Spin Doctors Close Out Battle of the Bands at Irving Plaza

After attending Xavier Rudd's show there on Monday, I went back to Irving Plaza for the Wall Street Rocks Battle of the Bands 2012 Finale.  I had no idea who the battling bands were (I showed up in time to hear the "where do we go now" section of "Sweet Child o' Mine" sung pretty badly by some woman.), but Spin Doctors were headlining, and the evening was to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims and wounded veterans.  I never thought my ears would be ringing from a Spin Doctors concert, but sure enough, they are as I write this.

I have been to a Spin Doctors show, and recently, I might add.  I saw them in October 2011 at Bowery Ballroom for the 20th anniversary of Pocket Full of Kryptonite.  Back then, lead singer Chris Barron seemed a little too enthralled at having the "original Spin Doctors" together, repeating that phrase between almost every song (The tally for tonight was only two.).  But the original Spin Doctors are back, all the way back to the blues band they were before they struck it big.  Taking the stage to the strains of "Hoochie Coochie Man," they funked things up right away with "What Time is It?"  Mark White makes playing the bass look dangerously easy, looking around the room and nodding his head, while his thumb (that didn't even appear to move that much) knocked out some ridiculously funky lines.  Following with "Nice Talking to Me," it became immediately clear that this show wasn't just gonna be a Kryptonite hitfest.

"We're gonna play a song that you might know.  It was on the radio in the late 20th Century," teased Barron, hyping up the crowd for "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong."  I realized how lucky we are/he is that his voice wasn't lost forever in that strange vocal cord paralysis episode in 1999.  He has such a unique phrasing and tone that makes their songs so easily identifiable I can't even imagine what it was like hearing Ivan Neville sing them at those few shows on that ill-fated tour.  Barron appeared older than last year, owing partly to a mustache ("I grew a mustache. It's cool. Whatever."), but he was no less enthusiastic, kicking his leg higher than a Rockette and pogoing around to every song.

"Here's a song from back in the day, but it's on our new record," he said before "'Bout a Train."  1996's You've Got to Believe in Something is your new record!?  He introduced the next song as the title track, and I'd never heard the catchy number "Some Other Man" before.  Maybe they did have a new album coming out?  "Remember when I said that song was the title track?  That was bullshit!  That other shit was bullshit!" he clarified, and revealed the spring 2013 release to be called If the River Was Whiskey, which made me laugh.  When I was waiting to talk to Chris Barron after last year's show, he told his friend, "I have a killer fucking title for one song we're working on.  It's called 'If the River Was Whiskey,'" totally tickled with himself.  They specifically dedicated Creedence's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" from the Philadelphia soundtrack to the victims of Sandy.  "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" was in top form, Barron asking, "You guys wanna sing along with the Spin Doctors?" before leading the audience on a scat call-and-response.  "Two Princes" was awesome as usual, and they transitioned right into oldie "Lady Kerosene" to close out the set.

Coming out for the encore, Barron showed his gratitude to the small crowd that remained (Those Wall Street-types have to get up early and make all the money), saying, "Thanks for not making it a Blockbuster night."  Wow, they are way more out-of-touch than I thought.  He quickly amended, "Or sitting home and looking at your computer."  He explained that when they were starting out, they played blues clubs, but didn't want to play covers, so they wrote their own blues songs in the style of Willie Dixon, "and we got away with it!"  "Scotch & Water Blues" is one such song, and they segued right into the final ditty, the face-paced and very un-bluesy "Yo Mama's a Pajama" all the way from Up for Grabs.

While "Genuine" went on too long, and they didn't play "How Could You Want Him," it was a fun show overall, albeit a loud one at the end when fewer bodies were there to absorb the sound.  Lesson to the Spin Doctors: Save "Two Princes" for the end.  Even though hoarding your biggest single for last is overdone, the encores at both Spin Doctors shows I've been to have been to markedly smaller crowds than before the song was played.  The generic lighting design left over from the battle of the bands (I think the tech probably said, "Just set it on Rainbow.") cheapened the vibe a bit, and could have been mixed up more.  But the main thing here is that after more than twenty years, the original Spin Doctors are still sounding great, and making new music.  Let's just hope Eric Schenkman sticks around, though with his bandmates mugging for photos (both for the crowd and their own cellphones) during his guitar solos, I don't really blame him for having had personal differences in the past.

