??/??/07 The Drip @ Bowery Poetry Club, New York, NY

My friend who took me to my first Phish show played drums for this livetronica band for a brief spell.

12/31/07 The Danger's New Lost City @ 3rd Ward, Brooklyn, NY

So excited was I to rage a New Year's eve in style after having to sit on the sidelines the year prior due to Mono that I made a special trip to National Wholesale Liquidators to purchase ballons and other assorted toys. It was there that I found the giant bubble sword that would provide much entertainment that night.

That night, I took on the role of merry prankster, spreading love and light across the boros. My ridiculous attire included a thrift store tweed blazer and a grampa hat, augmented by my ludicrously large bubble wand.

Never before had my rage crew run so deep. My friend's twin cousins were in from Israel with their friends in tow. My some time NYC resident friends joined us. My friend came down from Boston and passed out drunk in the chill tent before we even arrived.

We missed whatever spectacle was planned for midnight, but apparently it involved instructions to kiss strangers, as every time I met someone there, I was warmly kissed.

The smallish loft area was packed beyond belief when we got there a little after 1am. Luckily, there was an outdoor area for blowing giant bubbles and other assorted merriment.

Later, the crowd thinned out a bit and we reveled in our ecstatic state until well past dawn. After the fire spinners and stiltwalkers and aerieal acrobatics dissipated, we danced the early morning away to a band fronted by a demented clown and intermittent burlesque.

Finally, I led a good portion of our troops back to our place in Queens for rest and rejuvenation. I'll never forget an apartment full of weary, yet fully satisfied party people lazily wasting a New Year's Day on my fold out couch.

12/31/07 The Join w/Marco Benevento & Joe Russo @ Highline Ballroom, New York, NY

I almost skipped this show and I wish I had.

With the combination of the Benevento/Russo Duo and two thirds of The New Deal, this should have been a great show, but it had so many factors going against it. This incarnation of The Join was unfortuantely lesser than the sum of its parts. I guess their styles just did not mesh.

To add insult to inury, tickets were pretty expensive, which is to be expected on New Year's Eve in New York City, but still a con. We arrived late and missed the first set, which was our fault, but still on the list. Finally, the show ended at 12:30 on the dot, way too early for a New Year's Eve show. At least there was a nice balloon drop at midnight.

Despite all that, the night managed to be one for the books, thanks almost entirely to the events that transpired after this debacle of a show.

12/30/07 Strange Design (Phish tribute) @ Lion's Den, New York, NY

This New Year's Eve Eve show featured yet another Phish tribute act, this one copping DSO's format of covering entire actual shows. I believe this was also one of the last shows at Lion's Den before they transformed into Sullivan Hall.

12/06/07 Balkan Beat Box @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY

This Gogol Bordello spin-off features a similar international goulash of musical styles from klezmer to punk to hip hop to dub. It's the type of music that you can't help but dance to.

11/23&24/07 Dark Star Orchestra @ Nokia Theatre, New York, NY

11/23/07 • Nokia Theatre • New York , NY
Original Setlist
Set 1: Sugar Magnolia> Loose Lucy, Cassidy, Mr. Charlie, HC Sunshine, Music Never Stopped> Unbroken Chain> Sunshine Daydream
Set 2: Help on the Way> Slipknot> Feel Like a Stranger> Franklin's Tower, Alligator> Drums> Space> Other One> Alligator> Other One> Standing on the Moon> Lovelight
Encore: Werewolves of London

11/24/07 • Nokia Theatre • New York , NY
8/12/81 • Salt Palace • Salt Lake City, UT
Set 1: Alabama Getaway> Greatest Story, Friend of the Devil, Mama Tried> Mexicali Blues, Jack a Roe, C.C. Rider, Althea, Lost Sailor> St. of Circumstance
Set 2: Might as Well> Women are Smarter, Scarlet Begonias> Fire on the Mountain, Estimated Prophet> Eyes of the World> Drums> Space> Spanish Jam> Truckin'> Morning Dew> Around & Around> Good Lovin'
Encore: US Blues
Filler: We Bid You Goodnight

On occasion, DSO will deviate from their normal template and bust out a stellar original set composed of Dead tunes, as was the case on the first night of this holiday run. They returned to their standard operating procedure on the second night for an early '80s gem.

11/17/07 Galactic w/Mr. Lif, Boots Riley, Chali 2na, etc./RJD2/LifeSavaz @ Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY

The live band hip hop trend that had been percolating the last couple years culminated in Galactic's innovative hip hop tour. Their heavy New Orleans funk sound meshed flawlessly with the varying styles of several backpack rap luminaries. This was in conjunction with the Zig Zag Live Concert Series so there was tons of swag, including T-shirts and posters.