.03 
• My favorite tune on the studio album. I was at this show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHnON49WQao

“Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin | Madison Square Garden; New York, NY 12.17.03
• Final song of the night, hence Dave’s voice being shot at the end. At the beginning, the crowd is continuing to sing Phish’s “Bathtub Gin,” which was just sung by Dave & Trey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu5eCbWvOgM

“Will It Go Round In Circles” by Billy Preston | DM&F Cruise 02.04.06
• Bob Weir comes out at the end of the video after the song ends. They next played a cover of Grateful Dead‘s “Iko Iko.”

MTH-V: Mike Stern & Bob Berg’s “Games”

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Here’s a nice little gem I came across a couple months back. This same configuration of the Mike Stern Group w. Bob Berg was featured here in December 2011. Then it was a couple of renditions of “Friday Night at the Cadillac Club.” I like that tune and those videos, however I think that this tune is more fitting of the group. All four of them stretch, explore, and play with intensity. This performance is from the 1990 Jazzfest Wiesen.

I suppose the real feature for this video is Dennis Chambers’s drum solo, however I think it’s much too long. But a good video overall nonetheless.

Personnel:
Mike Stern – Guitar
Bob Berg – Saxophone
Lincoln Goines – Bass
Dennis Chambers – Drums

MTH-V: Philip Glass Ensemble’s ‘EOTB’ (1982)

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Regular readers know of my fondness for Einstein on the Beach. (And if you’re curious, go here, here, and here.) I won’t sit and gush about my seeing it live last year. But it’s still with me. Constantly. I’ve been on the road a lot this last week for gigs and EOTB has regularly kept me company in the car. There are a number of videos I’d like to include, but I’ll instead be breaking this up into separate posts.

This week’s videos are clips of a 1982 concert performance by the Philip Glass Ensemble of “Train” and “Spaceship.” They’re the first and last scenes, respectively, of the work (save for the knee plays). There are interesting interview segments with Philip Glass at the end of each clip.

Of course, keep in mind that these are abbreviated versions. 🙂 The staging is fascinating for both sections, but it’s interesting to see this in concert performance. Excuse the fuzzy video quality; this is from a VHS transfer.

“Train”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl0BSh7RXPc

“Spaceship”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0SgFg7OstI

MTH-V: Herbie’s “Actual Proof”

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The weekly video series/curation is back again after a lengthy hiatus. And back with a bang.

This is the first time I’ve explicitly featured Herbie Hancock in this series, though he’s come up on occasion (you can see him with Michael Brecker here). Below is one of my favorite songs of his, “Actual Proof,” which was originally released on 1974’s Thrust. (It’s my favorite of the Headhunters albums.) Herbie has long been one of my all-time favorite musicians. Even though he’ll be 73 next month, he remains one of the most forward-thinking figures in music of any genre, and he’s always progressing and experimenting. Attempting a brief career overview here is silly, but suffice it to say he’s just about done it all. From his groundbreaking early work with Miles (both acoustic and electric), to his various funk explorations, to crossover success with “Rockit” and later a Grammy for Album of the Year for a wonderfully original Joni Mitchell tribute, to his exploring the ends of both jazz and pop music, he’s a force to be reckoned with. (And to top it off, he seems to be a sweetheart by all accounts.) I have about twenty of his solo albums – which barely scratches the surface! – as well as just about everything he did with Miles. It’s such an eclectic collection, as just about everything he does is great. I’ve seen him in concert four times (five if you count an interview in which he played a couple tunes), and he blew me away each time in a different capacity. (One performance included a 55-minute “Dauphin Dance” that was from another planet…)

The band in the below video is a slightly amended version of his Headhunter’s ’05 band that was assembled for his featured set at Bonnaroo 2005. (I attended Bonnaroo ’05, and the Headhunters set remains one of the best shows I’ve ever seen of any style.) This particular lineup played later that year, with this performance taking place in Tokyo. The personnel features many powerhouses – most of which are well-known bandleaders in their own right:

Herbie Hancock – piano
Terri Lyne Carrington – drums
Roy Hargrove – trumpet
Munyungo Jackson – percussion
Lionel Loueke – guitar
Marcus Miller – bass
Wah Wah Watson – guitar

(Simply trade John Mayer for Watson and add Kenny Garrett and you have the lineup I saw at Bonnaroo…)

This is a great rendition of Herbie classic. Hancock, Hargrove, and Loueke all get some solo space, and the unparalleled rhythm section of Carrington/Miller/Jackson/Watson holds the groove down while weaving in and out of various feels. Just ignore Hargrove’s early entrance on the head. 🙂

MTH-V: Billy Joel

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Well, hello there. I mention that this weekly series has been going on for a year in my last post, then I drop off for a month. Oh well. October proved to be far busier than I could’ve anticipated for a variety of reasons. Working and playing kept me quite busy, but most of my time and resources have been focused on purchasing a house with my wife. Hence today’s selections from Billy Joel.

I should say right off the bat that in the ongoing Billy Joel vs. Elton John debate, I fully side with my man Reggie. I’ve seen both and listen to both, but Joel doesn’t hold a candle to John — that’s a whole separate discussion/entry. In short, Billy Joel had a few good albums and has largely been retired from songwriting for two decades, whereas Elton’s had a few good decades and continues to release new material. (Read my praise of 2010’s The Union here.)

Nonetheless, 1977’s The Stranger is an essential part of my album collection. I bought it blindly about four years ago, thinking I should give one of Joel’s studio albums a shot. And boy do I remain thankful – it was on repeat for the first few months and continues to be in regular rotation. (I have yet to find another Joel album as enjoyable.) The Stranger proved pivotal for a mid-20s me transitioning to a new stage in life, and I find myself returning to it (more than usual) now that my wife and I are preparing to move into our house.

First up is a 1978 performance of the album’s opening track “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” It’s from BBC2’s The Old Grey Whistle Test.

 

And here’s a rocking 1982 performance of “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” from Nassau Coliseum. (And watch Mark Rivera get smooth.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxBjKa8KcW0