Holly Bowling/March 19,2017/South Burlington,VT

I had been hearing of Holly for almost 2 years,so I was very pleased to finally see her in person. She plays solo piano (no vocals) renditions of Grateful Dead and Phish songs. In the spirit of those bands,she also goes off on gorgeous improvisational tangents within the frameworks of the tunes.

She started this show with one of my favorite Dead songs, "Unbroken Chain". She progressed through 2 beautiful sets of instrumental music,sticking mainly to the Grateful Dead. I'd say 20% of the show was Phish material. Her encore was a gentle version of Phish's "If I Could".

She nicely met with us fans after the show. I highly recommend this virtuoso.

Holly's site:  http://www.hollybowling.com/

Pink Talking Fish/March 4,2017/Burlington,VT

This was the final night of PTF's 3 night run at Nectar's. Each night's show contained a musical concept. On this night the band played Phish's "A Live One" album in its entirety with Pink Floyd and Talking Heads tunes woven into the show. The show was a sell-out,and the band played its brains out.

Joining the fun was longtime Phish collaborator Dave Grippo on saxophone. Other guests included local singer Hayley Jane and Mike Gordon's percussionist Craig Myers. The show had plenty of highlights,but of note was a blazing transition from Phish's "Gumbo" into the Talking Heads' "Life During Wartime".

Once again PTF proved itself to be a powerful musical unit with tons of improvisational ability. I'm already looking forward to the next show. Below my ticket stub are a couple shots I took at the show.

The Machine/February 25,2017/South Burlington,VT

This time around my pal Adam came with me to the show,and it was his 1st time seeing The Machine. He was very impressed. The band started out with "Echoes" and proceeded with a 2 set show which included bits from Pink Floyd's 1960s,1970s and 1980s catalogue. As always,the band played with passion,precision and a fine capacity for improvisation.
  A few nice surprises included "Arnold Layne","Obscured By Clouds" and "A Saucerful of Secrets". The band nicely returned for an encore which included the final 4 songs from "The Wall".
Below my ticket stub are some photos I took at the show.

Pink Talking Fish/January 28,2017/Stowe,VT

 Pink Talking Fish is a 4 piece band which covers the music of Pink Floyd,Talking Heads and Phish. They occasionally will mix things up and incorporate parts of one song inside another. They do all of this seamlessly and articulately while delivering brain-splitting improvisation. In other words,they play their brains out.
  My pals Adam and Harold accompanied me to this show at the Rusty Nail in beautiful Stowe,VT. Adam's and my love for Phish goes WAY back,but Harold (a newbie to jam-band music) was so impressed by the band that he wondered when the next show would be.
  PTF tore the place down with intense covers of "Time","Burning Down the House","Steam" and a host of others. They finished the first set with a mash-up of Phish's "Ocelot" and the Dead's "Tennessee Jed". The second set concluded with a very heavy take on "Harry Hood".
 I cannot recommend this band highly enough. They will melt your face off.  Below is a photo I took at the show and my ticket.

Mike Gordon/November 25,2016/South Burlington,VT

 Yet another fun night at Higher Ground. The acoustics here are superb. My friend Adam attended this show with me. We have both been fans of Phish since the 1990s,but this was the first time either of us attended a band member's solo show.
  Mike Gordon is an odd,quirky guy,and his music reflects this. Both sets of this show contained his songs plus unfamiliar cover songs. All of these songs contain LOTS of space for improv and plenty of chances for Mr. Gordon to showcase his excellent bass skills. His bass and Scott Murawski's guitar both would light up at different points during the show. (See green photo below.)
  During one song,a large disc was passed through the audience. This disc would create musical notes when anyone's hand would touch one of the white spots on it.
  There was speculation that another Phish member would show up as a guest,but that did not happen. Below my ticket stub are 2 photos I took at the show.

Setlist for this show: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/mike-gordon/2016/higher-ground-ballroom-south-burlington-vt-4bfa43b2.html

Gov't Mule/September 10,2016/Concord,NH

My 1st Mule show in about 8 years! The intimate Capitol Center for the Arts had very good acoustics. I was concerned that I may get my ears blasted out in my 2nd row seat,but there was no problem. The sound was well-balanced.

Opening with "Mule" always makes me happy. And this one grabbed you hard! A few songs into the show,the guys surprised me with a cover of Rufus's "Tell Me Something Good". I had forgotten that The Mule loves a great cover. "Time to Confess" ended the first set.

Free's "Mr. Big" got the 2nd set rolling. A brutal "Streamline Woman" led into a muscular Matt Abts drum solo. This guy just improves with age! After a very fine 2nd set,the band returned for a 2 song encore: "Just Got Paid" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago". This was quite appropriate as The Mule had played with ZZ Top the night before in Wantagh,NY.

The band covered many bases for me this night. A great opener,a surprise cover and all kinds of teases and jams thrown in the mix. Thanks a lot guys!

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

Setlist from this show: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/govt-mule/2016/the-capitol-center-for-the-arts-concord-nh-13fc49f9.html

Phish/July 1-3,2016/Saratoga Springs,NY

I returned to SPAC with my friend Adam for another 3 day Phish extravaganza. This time around we stayed in a hotel in nearby Queensbury,NY instead of camping. The drive to SPAC took about 25 minutes.

On night #1 we were rained on heavily before the show while we were down on the rail. By showtime the rain stopped entirely. This is my favorite show of the run. Highlights include a first set "David Bowie",a debut of "Let's Go" and a brain-crushing "Chalkdust Torture" which included Trey playing the Marimba Lumina. The band also played "My Sweet One" in response to a fan-made tapestry in the balcony. Jon even treated us to a drum solo in this song! The Rolling Stones's "Shine a Light" and Hendrix's "Fire" were played later in the show.

Night #2 was a frustrating experience. For the 1st set we had people constantly walking past us and destroying my concentration. We had a better vantage point for the 2nd set,and highlights included "Golden Age" and "Run Like an Antelope".

Night #3 we were down near the rail again in the center. This was my second favorite night. At this show we got a very jammed-out "Moma Dance", "Soul Shakedown Party" and a slew of early 1990s Phish songs.

Another great weekend at SPAC. Below my ticket stubs are photos I took that weekend.

Day#1: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/phish/2016/saratoga-performing-arts-center-saratoga-springs-ny-7bff9af0.html

Day#2: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/phish/2016/saratoga-performing-arts-center-saratoga-springs-ny-7bff927c.html

Day#3: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/phish/2016/saratoga-performing-arts-center-saratoga-springs-ny-3bff880c.html