SPIN DOCTORS – 12.04.12 – IRVING PLAZA (1 hour, 29 minutes)

SET –

What Time is It? / Nice Talking to Me > Off My Line / Little Miss Can't Be Wrong / More Than She Knows / 'Bout a Train / Some Other Man / If the River Was Whiskey / Have You Ever Seen the Rain? / Jimmy Olsen's Blues / Refrigerator Car > Genuine / Two Princes > Lady Kerosene

ENCORE –

Scotch & Water Blues > Yo Mama's a Pajama

Xavier Rudd Returns to Irving Plaza After Sandy

During the last weekend of October, as Hurricane Sandy approached New York, several events were cancelled preemptively. School days, the final night of Everyone Orchestra's three-night stand at Sullivan Hall, the Halloween parade. Even the NYC Marathon would be revoked. While these cancellations mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, as so many people are still without homes after the storm, it is excellent when the desire to satisfy fans pulls through, and events are rescheduled. Xavier Rudd more than made up for his cancelled October 28th show at Iriving Plaza last night.

While Yeshe was to perform back in October, mbira player Chris Berry, frontman of world music group Panjea, opened this go-round. He played five jazzy songs on the Zimbabwean thumb piano, including "Leave It," a song so new "we're not supposed to be playing it here tonight." He was accompanied by a skilled drummer named Abdul (Sorry, I didn't catch the full name.), who was able to change time signatures with such ease that a wide grin would frequently erupt from his face. Berry could improve lyrically and vocally, but the electrified mbira is such a unique sound that it forgives his shortcomings. "I shoulda played guitar, but I played this thing," he admitted, giving us all a lesson in how to pronounce the name: "Mmm...beer. Ahh."

A little before 9:15, Xavier Rudd took the stage to chants of "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!" Taking a seat behind a fortress of didgeridoos, chimes, and drums, he jumped right in with a 9-minute rendition of "Lioness Eye," the opening track from his latest release, Spirit Bird. Rudd is the epitome of the one-man band. With all available extremities playing his set-up of surrounding instruments, it appears as if he's a man strapped into a machine, forced to do its bidding. It is only when Rudd lifts his head back in splendor to sing to the heavens that you realize that the machine isn't controlling him; he's controlling it. He truly is a marvel to watch. Moving stage right to play some tunes on lap steel, he kept his limbs no less busy, stomping his gnarly left foot on a percussion box, controlling his guitar tone on pedals with his right, and blowing into a harmonica held around his neck in between spurts of vocals and didgeridoo.

 

Rudd didn't speak much in between songs until after he finished "Follow the Sun," the new album's single. "This seems like a gentle Monday in New York City. Can I share a story with you?" From a haze of quality-smelling marijuana, yelps of approval from the crowd. He explained that the didgeridoo is naturally hollowed out by termites, and is actually called a yidaki (Didgeridoo is just an onomatopoeia established by the English.), after the Aboriginal tribesman who discovered it. He continued, "It's the oldest instrument in the world. It's 60,000 years old or somewhere thereabouts. Not to the day, obviously." He told the story of how he went to the Arnhem Land, a section of Australia that the English were never able to fully conquer (despite setting up mines and consequently, bottle shops to introduce alcohol to a culture that had never experienced it. Cue whistles from a stupid drunk girl.), and was made an honorary member of the tribe by one of Yidaki's descendents. This descendent had a profound effect on Rudd, greatly shaping his playing style. Shortly after the man died, Xavier was performing "Messages" and the man's spirit emerged in its middle as a new song. Rudd has played the song the same way since, and last night was no exception.

