Goat ( Japanese band) Paris my biggest discovery this year.
This is not this Heat .London Barbican, great ambiance , great performance
Phew , Paris , first time I saw her live
Otomo Yoshihide, Montreuil Les Instants Chavires
RIO Festival 10 anniversary
Freak Show 17
Cheer Accident , Metz
Geoff Leigh and Makoto Kawabata , Paris
Himiko Paganotti , Paris Le Triton ( going to see her next week again)
Envoyé de mon GT-I9195 en utilisant Tapatalk
Dieter Moebius : "Art people like things they don’t understand!"
This was a great show too, forgot to include it in my own list. Appreciate you bringing it to my attentionOriginally Posted by Steve F.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
and the COMPANY was fantastic as well!....This was a great show too, forgot to include it in my own list. Appreciate you bringing it to my attention
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
My turn... saw a number of shows this year. Here are the ones that stood out for me :
Agnes Obel - Bronson Centre (Ottawa)
Huis w. Spryal Jones - Skenkman Arts Centre (Ottawa)
King Crimson - Montreal Jazz Fest
Opusculus, The Night Watch, Montgolfière - Rainbow (Ottawa)
Stickmen - Rainbow Bistro (Ottawa)
Ex Eye / Senyawa - Victoriaville
The Nels Cline Four - Victoriaville
Bent Knee - Victoriaville
Dinosaur - Ottawa Jazz Fest.
Hiromi Duet: Featuring Edmar Castañeda - Ottawa Jazz Fest.
Hudson - Ottawa Jazz Fest.
Roger Waters - Paladium (Ottawa)
Kamancello (Shahriyar Jamshidi- kamanche, Raphael Weinroth-Browne - cello) - pressed (Ottawa)
Only saw a few bands this year, but caught them a few times-
King Crimson (6x) - Getting to hear "Fracture" night 2 in Red Bank was pure bliss. "Breathless" 3 shows in a row; following "Discipline" in Port Chester and especially N2 at the Beacon were amazing. And of course LTIA1, POAC, Cirkus & Lizard nearly every show was so special. Again and again.
Brand X (5x) - Three different tours hit the city; just after New Years and in the fall at Iridium as well as a summer show at BB King's. Loved every one of these gigs.
Roger Waters (3x)- Back to back in Brooklyn then a few days later on Long Island. Second set "Dogs">"Pigs"(!!!!!!) Yep.
Quite the spectacle, as one would expect from Roger. Hard to top the overall experience; sights and sounds were incredible.
Phish (8x) - Nights 4 & 5 of the Baker's Dozen run at MSG ("Jam filled" & "Maple") .... well, I defo had some out of body experience's. I don't know how they can top those magical summer nights in the city but I look forward into finding out in a few weeks.
Saw a few others this year; both Yes', Carl's ELP Legacy, Todd, Hackett, U2 & Metallica stadium gigs. All good but nowhere near the top for me.
Jean-Luc Ponty at BB King's "The Atlantic Years " Band. Yeah, that was a real good one too.
2018 looks bright already. Have the Dixie Dregs, Steven Wilson and PFM already lined up.
Last edited by Obscured; 12-11-2017 at 11:39 PM.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
2017 was a year of huge changes for me: I started the year in San Francisco and will end it in Halifax Canada, in between travelling through California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine!
Musical Box - San Francisco
Neal Morse Band - San Francisco
Duran Duran - Sugarland TX
IQ - Quebec City Canada
Glass Hammer, Edensong & Comedy of Errors - Quebec City Canada
KING CRIMSON - Quebec City QC
Roger Waters - Quebec City QC (Show of the Year, hands down)
Although I can say by the standards I had during the past decade, the list above is extremely low but due to multiple critical factors: moving household from US to Canada, new job, a city with NO concerts and of course, getting older :-)
2018 looks even slimmer...but already in tow: Uriah Heep, Steven Wilson, Arena The Visitor 20th, Musical Box, Terra incognita prog fest 2018, Mick Pointer Band with Nick Barrett, U2 - but all require travel though :-(
I may be older but, I saw live: Led Zeppelin, Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Fish, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Marillion, IQ, UK, Saga, Rush, Supertramp, Pink Floyd, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Triumph, Magma, Goblin, Porcupine Tree, The Musical Box, Uriah Heep, Dio, David Bowie, Iron Maiden, Queen with Freddie Mercury, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, Steely Dan, Dream theater, Joe Satriani, you get the idea..
