Phish - Big Boat

Over the past 30 years, Phish has done an incredible job of staying current and changing the game. Their musical repertoire spans from funk to bluegrass, and from reggae to instrumental compositions. Only one thing is constant in their musical catalog: uniqueness.

Big Boat

Being a lifelong Phan, I have grown up with records such as Junta and Rift. My first love being Farmhouse, I always welcome new albums with open arms. Now back when Fuego was released, it was a disappointment among fellow fans. The striking part is the only people who seemed to dislike it were the fans themselves. So just as I predicted, the same happened here.

This album takes a much different approach to Phish as a musical unit. Produced by legendary producer, Bob Ezrin, this record has the vibe of Phish with a much cleaner sound that some might find odd. Lets take a dive into each individual track... 

1. Friends 

At first glance, this song does not sound anything like Phish. I soon realized it was Fishman singing and the song began to grow on me. Despite it's strangeness, it is generally not a bad song, just not one that I would recommend to someone who has never heard their music. 4.5/10.

2. Breath And Burning 

Having been a fan of this song since its live debut, I had high expectations for the studio version. Yes, the lyrics may be a little cheesy but the song itself is actually quite fun. I look forward to seeing it at live shows to come. 7/10

3. Home

This song is definitely one of my favorite on this album. From the hook to the vocal jam, this song has nearly everything I look for in a Phish song. Another one I look forward to seeing at live shows. 8.5/10

4. Blaze On

I think it's safe to assume most phans have heard this song before the studio version. Its a family favorite for many. 7/10

5. Tide Turns

The key changes and horns in this song are the coolest parts of it. Plus the cool call and response from Trey and the horn section. Overall it's a cool song. 6.5/10

6. Things People Do 

Leave it to Phish to make a kooky song like this. The two components: Page and Page are quite fun to listen to. With the folky mood its a fun one for sure. 6.5/10

7. Waking Up Dead

It starts off as an 80's television show then progresses into some cool funky stuff. I appreciate the differentiation from the other songs. The falsettos are a little bit odd and I am wondering how they will go about this song in a live setting. 7/10

8. Running Out Of Time

At first glance, it is reminiscent of something that would fit in Billy Breathes. It has a nice melody and Page on the Rhodes sounds simply beautiful. The keys are definitely the main point of the song, I can't wait to hear it live. 7.5/10

9. No Men In No Man's Land

This song, like Blaze On, was also debuted long before the release date of Big Boat. It is a fun song that reminds me heavily of their previous work. As I write this, I am not listening to the song however it's catchyness and melody are so cool that I can hear it playing in my head. 7.5/10

10. Miss You 

This slow ballad-type song adds that little magic touch that every Phish album has. A break from the kookiness and musical complexity, I enjoy the placement of it in the tracklist. When it was debuted at Wrigley, I instantly knew it was going to be a fun one. 7/10

11. I Always Wanted It This Way

Electronic Phish is an idea I've always pondered, however after this song, I ponder it no more. In fact I wish I hadn't pondered it in the first place. The first time I heard this song, I thought my phone had shuffled to a random song I had hidden deep in my Itunes library. But the whole idea of Phish is experimenting with new things, and you can't knock em' for trying. 4/10

12. More

It feels like a TAB song but has some really Phishy components such as the thumping piano and the awesome back-beat that changes in the middle. It's definitely one of the more vocal songs on the album. 7/10

13. Petrichor

Now that's what im talkin' about! This song has been one of my most played for weeks! This is the heavily composed, crazy symphonic movement we've all been waiting for since the incarnation of Phish 3.0 started. I cant think of any other way than to give this song a 10/10. It really makes the album worth it. The icing on the cake if you will. 

In conclusion, the full album rating, having averaged the scores to my specifications the album receives a 9.05/10.

You can get Big Boat here!

Thanks for reading, we hope that you enjoy our posts. Have suggestions? Tweet us @concert_guru or e-mail us here, Sincerely, The Concert Guru Team!

Blink-182 - California Tour 2016

I remember the first times I heard Blink-182 back in the day during the Enema of The State years. My friends and I would jam to the great tracks everyone knows and loves such as Aliens Exist and Dumpweed. For many, those amazing times became memories and those memories are the reason we go to see them, to reminisce on how awesome it was. They became a staple name in the pop-punk world with their fast drums and extraterrestrial lyrical content. They went on to influence the pop-punk world for years to come. 

