Black Sabbath/February 23,2016/Montreal,Quebec

 I had been aware of Black Sabbath for many years. It was not until 2005 that I began to really listen to them and buy their albums. So I was a bit of a late starter. They slowly but surely became one of favorite bands. Late in 2015, the band announced their final tour,and they were coming to Montreal. This was a must-see event. So I went online the minute tickets went on sale,and I secured 3 floor seats for the show. I wanted to see these guys UP CLOSE.

 My friends Harold and Justin accompanied me to the show on a cold Canadian night. We were situated about 14 rows from the stage right on the floor. Beautiful!! On top of the fine view,the Bell Centre had amazing sound. It was loud but not shrill or piercing.

 After a high-energy set from openers "Rival Sons",the mighty Sabbath took the stage with "Black Sabbath". It was a big rush for me to finally see these guys in the flesh. Ozzy apologized for having a cold,but he sounded good to me. He had a BIG cup of tea,some water,and who knows what else on the drum riser behind him.

 The band played all old songs on this night. For whatever reason,they ignored the material from 2013's album "13". I was pleasantly surprised that they played "After Forever" from 1971 and "Dirty Women" from 1976. Tony Iommi (who has leukemia) showed no signs of sickness at all with his massive guitar work. Geezer Butler was as solid as ever on bass. And Tommy Clufetos treated us to a blinding drum solo after a quick "Rat Salad'.

  The encore was "Paranoid" during which a ton of confetti fell on the crowd. Upon closer inspection,the confetti had "BLACK SABBATH" printed on it. This was a beautiful going away party for a legendary band.

Official Black Sabbath site: http://www.blacksabbath.com/

A clip from this show:

Setlist link for this show: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/black-sabbath/2016/centre-bell-montreal-qc-canada-5bf353d8.html

Ticket stub and photos I took at this show are below.

AC/DC/August 31,2015/Montreal,Quebec

My friend Alan accompanied me to the massive Olympic Stadium for this show. The event was not sold out,so the Stadium nicely upgraded our 3rd level seats down to the 2nd level. Even though we were toward the back,we still had a full view of the stage.

"Rock or Bust" was the opening song. They quickly followed it with one of my favorites by AC/DC: "Shoot to Thrill". The set leaned heavily on the classics. Toward the end of the show came Angus Young's showpiece: "Let There Be Rock". After the regular part of the song,Angus played a 10+ minute unaccompanied guitar solo which saw him walking on top of his tall row of amps. Quite the spectacle. And the encore was "Highway to Hell" featuring a fireworks display.

The only complaint I have is that the Olympic Stadium had poor acoustics for this show. The volume was jacked up so loudly that a lot of distortion came through to us in the audience. But this was not the band's fault. These guys are true professionals,and they put on a crowd-pleasing show.

Official AC/DC site: http://www.acdc.com/

Here's a clip of AC/DC at this show:

Setlist link for this show: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/acdc/2015/stade-olympique-montreal-qc-canada-7bf712f4.html

Below are 3 shots I took at the show:

Phish/August 21-23,2015/Watkins Glen,NY

Back to the site of the crazy Super Ball IX of 2011. Only this time I would be entirely sober. And a great weekend it was. Once again,my old friend Adam went with me.

Many things remained the same this time around at Watkins Glen International Speedway. Phish played 7 full sets of music plus a *Secret Set* which I missed again. Once again,all manner of vendors and interactive art installations were spread throughout the site.

The 1st set of the first night ended with a raging "Bathtub Gin". It sounded like no "Gin" I'd ever heard,and I knew the Guys were there to play. The second day peaked with a "Tweezer" and "Prince Caspian" that knocked us all for a loop. Mike Gordon's synthesized bass made the ground shake beneath our feet! The final set of the third day was framed by "Martian Monster" with lots of craziness in between. After the encore,we were treated to a good,long fireworks display. I found all 3 days to be a success,and I'm glad I can remember it all.

