Pink Talking Fish/January 27,2018/Jay,VT

For this show, PTF set up camp at Jay Peak Resort in Jay,VT. The small ballroom where the show took place is in the same complex as the Indoor Water Park. My pal Harold attended this show with me.

I have seen PTF several times before, but this time there was an added element to the show. The band teamed up with a few guys who set up a gorgeous psychedelic light show on the wall of the ballroom.
As always, the band put on a high-energy show full of their takes on Phish, Talking Heads and Pink Floyd songs.

I will be sure to catch this great band the next time they roll into anywhere near me. Below is a photo I took at the show.

The Machine/December 9,2017/South Burlington,VT

Once again, I headed out to see the amazing The Machine on this very chilly night. I have seen them around 10 times (starting in 1994), and this may be the best I've seen. They are always excellent and detail-oriented, but this show felt like it had extra OOMPH.

The first set began with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and blazed through some gorgeous 70s and 80s selections. (Including "Signs of Life"!) The second set was the "Animals" album performed in its entirety. Wow! This contained some wildly intense playing by everybody involved.

After a rousing ovation The Machine encored with the last few songs from "The Wall". What a beautiful night in South Burlington.

Below my ticket stub are some photos/video I took that night.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience/December 2,2017/Montreal,QC

I've been a Led Zeppelin fan since 1988. Over the years I have obsessively collected a boatload of their bootlegs. So when I had a chance to see John Bonham's son play some Zep songs up in Montreal, I leaped at the chance.

The show began with some old-timey home movie footage of John Bonham accompanied by pre-recorded narration by Jason. The band opened up with an explosive "Immigrant Song". Aside from Jason on drums there was a bassist,guitarist,singer and keyboardist. This was not a casual pick-up band. These guys were seriously talented. Jason would occasionally share some stories about life with Bonzo.

The setlist contained (among others) an intense "No Quarter", "The Wanton Song" and a huge "Whole Lotta Love" complete with a theremin freakout. Of particular interest was Mr. Jimmy on guitar. He is a Japanese fellow who has the Jimmy Page sound down to a science. He even looks like the mid-70s Jimmy.

This was a very fun night of Zeppelin music in one of my favorite cities. Below my ticket stub are some photos/video I took that night.

Dead and Company/November 12,2017/New York,NY

This was my 4th time entering Madison Square Garden this year. The first 3 times were for Phish back in late July. Previous to that, my only time in The Garden was in November of 1993.

For this (my 1st Dead and Company show) I was seated behind the stage. The band nicely set up video screens for those of us way back there. This *little* thing made the show more engaging for me. Onto the show...

The guys came out with a classy "Shakedown Street" to start things off. This disco-Dead song has always been a favorite of mine. There was a bit of rustiness in the sound of the band here and there. Even Bob Weir called attention to it a couple times. The first set progressed very nicely through 7 songs.

Second set was even better. "China Cat Sunflower"/"I Know You Rider" is an old-school Dead combo, and MSG gobbled it up. Two personal favorites came up next in the form of "Ship of Fools" and "Terrapin Station". After the "Drums"/"Space" section was over, Bob delivered a gorgeous "Standing on the Moon" in the old Jerry ballad spot. A hot "Casey Jones" ended the 2nd set. Then we were treated to a double encore of "Samson and Delilah" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London".

Dead and Company can never replace the REAL Grateful Dead, but it's still a great time. Also...John Mayer is a demon on guitar. His abilities in the "Jerry spot" are amazing. Long live The Dead!!

Below my ticket stub is a photo I took that night.

Leslie West/November 11,2017/New York,NY

Leslie West is one of my favorite guitarists. His band Mountain had a big hit with "Mississippi Queen" in 1970. Over the years he has struggled with obesity, drugs and diabetes. A few years ago he had half of his right leg amputated due to diabetes.

Leslie is half the reason I went to NYC on Veteran's Day weekend. The other half was Dead and Company. I had never seen him live, and I wanted to take this chance to see the legend before he dies. Also, BB King's night club is a cool place.

Leslie was rolled out onstage in his wheelchair. After adjusting his gear for a bit he played "People Get Ready" with just guitar and vocals. His voice was VERY rough, and he sounded under-rehearsed on guitar. Then Bobby Rondinelli (drums) and Rev. Jones (bass) joined him for some Mountain classics. Again, poor Leslie sounded like he was not doing too well. After mentioning Jack Bruce, he played a cover of Cream's "Politician" with a bit of "Sunshine of Your Love" thrown in.

Bobby and the Rev. Jones each had a chance to solo during the set. After playing about 45 minutes, Mr. West and company vacated the stage. Ouch. Maybe it was because Leslie was rough sounding, or maybe he just does short shows these days. Either way, it was a bit of a letdown. I'd love to say that he still rages on guitar, but that was really not the case. But I'm happy I saw him in person in one of my favorite cities.

Below my ticket stub are two photos I took at that night.

Roger Waters/October 16,2017/Montreal,Quebec

My fascination with Pink Floyd goes back to 1980 when "Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2" was on the radio A LOT. Then I sort of forgot about them until around 1992 when I became a big fan while in college. Since then,I've purchased every Floyd album and collected countless bootlegs. It was a great night when I saw Pink Floyd in Montreal in 1994 on their "Division Bell" tour. But this was my first time seeing Roger Waters in concert.

Roger had 2 female backup singers,a couple guitarists,a couple keyboardists and a drummer. The night began with "Breathe" and "One of These Days". After a big blast of oldies, Roger performed a couple songs from his new album "Is This the Life We Really Want?". The first set concluded with "Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2" featuring local Canadian boys and girls singing the chorus onstage.

After a 20 minute intermission, the band returned with huge video screens bisecting the Bell Centre. While the band played "Dogs" and "Pigs" from 1977's "Animals", lots of anti-Trump imagery was splattered on the screens. This, along with the huge flying pig, delighted the audience. Toward the end of the set, we gave Roger a MASSIVE standing ovation that really seemed to move him. The night wrapped up with "Mother" and "Comfortably Numb" from "The Wall".

This was a beautiful night with one of my favorite musicians on the planet. Long Live Roger!

Setlist from this show: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/roger-waters/2017/centre-bell-montreal-qc-canada-3e3d567.html

Below my ticket stub are some photos I took at the show.

Fleet Foxes/September 27,2017/Morrison,CO

For years I've wanted to attend a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It's a venue which has become legendary for its natural beauty. Well...here was my chance.

I was already in Colorado for the first time ever, and I chose to attend this show. Fleet Foxes is a good band, but mainly I wanted to see a show at Red Rocks. The unique band Beach House played about a one hour opening set. Their music is ethereal and slightly psychedelic.

After a set break, out came Fleet Foxes with their distinctive CSN-ish vocal talents. These guys were great and all, but the weather got quite chilly and damp, so I left before the show was over. I was also a bit anxious about driving out of Red Rocks as the parking situation was a bit ramshackle.

Red Rocks lived up to my expectations as a gorgeous venue. (Possibly the finest outdoor venue ever.) The acoustics were beautiful and the scenery is out of this world. This was a big one on my "DO IT BEFORE YOU DIE" list. Below my ticket stub are some photos I took at the show.

Setlist for this show: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/fleet-foxes/2017/red-rocks-amphitheatre-morrison-co-63e25e3b.html