6000 Foot Drop

Austin TX: Phish 7/28/15 at Austin360 Amphitheater -- Salt Licking Good

The talented Vermont jazz rockers Phish yarn bombed a three hour dance party into the central Texas hills last night at the new Austin360 Amphitheater. Despite Austin's reputation as the "live music capital of the world," tickets for this monumental musical moment were available at the box office. Probably 12,000 in attendance of the 14,000 capacity.   

Austin is the largest American city without a major league sports franchise, but it is home to the country's only Formula One racetrack, the Circuit of the Americas, in the fields southeast of the Austin city limits. The new Austin360 Amphitheater sits in the infield of racetrack, efficiently sharing its facilities. The complex offers free parking and overflow seating like these fine empty seats.  

The sound was clear and bright, even at the top of the lawn. Some of the side seats (sections 101 and 107) had bad sight lines, but our section 103 row F week-of-show release seats were excellent. The venue has plumbing and food trucks and other welcome touches like water under $5. Our seat neighbors were from College Station, Ft. Worth, Memphis, and Portland, Oregon. Seat hoppers were in action plopping into seats without even pretending to check their seat numbers, and it appears some people still smoke cigarettes in Texas despite it being 2015 and all y'all.  

Set I: 

Party Time: Fun fun fun. This might become the national anthem if Kinky Friedman ever wins that White House bid. Keyboardist Page McConnell is korgtastic. 

Free: "...I feel the feeling I forgot..." Bassist Mike Gordon is slow and sticky like he still has some Franklin's on his fingers, but lead guitarist Trey Anastasio is squeaky clean and carries the tune.

Halley's Comet: "...I'm going down to the central part of town..." Every night millions of bats emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge. Regularly, like Halley's comet. 

Wolfman's Brother: "...I hear the high pitched cavitation of propellers from afar..." Austin is blessed with rivers and lakes and has a powerboat culture. Page stands up at the keys and Mr. Anastasio takes this as a challenge, moving to his Stevie Ray Vaughn licks. The glue of this Wolfman's was Mike who was dropping the individual bass bombs like he was running the tires at Darrell Royal (with cheese) Stadium. 

Mr. Anastasio takes the microphone and thanks everyone for coming out to the show "in the state where I was born" and that it was "good to be back." Page interrupts and suggests Austin should hold a "Trey is coming back to Texas" parade.

Possum: "...your end is the road..." Or a food truck. Everyone in our row can do the Texas two step. Possum shares its melody with Don't Mess Around with Jim, so maybe this was the Don't Mess with Texas shoutout.

Lawn Boy: "...the moist green organic that my feet tread upon..." Page takes the microphone lounge crooner style, giving these two musical buddies a chance to stand next to each other.

Bouncing Round the Room: "... the sirens sang their song for me..." Poppy. Set one is being very set oneish. The 60 year old usher from Syracuse in our section is into it, causing some of the young people who were also into it to reconsider.  

Water in the Sky: "...thunder calls through waterfalls..." Tinkly and enjoyable. The lighthearted first set seems Capshaw-engineered to attract more customers than it loses.

Dirt: "... a tiny space to move and breathe is all that I would ever need..." Mr. Anastasio whistles and whispers like in the old days before he was a thing. Seat hoppers find a funnel at the bottom of our section and pour over the rail into the pit.

Devotion to a Dream: "...it's today a new world order..." Western swing style. Ted Cruz might approve if you blindfolded him. All of the seventh graders in the audience are digging it.

Sugar Shack: "...if I could bushwhack it on back to the shack..." Phone calls are being returned throughout the venue. Is Mike required to sing this song as part of his therapy?

Run Like an Antelope: "... spike, man..." Jaunty ragtime intro leads to a jazzy Antelope set closer. Austin360 may be the new USANA -- a safe place to take the family or your music teacher to a Phish show. One of our seat neighbors exclaims "That opening band was excellent!"

Set II:

46 Days: "...looking for clues but they couldn't be found..." Drummer Jon Fishman raps the wood blocks so hard dogs start to bark. Although the show was being simulcast, the venue did not turn on the video screens so the best we could see of Jon's magnificent pounding was like this.

Piper: "...her words were words I sailed upon..." Mr. Anastasio takes the Lotus out for a few laps and leaves the earth's gravity cresting the hill at turn three. The Clash should have covered Piper.