The stand out for me was Peter Hammill's three nights at Cafe OTO.
Tu veux un camembert?
all those Wiley shows and you missed Martin Barre?
King Crimson - Cleveland
Nothing else compares!!! So great.
The Prog Corner
Didn't go to as many shows as I would have liked this year, but 2 stand out because in most cases I know what I am getting---I know with a Waters show it is going to be spectacle, with BOC its is hard charging rock, with Kansas....well it was just cool to see Leftoverture...BUT hands down I was blown away by Family Crest and Bent Knee shows
"So it goes."
-Kurt Vonnegut
Yeah, missed Barre. I think I had something else going on that weekend. If he comes back next year with this 50th anniversary tribute show, I'm definitely there.
By the way, where's your list?!
Last edited by DocProgger; 12-15-2017 at 01:07 AM.
It is always fun to go back through the calendar and remember who all I saw this year. Here is my list:
January 27: America – State Theater Kalamazoo – Decent show. I had never seen them before, so decided to go. They were one of the first bands I got into when I was a kid. Not sure I would see them again, but it was fun.
February 2: Umphrey’s McGee W/ Joshua Redman / Tauk – Wings Stadium Kalamazoo – Another killer Umphrey’s show with sax great Joshua Redman sitting in for about half of it. Opening act Tauk was also great.
February 28: Steve Hackett – 20 Monroe Live Grand Rapids – Somehow I scored 2nd row seats for this one. Hackett was amazing as always.
March 26: Black Stone Cherry / Caleb Johnson – The Intersection Grand Rapids – These guys are keeping the southern rock tradition alive and put on a fun energetic set.
April 21: Tommy Castro And The Painkillers with special guest Mike Zito – State Theater Kalamazoo – Tommy comes to town just about every year, and always puts on a fun 3 hour blues / soul show. Zito did some killer jamming with Tommy too.
April 25: Blues Traveler – State Theater Kalamazoo – Been a fan for years, but had never seen them before. Good show with a nice varied set list.
May 5, 6, 7: ROSfest Gettysburg – Another great festival with a ton of great bands. Neal Morse, Kyros, Moon Safari, Aaron Clift Experiment, Unified Past, The Fierce And The Dead, Evership, Edensong, Anglagard.
June 15: Iron Maiden / Ghost – Tinley Park Ampetheater: Wow, what a double bill this was. I had not seen Maiden since the “Somewhere In Time tour, but they were still at the top of their game. Ghost was also great.
June 24: Kansas – Devos Hall Grand Rapids MI: I was a little bit disappointed in this one. Instead of the “Leftoverture” 2.5 hour show, we got the standard 90 minute Kansas classics set (with one song from the new album). The band was great, but it was not what I was expecting.
July 21: Drive By Truckers – Bell’s Brewery Kalamazoo – My first time seeing these guys outdoors in Bell’s Beer Garden. These guys are just so good at what they do. A fantastic show even though we got rained on pretty hard at times.
July 25: The Who – Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids MI – I figure this is probably my last chance to see The Who. I thought they put on a great show, and were better than the last time I saw them in 2012. Townshend actually appeared to be having a good time and some of his in between song banter was hilarious. Daltry was the grouchy one tonight, but his voice was really strong through most of it.
August 4: Grand Funk Railroad – RIBfest Kalamazoo MI – I was working as a volunteer at this event, so had free admission. It poured rain through much of the show, but it was enjoyable for what it was.
August 11: Billy Joel – Wrigley Field Chicago IL – A friend of mine had an extra ticket for this one so I decided to go. I have always found Joel’s material to be hit and miss, but the show exceeded all of my expectations and was really good. The other amazing thing for me was the sound. For an outdoor baseball stadium, everything was crystal clear.