With the departure of their lead singer, Tom DeLonge to focus on his alien hunting career, Blink made the decision to replace him with Matt Skiba. This change in the legendary lineup has evolved the band in a profound way. The new record, California, is a great example of these changes. With the vitality of the members and no foreseeable end, I am glad to say Blink-182 is here to stay. 

The opening band, The All American Rejects, had a great set. I understand the heat of opening for two of the biggest names in the industry, its a hard thing to do. But they destroyed! The melodic lyrics and the heavy instrumentation create an awesome, unique sound that I absolutely love. Their set consisted of, in my opinion having never heard of them, a good representation of their repertoire. The lead vocalist really made a point to entertain, as a good performer should, and completely won over the crowd. 

A Day To Remember having seen them three times previous, I had a general idea of what to expect from their performance. During the week, they had released their new album, Bad Vibrations, which I was excited to hear live. Due to having not seen them in a few years, I was surprised to see that they had re-vamped their onstage effects. Large screens similar to Blink's performance adorned the stage in a curtain of light. Instead of hiding them, the large cables that give power to the large screens hung from the rafters of the stage and were used to create visual contrast between them and the backdrop. As for the music, it was just as you would expect from ADTR, impeccable. The set was highly thought out with an acoustic performance and even a guest appearance by Matt Skiba. All and all, their performance was amazing as I had anticipated and I look forward to seeing them in the future. 

As the night went on, my anticipation to finally see Blink was getting more and more intense. When the curtain finally dropped and the band with their humongous screen display and the giant flaming, "Fuck," in the middle of the stage. The crowd went absolutely nuts. Their musical energy is just as intense as their recordings. The powerful articulation and rhythms coming from Travis is hypnotic, it was very hard for me to take my eyes off of him and what he was doing. To be a three piece band and have such an immense sound is incredible. Another thing that I was amazed by is their extended jam segments. Most pop-punk band will play their songs with no improvisation or anything different from the studio recording. Blink however, would take a song and not necessarily improvise, but they would extend the songs to the next hit or verse. Travis was definitely the most improvisational of the three of them. 

The set, like A Day To Remember, was a very well balanced set. The instantly recognizable songs were well placed apart from each other. There was not a dull moment in the crowd, besides the intoxicated woman behind me who would not stop screaming. When they began to play, All The Small Things, I was skeptical to whether or not Matt Skiba's vocals would be able to compare to Tom DeLonge's signature voice. I was relieved to hear his voice sound almost exactly like the original track. So for all of those Skiba haters out there, I suggest you read this. 

-Review-

All and all, the show was a great representation of the band, Matt Skiba, and the new album. Therefore I give it an 8.5/10

ADTR's performance was above par in relation to the last times I have seen them, therefore i give them 8.3/10

And last but not least, AAR's performance was definitely a positive experience, and I will be sure to look into them in the future. 7.9/10 

Thanks for a great Spring/Summer concert set! I look forward to seeing everyone in the Fall/Winter tour set! Be sure to check out the Spring/Summer Review that will be out by the end of the week!

-Guru

North Coast Festival - Claypool Lennon Delirium

When it comes to music festivals, the city of Chicago is plentiful. That's why it's such a great city for a person like me. Now, this festival peaked my interest for a few reasons; first off, a few of the headlining bands fall under my radar, (Umphrey's McGee and the up and coming Claypool Lennon Delirium) The other reason I decided to go was the obvious reason to experience exciting new bands that I otherwise wouldn't listen to.

The Festival for me started and ended on Saturday, I was unable to make the other days due to the Conflicting schedule with the Phish webcast. The morning bands were quite good, such as Twiddle (third picture) who played an amazing set, and Vulfpeck who I enjoyed very much. They did an exquisite cover of "Boogie On Reggae Woman," by Stevie Wonder which happens to be one of my favorites. 

Later on, Ty Dolla $ign played his set consisting of a bottle of Bombay and a blunt (second picture). All of the opening bands seemed to be a strange assortment of genres, from jam bands to EDM to rap. The lineup was definitely an awesome representation of new music. 