Story of the Ghost: "...his answer came in actions..." Moody, chewy, torchy, trudy, with jazzy vocal stylings from this man and what is left of his hair.

Shade: "...I love your hair in the mornings you know..." Mr. Anastasio still writes ballads in case Phish plays another Big Cypress set and the other three need to use the rest room.

Gotta Jiboo: "...momma sing sing..." This is the type of universally lovable tune that could save the Red River District.

Waiting All Night: "...and I said I'm sorry..." We took in this soulful new tune from the bleachers at the top of the lawn and there was harmony across the venue.

Blaze On: "...you got your nice shades on..." The sun dropped behind the lawn of the venue just about at showtime. Blaze On has a mocking tone, and sounds like Harry Belafonte's Man Smart, Women Smarter. That's right!

Wading the in the Velvet Sea: "...you'll get it pretty soon unless..." Once again Page confirms the wisdom of his parents in sending him to piano lessons. 

David Bowie: Mike continues to remake himself and David Bowie is certainly an influence.

Suzie Greenberg: "...is anyone here a neurologist?" Probably. Jon's humor is a reason this band endures.

Tweezer Reprise: Left over from a few shows ago. Burnt orange insanity.

E:

Loving Cup: "...I'm the man who brings you roses when you ain't got none..." Will Mr. Anastasio be invited to star in the Rolling Stones' 75th anniversary shows? 

Show ends promptly at midnight at 85 degrees. Austin360 Amphitheater is a terrific venue in a terrific city to see a terrific band.

 See you at Dick's!

Spokane WA: Pearl Jam 11/30/13 at Spokane Arena -- Eddie Vedder is My Barber

Spokane (spo-can) is the second most-populous city in the State of Washington, 300 miles east and 30 years behind Seattle. Second cities are often proud of their status as second, sometimes without realizing their own insignificance -- like Fairbanks or Casper or Las Cruces. Spokane has remnants of a gilded past, hard working roots, and a nice piece of geography, but it has suffered through the American decline and loss of parenting skills like many other second cities. But Spokane will survive and it has not lost aspiration -- its second city role models are more like Buffalo or Dallas or Pittsburgh. You know -- places with enough verve to attract a Pearl Jam show.  

Washington State's largest musical phenomenon Pearl Jam made the 300 mile trek to Spokane for only the second time in twenty years. June 17, 1993 Pearl Jam played a surprise free, fifteen song tour warm up show at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, and all 700 of those people were among the 12,000 last night at the Spokane Arena. The Spokane Arena was overwhelmed beyond Level F -- long lines, packed concourses, and every inch of space occupied. Next time one of the planet's biggest acts comes to town, the Arena should consider extra staff, or maybe just raising the prices. (You could park and have a beer for under $10.) We were in the stands, pin high, Mike side in a bewildered crowd of locals.

Seattle's Mudhoney opened the show while the PJ's waited in vain at the bars and concession stands. Pearl Jam took the stage to prolonged, sincere applause -- the type Portland was too cool to muster.

Set I:

Pendulum: In the first cities, people know this will be the opener. In Spokane, Elderly Woman fans feel robbed.

Release: One of the 6000footdrop.com pre-function guests predicts this as the second song. At least 10,000 are on their feet swaying and another 2,000 are wondering when Bon Jovi comes on.

Sirens: Beautiful and unfinished. This is a legitimate hit and a potential band-defining song.  You know, like Time Turns Elastic. 

Corduroy: "I dont wanna take what you can give..." The band seems more open to communal sharing now than when Vitalogy was released.

Once: Grungy fairy tale. Sound quality in the Arena rivals the old Boone Street Barn. 

Mr. Vedder says hello to Spokane mis-remembering the 1993 visit and not apologizing for not carrying Spokane along in Pearl Jam's 23 year wake. He makes an awkward anti-Portland joke that no one gets, but then redeems himself thanking Montana native Jeff Ament for reminding the band of Spokane's existence. Mr. Vedder concludes the banter pulling out the nebuchadnezzar and playing sommelier to the mosh pit.  

Lightning Bolt: The Grateful Dead fans in the audience are trolling uspto.gov for the dead's similar lightning bolt logo and claiming likelihood of confusion.

Mind Your Manners: Like your grandmother telling you to modulate -- five minutes of chaos with one minute of soft peace in the middle.

Faithfull: These are real Pearl Jam fans with radios and CD's and tape decks in their cars.

Tremor Christ: Is Mr. Vedder more jesus-like than Bono?