Here is the "Tweezer"/"Prince Caspian" mentioned above from August 22nd:

Day #1 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2015-08-21
Day #2 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2015-08-22
Day#3 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2015-08-23

Here are 3 shots I took over that weekend:

Primus/October 26,2014/Burlington,VT

In mid-June of 2014 I got in trouble for arriving at work very drunk. My alcohol-abusing lifestyle had caught up with me. So I cleaned up and decided to pursue a sober life. During this early sobriety I noticed that Primus was coming to play in Burlington. "Let's try Primus", I thought. I knew that Les Claypool is considered one of the greatest bassists around. And I knew Primus would be promoting their twisted take on the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" soundtrack. It sounded perfect.

The 1st set that night was a *standard* Primus set. They started with "Too Many Puppies" and raged through "My Name is Mud" and "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver",among others. After the set break,the Chocolate Factory emerged. The band and the stage were costumed as a twisted version of Roald Dahl's fantasy story. A video screen above the band showed visually altered (tripped out) clips of the original film. There were giant mushrooms onstage and a couple Oompa-Loompas (with giant heads) who made multiple appearances. Primus was accompanied by an additional percussionist and a cello player,as I recall. The whole experience was visually and aurally almost overwhelming. I had been familiar with the soundtrack to the film since I was very young. And this dark,twisted take on it was tremendously entertaining.

And that wasn't the end of the show. Primus came back and treated us to a multi-song encore. This was a great night at The Flynn Theatre,and I can remember it all.

Official Primus site: http://www.primusville.com/

A video of Primus performing the Chocolate Factory set on October 30,2014:

Setlist link for this show: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/primus/2014/flynn-center-for-the-performing-arts-burlington-vt-6bcc3e86.html

Below are 3 shots I took at the show:

Phish/October 25-26,2013/Worcester,MA

This was my first time in Worcester,MA. My brother's friends Andrew and Molly very nicely let me stay at their home for these 2 shows.

The partying scene around the DCU Center was wild on both nights. And I was 100% caught up in all of it. There were *lollipops*, *brownies* and all manner of party favors being sold in the chilly air. So my memories of both shows are scattered.

I recall a long version of The Who's "Drowned" opening one of the sets. "Waves" made an appearance in one of the 2nd sets. And there was an odd moment during an encore when Jon Fishman (drums) handed over his kit to a guy with long dreadlocks during "Boogie On Reggae Woman". The only complaint I have would be the LONG delay getting into both shows. Security seemed to be checking each person thoroughly. This is understandable,but it kept some of us from seeing the beginnings of the 1st sets. But it was a fun time overall in the very cool city of Worcester. Thanks again Andrew and Molly!

Phish in Worcester on October 25,2013:

Setlist link for Oct. 25th: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2013-10-25
Setlist link for Oct. 26th: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2013-10-26

Phish/July 5-7,2013/Saratoga Springs,NY

This was a repeat of the previous year's Phish extravaganza. Again I stayed at Lee's Park with my friend Adam. And again I have precious few memories of the 3 day party.

The music was wonderful,but I have no specific memories of the songs played. My partying had become that heavy at this point. I can only listen to the recordings and watch the videos to refresh my memories now. By day #3,I recall feeling VERY worn out and almost unable to walk. In retrospect I was very likely sleep deprived and dehydrated. Just another wild weekend.

Phish on July 6,2013 in Saratoga:

Day #1 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2013-07-05
Day #2 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2013-07-06
Day #3 setlist link: http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2013-07-07

Brit Floyd/March 27,2013/Burlington,VT

Brit Floyd is a class act. Not only do they sound like the mighty Floyd,but they also have a very sophisticated light show.

Apparently I look like one of the members of the band. While I had a meal before the show,someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if they could buy me a drink. They thought I was the guitarist from Brit Floyd.

After the show,the members sat at a table in the Flynn Theatre lobby and signed autographs and talked to anyone who wanted to talk. Being the fanboy that I am,I thanked them all for the show and got a few autographs. In all honesty,I had a crush on one of the female backup singers. It was a fun night.

Brit Floyd in action in 2011:

Setlist link (with incorrect date): http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/brit-floyd/2013/flynn-center-for-the-performing-arts-burlington-vt-3d88d8b.html

Official Brit Floyd site: http://www.britfloyd.com/

Jacquie Williams,backup singer. She *inspired* me to meet the band after the show.