Sept 2 / 3: ProgDay – Chapel Hill North Carolina – Another fantastic Progday with great weather. 8 killer bands.
September 26: Gary Clarke Jr. – 20 Monroe Live Grand Rapids MI – My second time seeing Clarke and he is always great.
October 4: Blue Oyster Cult / Mark Farner – State Theater Kalamazoo MI – Eric Bloom was out sick, so this was an odd show with just Buck and the rest of the guys up on stage. It was still very good though. Farner also put on an enjoyable opening set.
October 20/21/22: Progtoberfest – Reggie’s Chicago IL – Wow…..talk about prog overload. I caught at least part of 29 bands within 3 days. Tons of fun was had by all with some incredible music.
November 15: Styx – State Theater Kalamazoo MI – This was billed as “an evening with Styx” so there was no opening act and the band played two sets. Really enjoyable as always, and it was nice to hear some tracks from the excellent new album. These guys put on a great high energy show.
November 22: King Crimson – Michigan Theater Ann Arbor MI – Not much I can say that has not already been said about this tour. It was outstanding. Not my favorite venue in the world, but the show was incredible.
December 3: Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids MI – Wow, these guys continue to top themselves with production. A truly spectacular show. I go all the way back to Savatage with these guys and still get a lot of enjoyment out of. One of the coolest things is sharing it with my 86 year old father who totally digs the whole thing.
Don't get out as much as I used to for various reasons but these were my favs this year:
April - Caro Emerald, Milton Keynes
May - Snarky Puppy, London and Poole - both awesome albeit with very different vibes/audiences
July - Keith Emerson tribute, Birmingham (highlight being Rachel Flowers playing piano concerto)
September - Big Big Train, London
November - Pat Metheny, London and Hull - as brilliant as ever
What i can remember so far -
Tortoise
Iva Bittova & Hamid Drake Duo
Liverpool Legends (tribute to the Beatles presented by Louise Harrison)
James McCartney
Erik Friedlander's Black Phebe Trio
The Zombies Odessey & Oracle 50th (2nd time seeing this and even better than the 1st)
Adrian Belew Power Trio
Chuck Prophet / The Flat Five - (Flat Five get's the honor of being one of the best shows i've seen or at least in my top 10)
Bill Frisell
Tempest
Earth Wind & Fire
Todd Rundgren (gets crossed of the bucket list, seeing him with Ringo didn't count)
Iron Maiden / Ghost (A++ performance from both bands)
Cheer Accident / Yowie! (i've seen the Cheers many times, this was one of their best, and i recommend you kids catch Yowie! any chance you get)
Edgar Winter / Alice Cooper / Deep Purple (we don't need no steenkin' Blackmore)
The Progday Festival of course (Shylock, Sonar w/Torn, iNFiNiNiEN, Bubblemath were stand-outs for me)
Seu Jorge Presents A Life Aquatic - Tribute to David Bowie
Hudson Featuring Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski, Larry Grenadier
Martin Barre Band
Wishbone Ash
Nick Lowe Quality Rock 'n' Roll Revue Featuring Los Straightjackets w/ Cut Worms (wow, wow, wow!!!!)
Mild High Club w / Shy Boys
The Golden Fleece (a Peoria psych band well worth your time)
A Terrific tribute to Tom Petty featuring most of our top notch original local bands
Wilco w/ James Elkington
Primus
Morissey
Last edited by progholio; 12-15-2017 at 02:27 PM.
Was planning on Cheer Accident and then completely forgot about it. Saw them a few years ago though.
Missed Wilco who I usually catch. As I said, counting on Barre coming back to Wildey next year.
what a GREAT combo!!
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Probably my two favourites were Half the Sky at Cafe OTO (London) and Firefly Burning previewing tracks to be recorded for their next album (The Slaughtered Lamb, London).
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
King Crimson - The Egg, Albany. Best show
Brand X
John McLaughlin/Jimmy Herring
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