He dedicated "Full Circle" to the Sea Shepherd organization, which had a table set up by the entrance. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Thanks for coming back, baby!" Raising his hand to the sky, Rudd replied, "No worries, baby." "Let Me Be" had the crowd dancing, and just as I was realizing how much Xavier's voice reminded me of Bob Marley's, he started the "woy yoy yoy" chant from "Buffalo Soldier." Unfortunately, he turned over the vocal duties to his roadie, so we never really got to hear him at full Bob potential, but I guess it was a pretty sweet reward for the guy who had to continually switch out yidakis all night.

During the encore break, the sounds of an amplified preacher began seeping out of the PA, signalling the start of "Prosper," which naturally led into "Bow Down," as it does on Spirit Bird. Rudd followed that with the album's title track, which culminated in the crowd softly singing along quite beautifully. It was a shining moment for the crowd, which had been too talkative at times during the set, and it was easily my favorite performance of the night. With boomerang held high over his head, Xavier ended the show with "A Poem," a call to action against global warming, which likely caused the very storm that tried to keep him away.

XAVIER RUDD – 12.03.12 – IRVING PLAZA (2 hours, 1 minute)

SET –

Lioness Eye / Fortune Teller / Solace / Come Let Go / Food in the Belly / The Reasons We Were Blessed / 3 Roads / White Moth (tease) > Follow the Sun / Messages / Better People / Full Circle / Let Me Be > Buffalo Soldier / Culture Bleeding

ENCORE –

Prosper > Bow Down / Spirit Bird / A Poem

Dave Matthews Band Start Winter Tour by Playing All of "Away from the World"

Dave Matthews Band started off a rare winter tour last night at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ.  If you’d only become a DMB fan so recently that all you’d heard was their latest album Away from the World, then you probably had the time of your life.  Throughout the course of the 163-minute show, they played every song off it.  If you were a longtime fan, however, especially one looking for a little joy after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, you probably walked out into the cold night air of the final minutes of November disappointed.

I purchased my tickets through Groupon because it was a deal I couldn’t pass up: $55 with ten going to Sandy relief.  I’d only seen Dave & Tim at Farm Aid this year, so it was an obvious choice to meet the whole band with Jimmy Cliff supporting.  We got to the venue early and had to wait in line.  Security informed us, “Girls with pocketbooks in this line. Girls without pocketbooks here.  Men in two lines here.  Black people-- oh, who am I kidding?”  (Last part is a joke, but it did feel weird to be separated even by gender.)  We grabbed some overpriced food and took our seats up in the “Groupon section” 235.

A few minutes after 7pm, Dave Matthews came out on the stage and spoke into the microphone, “It’s a huge honor to share the stage with this man and this band.  Mr. Jimmy Cliff.”  Cliff and band got right to it like they did at Propsect Park in June with “You Can Get It If You Really Want.”  Following with “Treat the Youths Right,” Cliff belied his 64 years, high-kicking his way through the whole song.  The drums reverberated a lot in the mostly empty arena, but the horns were crisp and bright.  Many of Cliff’s hits were absent, but he did perform his updated Afghanistan version of “Viet Nam” and a soulful “Many Rivers to Cross.”  A welcome addition to the set was “Children’s Bread,” one of my favorites from his latest, Rebirth.  We moved a little further down our row because the DMB fans in front of us had no respect for the reggae legend, talking loudly about bullshit.  After a spirited “One More,” Jimmy and the band all grabbed drums and closed with a “Bongo Man/Rivers of Babylon” medley.  Cliff’s female backup singer was really killing it on this, so hopefully you weren’t chatting over her.

The arena filled out, the lights dimmed, and Dave Matthews Band took the stage to three minutes of applause.  Opening with the leadoff track to Away from the World, “Broken Things,” seemed a puzzling choice, the song’s live debut.  “Belly Belly Nice” followed, picking things up just as it does on the album.  “Hope everyone’s doing alright.  Didn’t get too washed out recently,” Dave remarked.  While some cheered, other patrons probably did get too washed out recently, creating quite an awkward moment for a benefit concert.  No matter though, because they glossed it over with one of their oldest tunes, “Seek Up,” featuring an extended jam at its start.