After the opening bands, the group I came to see played an amazing set. The Claypool Lennon Delirium was able to artfully recreate the Yes song, "Heart Of The Sunrise" in a wicked combination of Sir Les Claypool's godlike bass playing and Sean Lennon's ambient tonal guitar corresponding with the rest of the group. I went into this festival expecting a lot from this group having purchased their debut album, "Monolith of Phobos" when it came out. I can gladly say their performance Significantly exceeded my expectations. 

Les Claypool's funky, steam punk-esque demeanor combined with Sean Lennon's vocal characteristics eerily reminiscent of his father makes for a crazy group that can only be explained as Primus meets The Beatles. With lyrical content spanning from perverted plight to pill popping, you really don't know what to expect with these guys.  

When it comes to the festival as a whole, I give it a 6.9/10 for musical diversity. Really the only criticism I have is the lack of organization. I noticed the website and its social presence seemed hard to navigate and busy. Plus their lack of communication with media was disappointing. 

As for The Claypool Lennon Delirium, they get an 8.3/10 for setlist spontaneity and overall just being a fun group. 

I haven't much knowledge on the other groups, thus I cannot officially rate their performances. however, I can list some of my favorite groups from this weekend. 

This list includes: Vulfpeck, Twiddle, Bassnectar, and Future Rock. 

Thank you for a wonderful weekend, my next review will be up by Monday!

Phish - Summer 2016 Tour

For over 30 years, Phish has been playing unique jams and musical insanity. The culture that has grown around the band in those years has become vast and creative too. From the independent vendors in the parking lot to the Phish poster collectors, the community is a big part of many peoples lives. Some people say they took over the Grateful Dead fan-base after Jerry Garcia's death, I however would beg to differ. The bands share a similar following, but the feel of the crowd is much different.

After the band's legendary 2015 tour, the phans were left wondering how they could surpass it. The excitement started in March when summer tour was announced. A variety of different venues were selected, some played before, others new to the Phish repertoire such as Wrigley Field in Chicago. As tour grew near, the excitement level was getting more prominent. People guessing songs that might be played at the shows and general hype for tour were common occurences.

In light of this tour being one of the most talked about in years, I sent one of my  operatives to go the front line. His extensive knowledge of Phish made this review possible.  

The fun started in St. Paul, Minnesota where they played an awesome tour opener. The fun adjourned in Chicago at the great Wrigley Field for two nights. In previous years this venue's sound has been sub-par for concerts, however, Phish brought their a-game (as well as their own sound system) thus making these shows sound better than any show Wrigley has had in a long time. 

The Phish scene took a new form in Chicago, most Phans are used to the openness of a parking lot to sell their... um.. shirts. Instead, Addison street became shakedown for a short time. It was magical seeing Phish fans roam the streets of Chicago. 

When we got to Deer Creek, (now known as Klipsch Music Center) the scene returned to normal and everything seemed to go back to the Phish we are used to. The show was amazing, and that concluded my leg of the tour. I went on to live-webcast the rest of the tour, each show having its awesome bust-outs and debuts from the long awaited new album.

The tour ended at Dick's Sporting Goods Center in Commerce City, Colorado this past labor day weekend, and it was awesome! The musical maturity over the span of a tour is always wonderful to experience. Despite not having a, "gag" this year, the amount of extended jams they played surely made up for it. I look forward to seeing them on next year's summer tour at Alpine Valley. 

This tour gets 8.9/10 Guru Points.

Dream Theater - The Astonishing Live

As we approached the great Chicago Theater, I began to wonder what this show was actually going to be like. We looked in from the northern entrance of the venue and discovered elegant architecture adorned with beautiful chandeliers and carpets. The feel of this experience was starting to change, as we entered, the ushers were handing out playbills. An odd occurrence for a show such as this. 

The show was impeccable, the musical awareness is so much more prevalent in a live setting, I expect no less from Dream Theater. One thing that I hadn't noticed on the album was the ingenious integration of fugues in certain songs such as, "A Life Left Behind." Possibly due to the sound levels of Myung during the live version. It is truly mesmerizing to watch!