Even Flow: Another 1,000 of the laggards are out of their seats by now. 

Getaway: With a pre-punk groovy garage party sound.

Mr. Vedder gives a shoutout to the Spokanarchy documentary about Spokane's early punk scene without recognizing that he could have been in the movie if only they had made it over to the 509 more often back in the day.

Present Tense: The best dancer in our section calls this one.

Mr. Vedder teases band founder Seattle native Stone Gossard who promises to sing.

Swallowed Whole: Melodious and lyrical.  Some of the newcomers are surprised. 

Daughter: The band is having a blast as is most of the audience. Some of those with terrific "obstructed view" seats stay in their chairs to get what they paid for.

Mr. Vedder acknowledges a "Jeremy Spokane" sign and the long hair wook claiming he will cut his hair if the request is played.  

After Hours: Mr. Vedder tries again on the Lou Reed song he sang just the night before. Maybe he should try Oh Sweet Nothing.

Let The Records Play: Not sure who manages Pearl Jam, but this is right out of the  Coran Capshaw cross-media marketing playbook.

Push Me, Pull Me: Mr. Vedder takes his job very seriously -- constantly checking his notebooks and firing guitar techs. This one was "for the serious collector..." 

Jeremy: Bedreadlocked wook gets his call.

Do The Evolution: Loud and fun. The audience loves the tomahawk chop part.

Porch: Complex. Mr. Vedder reflects light back up to heaven.

Set II:
During the first set, t-shirts are thrown at Mr. Vedder, one hitting him, but he took it in stride, opening the shirts and then setting them on the drum riser. But at the end of the first set, he is hit in the arm with a small projectile and he looks (rightfully) angry. At the opening of of the second set, however, we find out the projectile is a nicely wrapped, pencil length, greeting-inscribed doobie. Mr. Vedder deciphers the scrimshaw and thanks the fans for tossing it up, while other doobies and paraphernalia are lofted to the stage. "We can talk about it now, it's legal" he reminds the crowd, quite aware which state they are in.

Mr. Vedder introduces celebrity fan Steve Gleason by mentioning the fans might remember him from the New Orleans Saints. The fans remind Mr. Vedder they remember Steve from Washington State University barking out that school's chant and Mr. Gleason's name. Goosebumps are raised at Mr. Vedder's tribute to Steve, who is all smiles.

Steve Gleason is indeed a special fan, and Mr. Vedder lets us know he had a hand in the setlist.


I Won't Back Down:  Tom Petty is no Eddie Vedder.

Nothing As It Seems: Soulful Jeff Ament number.  

Footsteps: The B-side to Jeremy.  The wook haircut is on for certain.

Severed Hand: Nicer than it sounds like it will be "...lookout below..."

Don’t Gimme No Lip: Stone Gossard gets his overdue turn at the microphone on this fun number.  What did your father say to you when you resisted cutting your hair?

Bedreadlocked wook somehow has made it to the stage exerting more energy than we have ever seen a bedreadlocked wook exert. The crew brings out a mat and chair and an electric razor hinting the wook might be a plant. 

Either from excitement or as directed by PJ management, the bedreadlocked wook asks to headbang one last time before paying his end of the Jeremy  deal. Mr. Vedder acceeds. 

Brain Of J/Dread Shave Blues Jam: Mr. Vedder cuts the man's hair off lock by lock but does not remove his facial jewelry.  

Go: The former (?) wook collects his hair and leaves the stage.

Black: Beautiful tune unfinished without the "we belong together..." falsetto. But the people in the audience who belong together are aware of it. 

Rearviewmirror: Not as fast as the night before -- ironic since Oregon still uses its quaint 65 mph speed limit.

E:
Mr. Vedder tries some local politics, criticizing the three republican Spokane County Commissioners for un-identified sins, while ignoring its naive and laughable GOP congresswoman Shutdown Cathy.

Given To Fly: Mr. Vedder as tinkerbell.

Eruption: The Van Halen fans who have been hiding in the Arena since the Boone Street Barn days come to life.

Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love: Finally, the fellow next to me has something to sing along to.

Alive: Pearl Jam's version of Phish's Free.

Yellow Ledbetter: All 12,000 finally out of their seats. When the houselights are up, there is nowhere to hide. Mr. Vedder promises to return next year (nod to the Gorge?)  

Terrific fun show.  Thank you Pearl Jam for remembering Washington's second city. See you in Seattle!