Dave used the age-old technique of complimenting the crowd’s appearance to make up for his previous misstep.  “This part of New Jersey right here is very good-looking,” he said, adding effeminately, “I wish I dressed better.”  He improvised a little song about how he wished he’d dressed better, and led the band directly into “Don’t Drink the Water.”  Recalling Sandy’s damaging storm surge, the song was even more powerful, and was my highlight of the night.  But instead of riding that wave, Dave pulled things back.  “My mama likes this song,” he admitted, strumming out the first chords of “Mercy.”  From my vantage point, an exodus of fans to the bathrooms and concessions.  For the girl braying along in front of me, perfection.  Matthews finished the song at the piano, and stayed there for “Out of My Hands.”  At its conclusion, Dave came center stage and remarked, “A little bit selfish.  Thank you again everybody for indulging us.”

Okay, now it was time for a burner to get this show going.  While it’s one of the best tracks on the new LP, “Gaucho” was not what I had in mind.  Or the rest of the crowd for that matter, who looked even less into it.  As a DMB virgin, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the fans, but usually die-hards in an arena go nuts for every song.  However, glancing around the room, most were very still, or even seated.  “Dancing Nancies” revived the crowd, and I was actually surprised to find out that many people like “Seven” a much as I do.  “The Riff” came next, with some flute by Jeff Coffin and a nice guitar solo.  “That’s my friend, Tim Reynolds,” Dave said, motioning to TR, wearing a Marvin the Martian shirt.  Dave stood alone on the stage for a minute, and we anxiously waited for the next song.  “I don’t know how this goes, but I’m gonna try it anyway,” he said, and performed the acoustic “Belly Full.”  It was a sweet moment, but it was ruined for me, who discovered that some DMB fans talk during his songs, even yelling out “41!” in the middle.

“It’s the first show, shit.  And I’m going crazy anyway,” Dave said.  “Grey Street” couldn’t have come at a more welcome time.  But then came three more AFTW songs.  Finishing the set with the Dylan cover “All Along the Watchtower,” the line “No reason to get excited” stood out more than ever.  It was finally time to get excited.  Some cool video effects on the back screen transformed the band members into green and black outlines of themselves, with Boyd Tinsley’s spinning dreadlocks giving the whole thing a Predator vibe.  After more than two hours onstage, the band departed, Carter Beauford throwing out more drumsticks than a KFC at the end of the night.

Five minutes later, Dave returned for a solo “The Space Between.”  The band rejoined him for “Snow Outside,” which marked the completion of Away from the World.  At the song’s end, they transitioned into “Two Step,” which aside from a monster solo by Reynolds, was a pretty standard version.  I’d actually be more interested to see what Beauford could do on fewer drums.

After standing for almost three hours, I walked down the steep, vomit-covered steps, and outside into the bitter evening.  A security guard by the lengthy line for fans to take buses back to the city revealed, “Everyone said it was a dud show.”  I didn’t know what to think.  I was never a huge DMB fan growing up.  I kinda liked “What Would You Say” and “The Space Between,” but the band was pretty much a punchline for me.  It wasn’t until I worked as an assistant editor on The Road to Big Whiskey documentary, watching hours of live footage of the band, that I really gained an appreciation for them.  Now I have the mp3s of every studio album, the major live releases, a few Live Trax, and even the Big Whiskey vinyl.  So I know a little bit about them even if this was my first show.  The error in playing the entire Away from the World album last night was that it’s not suited for the Izod Center.  DMB are used to playing summer tours, mainly outdoors, and last night they played an amphitheatre set in an arena.  Gentler songs like “Sweet” and “Snow Outside” lend themselves more naturally to the outdoors, where you can drift your eyes upwards to the stars and feel the summer breeze in your hair.  Sticking them in a concrete box muffles their grace under the echoes of the bass drum.  Don’t get me wrong, some of the new songs were wonderful, like “If Only” with its horn-only dénouement.  But to ignore most of your peppy back catalog, especially at a benefit show, where some fans were just victims of a horrible tragedy, is somewhat of a tragedy itself.  If they’d announced they were going to be playing the entire album, it would’ve been a smarter move because then fans would’ve known what they were getting into.  Sometimes when a wave knocks your house off its foundation, all you wanna hear is “Ants Marching.”  Nevertheless, DMB are playing Izod again this evening, and tonight’s show is probably going to be badass.