The concept of the album fit into the show like a puzzle. The band's ability to convey coherent thoughts with a song is one of the reasons we love them so much. Petrucci's love for The Game Of Thrones is a prominent force in this performance. The show has a plot, characters, emotion and even a resolution. I hate to even compare it to a concert, it falls more in the category of a play or a musical. 

I had never been to a show in this genre that the entire audience sat down for most of the show. It was quite cool to see the entire crowd sit down after the first song. This however did not affect the level of enthusiasm for the performance. the crowd reacted the same as I had expected, just whilst sitting. 

Rudess and Petrucci are a dynamic duo of other worldly proportions, their symbiosis is what makes this experience come together. As the keystones of the group, their presence is just that much more great. I cant wait to see what they have in store for us in the future! 

This show gets a  9.8/10 

Until next time, -Guru Sagdiev

Ghost: Who Are They?

In lieu of their recent feat: Grammy for the Best Metal Performance, I shall spread my wisdom on the subject. 

Not everyone is suited for the metal genre, some don't like it for it's darkness and others for it's sometimes unrecognizable lyrics. When I listen to Ghost, it seems as if they have bridged the oh-so-large gap between Rock and Metal. Their incorporation of melodic components adds a very original twist to their sound. I was first introduced to the band during the reign of Papa Emeritus II (Infestissumam). Initially, I was completely enthralled by the music video for Year Zero, after further listening, I found other phenomenal jams such as Zombie Queen and Monstrance Clock. Not to mention their complete anonymity to the public, this adds a cool twist of darkness to their already dark musical persona.

When Meliora came out, I was super pumped. Infestissumam was such a great album, but Meliora sort of mastered the conceptual ideas that its predecessor was weak on. When it comes to Swedish metal, there are only a few bands that I really can get into, Ghost would have to be my favorite of those. I will have more to say as time progresses, for I will be attending one of their shows later this year. Overall, Ghost is a band for everyone, not just Metal lovers.

That concludes my Ghost recap. Tomorrow I will be attending Slayer, expect a review and photos in the next couple of days. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Dream Theater - The Astonishing

As long as I could remember, I have been attracted to intelligent music. Whether it be as a young Guru listening to Ravi Shankar or just listening. The intricate patterns and rhythms create a feel that no other music can. Now when I was introduced to Dream Theater, I was also introduced to other similar bands such as Tool. A sensory overload if you will, but I did not let DT get cast into obscurity. Octavarium is a masterpiece of its time and so are the musicians! Jordan Rudess is a virtuoso, his connection to his instrument allows him to play simultaneously as he thinks, a technique gained by many years of experience. John Petrucci is a mastermind of guitar. His technical ability is milestones ahead of anything else I've seen. And the vocal range of James LaBrie is so astounding that he can incorporate operatic vocal structures to a heavy metal band. I see this band as an arch with five keystones. Together, their music is so incomprehensibly intricate and great that as you may see i have nowhere to start, so i'll start here.

The Astonishing

Concept albums are a tricky thing to do, you could try and fail like most do, or you could completely destroy it and make an album that is so great that it makes Guru get goosebumps. Well Dream Theater did the latter and that is no small feat. In preparation for the release of this album, I have been binge listening to Octavarium to have something to compare it to. Now that its out I realize that there is no comparison. 

The plot line in my interpretation is a mix between 1984 and Siegfried (Die Nibelungen) imagine a futuristic kingdom in which it is dystopian. I do not wish to go into more detail, the interpretation is for you to decide.

Do I even have to talk about musicianship? Isn't it obvious that when DT releases an album, it will be leaps and bounds ahead of any other group in the industry? Well we all know how cool and melodic their songs can get, the diversity between songs (i.e "The X Aspect" vs. "A New Beginnings") It creates a great aura of the intended theme (Game Of Thrones-esque) The length of the album could be interpreted as too long (34 songs), but it's tied together so well that that shouldn't be an issue. All of the songs had a hook that interested me, it seems as if they have mastered the technique of writing good hooks. All and all, this album is simply Astonishing.

This album gets a Guru rating of 9.8 one of the highest ever awarded.

(This post was written by Guru on Grand Pooba's Ipad, Guru's laptop is not charged)