07/20/06 Umphrey's McGee/Galactic/Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ Central Park SummerStage, New York, NY

Umphrey's Mcgee
Set 1: Glory, Wife Soup > Anchor Drops, Got Your Milk (Right Here), #5 > Ringo, Intentions Clear, Der Bluten Kat > Words > Der Bluten Kat, Plunger, Baba O'Riley
Encore: Partyin' Peeps

This was a last minute decision on a show that I probably should have skipped. My internship left me with little disposable income and I didn't know anyone going. But the allure of Galactic funk and UM improg had me searching craigslist for a ticket that afternoon.

I secured my ticket and went on to rage solo, ensuring I would be sliqhtly devoid of energy for the night cap.

The highlight was unquestionably Baba O'Riley. Anthemic fist-pumping rock under the summer sun. Perfection.

07/15/06 Les Claypool & His Fancy Band @ Nokia Theatre, New York, NY

Rumble of the Diesel, Up on the Roof, Of Whales and Woe, Long in the Tooth, Vernon the Company Man, Mr. Krinkle tease > One Step Beyond, D's Diner, Drums, Buzzards of Green Hill, Cosmic Highway, One Better > Tommy the Cat tease > One Better
E: American Life1, Iowan Gal1, Lust Stings
1 Les solo on bass banjo
Les Claypool - Bass, Gabby LaLa - Sitar, Skerik - Saxaphone, Mike Dillon - Percussion, Paulo Baldi - Drums

After missing attempts in the prior several years to catch Les with the Frog Brigade, Bucket of Bernie Brains and Primus, I finally got to see him with his latest group and it did not disappoint.

I came for bass slapping wizardry and that is exactly what I got with Skerik saxaphonic weirdness taboot.

Les Claypool truly is one of a kind

07/15/06 Siren Festival @ Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY

I was vehemently opposed to so-called indie rock back in 2006. I've since come around.

I went to spend some time at the beach with my friends.

Most of my time was spent hacky sacking on the boardwalk.

I think I only saw Tapes 'n Tapes, which was one of my girlfriend's favorite bands at the time.

A better band beckoned in the evening, so I had to leave the beach early.

07/13/06 RatDog/String Cheese Incident @ Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

Ratdog
Set 1: Jam > Shakedown Street > Help on the Way > Slipknot! > She Says, Weather Report Suite Prelude/Part 1 > Let It Grow, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall@, Lazy River Road@ > Odessa > Book of Rules, Cassidy > Stuff1 > Dear Prudence > Two Djinn > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower
E: Attics of My Life2
1with Michael Travis (Drums) Jeff/Jay/Kenny > Jeff/Jay/Kenny/Robin > Jeff/Jay/Kenny/Robin/Travis > all/Travis
2 a capella

String Cheese Incident
Set 1: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Close Your Eyes, Birdland, Sirens, Water, Mouna Bowa > Eye Know Why, Cats, It Is What It Is, Can't Stop Now

Another Grateful Dead spin-off, another Klonopin haze.

I wasn't even planning on going. I was trying to find a companion for an event in Brooklyn that I believe may have been Yo La Tengo performing a live score to an avant garde French film.

After work, I went to my friend's place on the Upper East Side. This was the same friend who had supplied the Klonopin at the Phil & Friends show. Not wanting to go to Brooklyn by my lonesome, I finageled some pills and headed crosstown.

Walking by Radio City Music Hall, i noticed an abundance of hippies and I decided to try for a miracle.

Finger in the air, I found nothing for free, but I was offered a 7th row ticket for less than half face value.

I decided to spend my limited funds for my first taste of either band.

I caught String Cheese from my 7th row seat. They were pretty good.

I ran into an old hugh school buddy, so I spent Ratdog's set in the second balcony.

Neither band left much of a lasting impression.

07/08/06 New Mastersounds/Gnappy @ Knitting Factory, New York, NY

My friend was in town from Boston and we needed something to do on a Saturday night.

We found these two highly talented funk combos and got silly.

Late in the night, fueled by alcohol, I had to be reprimanded for swinging on an exposed pipe.

07/01/06 Phil Lesh & Friends/GRAB @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Homdel, NJ

Phil Lesh & Friends
Set 1: Jam> Truckin'> Cumberland Blues1 > Big River1 > Stagger Lee, Sugaree2
Set 2 : Playing In The Band> Eyes Of The World> Magnolia Mountain > Turn On Your Lovelight, Help On The Way> Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower3
Encore: Donor Rap/Intros, Going Down The Road Feeling Bad3
1with Mike Gordon (electric banjo)
2no Osby
3with Trey Anastasio (guitar, vocals)
Band: Phil Lesh (bass, vocals), John Molo (drums), Rob Barraco (keys), Greg Osby (sax), Joan Osborne (vocals), Barry Sless (pedal steel), Larry Campbell (guitar, fiddle, mando+)

GRAB
Set 1: Plasma, Drifting, Mud City, Trouble, Goodbye Head > Sleep Again, Get Back (The Beatles), Shine, Suskind Hotel, Coming Up Roses (Elliot Smith), Host Across The Potomac > Mr. Completely > Dragonfly, Communication Breakdown (Led Zeppelin)
Encore: Tuesday

This was a rare occasion when I was able to convince my friend to drive out to Jersey for a show.

Sadly, I remember very little of what went down due to another friend providing some Klonopin. If you ever want to not remember a show, take benzos.

From what I can recall, Trey and Mike with the Benevento Russo Duo was decidedly lesser than the sum of its parts. No Phish. Very little Duo. Mike and the Duo would've been much better. Later we would learn that Trey was on quite a bit of pills himself during this interstitial period.

I vaguely recall falling asleep on the lawn during Help>Slip>Frank and I have no recollection of any sit-ins.

06/26/06 Atmosphere/Brother Ali @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY

This show featured two heavy hitters of Minneapolis' unlikely hip hop scene.

I inadvertently offended my black friend when I attempted to discern the differences between "black hip hop" and "white hip hop."

Brother Ali is notable for being albino and Muslim.

Atmosphere (rapper Slug and producer Ant backed by a small band) was OK, but it didn't live up to my expectations. "Guns and Cigarettes," however, remains one of my all-time favorite tracks.

05/??/06 Mike Clark Trio @ Lucille's BB King's, New York, NY

This show featured Mike Clark of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters performing with a trio featuring local organ whiz Jerry Z, who I had met when he palyed with Melvin Sparks.

I ran into the hippie duo from my Green Apple adventures and we parked at a table right in front of the stage.

At one point, I drunkenly yelled out a request for "Watermelon Man" which Mr. Clark begrudgingly obliged, but not before sarcastically offering to play the Herbie composition as a 20 minute drum solo. The joke was on me because the song I meant to request was "Chameleon."