(Thanks to Nicole Strawbridge for the phone pics, who was in the first row.  She took some photos with her real camera too, and those will be posted tomorrow.)

JIMMY CLIFF – 11.30.12 – IZOD CENTER (42 minutes, 47 seconds)

SET –

You Can Get It If You Really Want / Treat the Youths Right > Rub-a-Dub Partner > Reggae Movement > Rub-a-Dub Partner / I Can See Clearly Now / Children’s Bread / Save Our Planet Earth / Afghanistan (Viet Nam) / Many Rivers to Cross / One More / Bongo Man > Rivers of Babylon > Bongo Man

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND – 11.30.12 – IZOD CENTER (2 hours, 43 minutes)

SET –

Broken Things / Belly Belly Nice / Seek Up / Wish I Dressed Better* > Don’t Drink the Water / Mercy / Out of My Hands / Gaucho / Sweet / Dancing Nancies / Seven / The Riff / Belly Full / Grey Street / If Only / Rooftop / Drunken Soldier / All Along the Watchtower

ENCORE –

The Space Between / Snow Outside > Two Step

Two Encores & Warren Haynes for Grace Potter's Beacon Night 2

Last night, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals played their second show in a two-night stand at the Beacon Theatre.  While Friday night fans were treated to some older GP&N material, Saturday's show had the real goods, with a setlist including a Soundgarden cover and a surprise appearance by Warren Haynes.

I got to the Beacon about twenty minutes before the show to be there in time for opening act, the Stepkids.  I bought a limited edition show poster featuring a lion with only a skeleton for its rear half.  I didn't buy one of the limited edition cocktails, the Lion, or the Beat, because they were $15 each.  I found my prime seat in the left center of the orchestra, and at 8:00 on the dot, the Stepkids took the stage.

I'd seen the Connecticut threesome (foursome if you include projectionist David Pond) open for Mayer Hawthorne this year, and while I don't know that I'd ever listen to their music on my iPod, their stage show is so mesmerizing, they could open any concert I go to and I wouldn't be upset.  The Stepkids are all white guys, dressed in all white clothes, playing all white instruments, in front of an all white backdrop.  But that whiteness only lasts that initial second because as soon as they start playing, Pond begins splashing colors onto the canvas.  Neon yellow drips down purpley pink, blue intersecting lines bump to the beat.  For the Prince-inspired "Sweet Salvation," blobs of primary colors encircled the band members, expanding and retracting with the bassline.  The Stepkids played psychedelic tunes with a hint of funk, and yet when I saw them in April, even though they performed mainly the same songs, I classified them as funk with psychedelic leanings.  Which means they tailor their sound to who they're opening for (funkier for Hawthorne, more psych for Grace), which is pretty awesome.  "Yeah, we're feeling it tonight. We really are," admitted guitarist Jeff Gitelman.  Unfortunately, they only had time to feel it for five songs, just under a half an hour.

With the roar of the MGM lion, followed by the 20th Century Fox theme, the Nocturnals emerged from the wings to rev things up right away with "Medicine."  Usually performed late in the set, the uptempo song lifted the crowd from their seats, and we'd remain standing for the rest of the show.  Draped in black, Potter danced around like she was in an Olympic swimming medley, windmilling her arms in the butterfly and doing an insane variation of the breaststroke.  And this is why we love Grace Potter.  'Cause she doesn't care about looking cool when she dances so crazily, and that's exactly why she's cool.  She's such a magnetic force onstage, it's hard to look away.  I barely caught Matt Burr playing his cymbals with a maraca, and I only noticed lefty Michael Libramento plucks his bass upside-down because Grace happened to be near him during a song.  Introducing "Joey," Grace explained her affinity for NYC: "You got a whole lotta bad boys.  I always seem to get into trouble whenever I come to New York City." (Check out my review of Grace's private Irving Plaza gig in June.)

It was in "Oasis" where I realized how great the sound was.  Grace's tambourine hits shimmered, and the dual-guitars of Benny Yurco and Scott Tournet sliced cleanly through the space.  My only minimal complaint would be that Grace's organ could've been a hair louder.  Potter took center stage with an acoustic guitar to play "Falling or Flying," a song that has brought her peace in the past, and that she hoped would comfort those affected by "that motherfuckin' hurricane."  "I heard somebody call her Slutty Sandy.  I like that.  What a whore," she remarked.  Some members of the crowd decided this slow number would be a great time to yell out their approval, which was annoying, especially when a few bars of Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" elicited a cheer loud enough to obscure the tease almost completely. 

Grace and the guys dug into the crypt to revive slinky oldie "Treat Me Right," and followed it with the piano-based "Tiny Light."  After crowd-favorite "Stop the Bus," Potter and crew unleashed "The Lion the Beast the Beat" where it had traded places with "Medicine."  One of the ballsiest rocking songs ever sung by a woman, "Paris," had the whole theatre "ooh la la-ing" as Grace cranked out the chords on her Flying V.  "One more song?" Grace asked at its conclusion.  Cheers from the floor and both balconies.  "Una más," she confirmed, and welcomed guest star, Warren Haynes.  Though the Beacon is pretty much Warren's second home (Gov't Mule is playing there on NYE by the way.), it was still a nice surprise when they launched into a screeching cover of "Gimme Shelter," with Warren taking the second verse.  Grace, Nocturnals, and Warren placed their arms over each other's shoulders and took a bow.

The night could've ended there and satisfied everyone, but the Nocturnals still had more to give.  Taking a two-minute break, they returned to the stage for the soaring ballad, "Stars."  And then, surprising everyone, kept the interstellar theme going with Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun."  Grace announced, "This is the real last song," and strapped on her guitar for a solitary slide-necked "Nothing But the Water (I)," as she did at Farm Aid.  The Nocturnals joined in for part two, and everyone in the band ended up drumming together on Burr's kit.  "New York City, do we need to break it down?" quizzed Potter, who removed her shoes and did a rain dance before finishing things up at her organ.  "Salud, New York," she toasted, swigging from her coffee mug before exiting the stage.

New piece of advice: Whenever Grace Potter says they've got one more song, she's lying. Because even after a 25-minute encore, Yurco returned to the stage with an acoustic 6-string and started the opening solo to Heart's "Crazy on You."  The rest of the band joined him, kicking in with the classic riff.  "Help me scream the roof off this place!" Potter urged.  And though the ornate ceiling will still be there for the Mule on New Year's, the cheers were deafening.  While I'm sure Friday night's show was excellent, realizing you've picked the right night in a run feels like winning the lottery.

THE STEPKIDS - 11.17.12 - BEACON THEATRE (29 minutes, 26 seconds)

SET -
Shadows on Behalf / Suburban Dream / Sweet Salvation / Legend in My Own Mind (feat. Meredith DiMenna) / Cup Half Full

GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS - 11.17.12 - BEACON THEATRE (1 hour, 58 minutes)

SET -
Medicine / Joey / Hot Summer Night / Goodbye Kiss / Timekeeper / Oasis / Falling or Flying > Cortez the Killer (tease) > Falling or Flying / Treat Me Right > Tiny Light / Stop the Bus > The Lion the Beast the Beat / Paris (Ooh La La) / Gimme Shelter (feat. Warren Haynes)

ENCORE I -
Stars > Black Hole Sun > Nothing But the Water (I) > Nothing But the Water (II)

ENCORE II -
Crazy on You

Hurricane Sandy, Cody Chesnutt, Blind Tony

I was supposed to see Xavier Rudd at Irving Plaza the Sunday of Sandy, but that was postponed.  No word yet on the rescheduled date.

I'm going to attempt to see Cody Chesnutt on Friday at Mercury Lounge, so expect a combined review of the show and his new album, Landing on a Hundred, on Saturday.  I donated to Cody's Kickstarter to help out with its release, so it's personally exciting.

Until then, you can follow me on Instagram, where I post photos as Blind Tony.

Everyone Orchestra Prepare for Sandy with a Cover-Filled Set II at Sullivan Hall

Matt Butler may have the best job in the world.  As conductor of the Everyone Orchestra, he gets to assemble an ever-changing supergroup of his favorite musicians and make them jam together.  They play songs in whatever style he wants, and he chooses who he wants to solo and where.  Last night's show was the second in a three-night run at Sullivan Hall, assuming Hurricane Sandy doesn't cancel tonight's.

Like Friday's sold-out show following Trey Anastasio's Beacon Theatre concert, this show was also sold-out.  Jam band fans, some in costume for Halloween, packed the 350-person club to capacity.  I spotted a pig, a wizard, and the Super Mario Brothers.  In the front row, two 6'6" guys in hats went as inconsiderate people.  The players this go-round were Jon Fishman (drums), John Kadlecik (guitar and vocals), Dan Lebowitz (guitar and vocals), Zach Gill (keyboards and vocals), Reed Mathis (bass), Jamie Masefield (mandolin), Jessica Lurie (saxophone, flute, and vocals), and Katy Gaughan (percussion).

Though the venue's website said the show would start at 8:30pm, the band didn't take the stage until 10, Fishman looking just like some guy in a t-shirt without his dress on.  Donning a psychedelic top hat, Matt Butler placed himself at the center, and revealed the words "Funk A" written on a dry erase board.  (The setlist at the bottom includes the whiteboard instructions that were visible to the crowd.)  The orchestra charged headfirst into a furious funk number (no doubt influenced by the horn-heavy funk tracks the DJ had been spinning) cooking at a pace where Reed Mathis barely had time to scratch his nose.  The jam ended with Butler conducting the audience to scream, "Yes!" to the beat.  Butler scrawled "Follow Zach" onto his slate, and Zach Gill pulled out his melodica to start a simple melody.  Reading lyrics off his iPhone, he sang about Sandy, a wild woman with wipsy twig hair that spun him 'round and 'round like a hurricane.  Gill worried that his flight home would be cancelled, "But if I had to be stuck in one place in the world, I think I'd choose New York City."  The crowd ate up the topical ditty, and under Butler's lead, the band enacted the parts of the storm from the outer bands to the eye.  John Kadlecik had the next pick, and settled on a happy groove that would've felt at home in a 1970 Grateful Dead concert.  When it came to Lebo's part, he shifted the song dramatically, taking it into dark Neil Young territory, one of the boldest and most welcome choices of the night.  Butler softened up the section, and Lebowitz and Kadlecik doubled up on the melody, Jon's drumming helping the song to begin to delve into a Phish-style jam.  I guess Butler thought it smelled too Phishy, and instead of encouraging Kadlecik to soar like Trey, he shifted the focus to stage right, Jessica Lurie.  While moments of her sax solo came together powerfully, some bits, particularly at the onset, fell out of place.  The group ascended with the sax, and segued into a new jam led by Lebo.  Starting with a chord progression similar to "Pobrecito," the song never really developed into the funky workout that the ALO song becomes.  Butler attempted to save it with some rabble-rousing, getting the crowd to chant "Hey!  Vote!"  After a string of the voting chants, the song was over, and the set was over, a scant 49 minutes.

When the band returned for the second set, the crowd had noticeably thinned.  Perhaps those who left had been disappointed by the short first round that started off so promising and fizzled out at the end.  I found Jessica Lurie's showboating a little off-putting, especially when she'd try to put a spin on the vocal licks.  Ironically, it was her riff in set two that inspired one of the night's hottest improvised jams.  After a "spacious and groovy" mandolin-based exploration by Masefield, Butler wrote "Follow Jessica" on the board.  She laid down a chugging sax riff that recalled the night's earlier funky foray, and although Butler tried to change it up with some swing in D, he always found himself re-scribbling "Back to Jessica's riff."  Some flourishes on the theme by Lebo, Zach, and Reed had everyone smiling onstage and off.  John K. got his second turn, and commenced with a cover of "Walking in Your Footsteps" by the Police.  Reed thickened it up by inserting a P-Funk bassline, and played so fervently that he broke a string.

While Reed repaired his instrument, Dan was chosen to lead again.  He decided on the ALO song "Try."  I've seen ALO three times this year (at Brooklyn Bowl, on a boat, and at Farm Aid), but this time the song went places not even Lebo had predicted.  After a once-through shouting out the key changes to keep everyone on track, he started singing the often JGB-covered "Shining Star" by the Manhattans.  I'd seen him sandwich other tunes in "Try" before, most notably "Helpless" at the Troubadour, but after returning to the song, Butler held a sign up to Zach, requesting "funny lyrics."  Zach said he would rather speak from the heart, and admitted, "I'm gonna be honest with you guys.  I have a flying phobia."  Narrating his trip here, where he watched an episode of 30 Rock to quell his anxieties, things weren't funny enough for Butler, who egged him on.  "When in doubt, tell a joke," said Zach, choosing the silly one from childhood where you look down your shirt and spell attic.  Repeating "A-T-T-I-C" several times became its own melody, and shortly thereafter Dan and Reed started singing "You've got to try / just a little bit harder" into one mic.  As Zach expounded upon all the things in his attic including Christmas decorations and CD jewel cases, everyone was singing the line from "Try" together like a gospel song at the Grand Ole Opry.  Even after the number had ended, Dan was still joyously singing "You've got to try," and we can all hope this new version finds its way into some ALO sets.  With a laugh, Butler commented on Zach's fears, "You don't need therapy."  "I just need Everyone Orchestra every 6 weeks or so," Gill quipped.

Matt took some time to introduce the band, not referring to Jon Fishman by name, but saying, "He works on a phishing boat the rest of the year.  They practice sustainable phishing."  Zach introduced Matt Butler, but Reed was curiously left out.  Butler turned to Mathis and introduced him as starting the next journey, which was a mellow, meandering beauty.  Once the jam had reached its climax, Butler turned things over to Zach, who started up a howling cover of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London."  When the song felt too structured, Butler ripped it open by demanding increasingly longer measures of chaos, from 8 beats, to 16, to 32.  Turning to Kadlecik in the aftermath of the chaos, John K. only took it further, charging into the riff from "Crazy Train."  Everyone joined in on the instrumental tease, and the song ended with a roar.

The show could've (and maybe should've) ended there, but Butler wanted one more song.    He wrote "Disco" on the board, and the band embarked on a peppy jam, led by Fishman's hi-hat and Gill's croaky keyboard.  Butler took to the mic to sing "Goodnight to you" to the crowd a few times, but the song was essentially a cool-down.  One hour and 47 minutes after Masefield kicked off set two, the orchestra came center stage and took a few bows.  "We'll see you tomorrow night, guys, God willing," Butler said hopefully.  Even if Sandy is determined to thwart his gig tonight, his job is still the coolest gig out there.

EVERYONE ORCHESTRA – 10.27.12 – SULLIVAN HALL

SET ONE (49 minutes) –

Funk Jam (Funk A, Short Hello Solos, D Triumph!, Yes!) / Hurricane Song (Follow Zach, Simple, This is Part A, Outer Bands, Back to Part A, Closer to the Eye of Storm, Vocal) / John K. Jam (This is Part A, Part B Lebo, Part B Soft, Unison Guitars, Unison Ascending Sax) > Lebo Jam (Follow Dan, Hey!, Vote)

SET TWO (1 hour, 47 minutes) –

Jamie Masefield Jam (Spacious & Groovy, Part B Reed, Tom Tom Groove, Part B Add Vocals, Just Vocals, Mando End) / Jessica Jam (Follow Jessica, D Swing, Back to Jessica Riff, More Drums) / Walking in Your Footsteps (Foot Steps, Chorus) / Try > Shining Star > Try (Funny Lyrics, Laugh!, Lebo End) / Band Introduction (Laugh!, Ha Ha) / Reed Jam (Spacious, Ascend) > Werewolves of London (Follow Zach, 8 Beats Chaos, 16 Beats Chaos, 32 Beats Chaos) > Crazy Train / Goodnight to You (Disco, Part B Jessica, Speed Up)