TimmyB

I'm about to leave to go see RUSH! A friend checked for tickets yesterday and the show is sold out, so for all that waited, it's too late.

I can't wait to see RUSH perform covers for the first time. Here's hoping they do Buffalo Springfield's "Mr. Soul" as it hasn't been on their set this tour so far.

UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

PRESENTS

BRUCE HORNSBY

MAINSTAGE THEATRE

MON NOV 1 2004 8PM

Onsale to General Public:

Fri, 08/20/04 10:00 AM

Price US $34 (plus service charges)

I have not gotten tickets yet as I don't know if I will be working or not. If I am not working I'll be there. If I am working I don't know if I'll take the day off work as I saw Bruce Hornsby just last month in Toronto.

My only advice is driving there Basher. Drive through Detroit and then down. Don't go past Cleveland. way too far. You'll lose a few hours b/c of that.

Great advice Shain, definitely go the Michigan way instead of crossing into upstate New York.

Rachael and I came late and unfortunately had to miss Blue Quarter because I had to attend a Stag and Doe for a ol' high school friend who is also a coworker.

I'm still glad I came late as the Fat Cats were amazing last night. I think it had something to do with the fact that this was the best and biggest crowd I've seen out at PJC since the Cats played with the Burt Neilson Band for Halloween last year.

Great job Fat Cats and Ken too.

Hey bradm, Thanks for the heads up and the kind words. I'd be going to moe.down if it were not that I am going to see Van Morrison on Friday September 3. Van "The Man" is one of my top ten favorites and he hasn't been to Toronto in over nine years, so I can't miss it.

I have yet to go to moe.down and I really hope I get there one year. But it will have to wait until maybe next year.

from www.billboard.com on Friday August 20, 2004

1948 - Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin is born in West Bromwich, England. Five of the group's albums reach No. 1 on Billboard's pop album chart. In the mid-80s Plant organizes the Honeydrippers, featuring rock legends Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Nile Rodgers. The ensemble has a No. 3 hit in 1985 with "Sea of Love."

Happy Birthday Robert, I have always loved Robert Plant whether it was in Led Zeppelin or as a solo artist. I have seen Plant six times total (twice as a solo artist and four times with Page and Plant) and look forward to hopefully seeing him again soon in whatever group he comes with.

from www.billboard.com on Friday August 20, 2004.

1999 - Blues Traveler bassist Bobby Sheehan is found dead in bed at his New Orleans home. Sheehan, who had recently begun work on a solo project, is 31.

I love Blues Traveler and saw them seven times before Bobby Sheehan died. I actually haven't seen the band since his passing. Which has nothing to do with Bobby's death as much to do with the fact that Blues Traveler hasn't made it near the area since his passing.

It's sad, drugs take another great one.

from www.rollingstone.com

The Dead Get Political

Band takes a stand for Kerry, prepares for fortieth anniversary

"It's time to get registered, it's time to vote," says Dead guitarist Bob Weir. "If you ever want to vote again, do it now. I'm not telling people who to vote for. I think they can figure it out. But I will say this: If every Deadhead in the state of Florida had voted in the last election, it'd be a very different world right now."

Never known for mixing their music with politics, the Dead -- the abbreviated name for the post-Jerry Garcia incarnation of the Grateful Dead -- have taken up a cause: removing George Bush from office. The group has even been playing "Johnny B. Goode," the Kerry campaign theme song, during shows. According to Weir, the Dead's move into political activism came from a sense of urgency.

"It occurs to me and the rest of the guys that this may be our last meaningful election," Weir says. "If we continue to drift the way we're drifting, the United States will become a democracy in name only. Instead of government of the people, by the people and for the people, we'll have government of the people, by the elite and for the elite, and the people will come secondarily."

The Dead kicked off their summer-long Wave That Flag Tour at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee on June 12th, and it ends Thursday in Atlanta. The outing is the latest step in a revitalization of the band, which reunited in 2003 around the core of Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. They streamlined their organization, cutting the employee roster in half and outsourcing merchandising and ticketing operations.

This is their first tour with a three-guitar lineup that includes new addition Warren Haynes. According to Weir, differences among band members have largely been resolved. "Going into this, I was thinking maybe we were gonna need a traffic cop," says Weir. "But everybody's listening to everyone else, and Warren has made us a little more muscular."

The tour hasn't been smooth sailing. In June, the Dead sold out only three of five nights at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, and they played to half-empty houses in Phoenix and Salt Lake City. But Weir says the crowds have been enthusiastic -- and young. "There are kids up front who don't mind the elbows," he says. "A few rows back, they get a few years older."

The group will celebrate its fortieth anniversary in 2005 and plans to launch a major U.S. tour next year. Rhino Records will release several studio reissues and rare live material. Asked whether the band plans to put out new music, Weir says, "I don't know if albums are the way it's going to be done anymore. With downloading, the album may be an obsolete concept. If there's some reason to put out a group of songs together, we may do that. We'll be recording all along. We've written a few new songs already."

PARKE PUTERBAUGH

(Posted Aug 18, 2004)

Hey \/\/illy, I'll be there. I can't wait to see the greatest Canadian band ever (minus the Band).

Dear Friends:

The Saturday Coventry show is now available for download at livephish.com:

Phish

8/14/04 COVENTRY, Coventry, VT

http://www.livephish.com/show.asp?show=346

SET ONE

Walls Of The Cave (16:00)

Runaway Jim (12:17)

Gotta Jibboo (16:14)

You Enjoy Myself (19:08)

Sample in a Jar (4:34)

Axilla I (3:30)

Poor Heart (2:17)

Run Like an Antelope (13:30)

Fire (8:22)

SET TWO

AC/DC Bag (21:02)

46 Days (3:55)

Halley's Comet (8:47)

Ya Mar (7:06)

David Bowie (17:32)

Character Zero (9:33)

SET THREE

Twist (17:06)

The Wedge (5:51)

Stash (20:16)

Free (15:01)

Guyute (10:31)

Drowned (4:13)

Coventry Jam (21:54)

Friday (8:16)

ENCORE

Harry Hood (21:41)

TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM LIVEPHISH.COM MAILINGS:

Please visit the link below, enter your email address, and select unsubscribe

from the support pulldown menu.

http://www.livephish.com/support

Quote from FreekerByTheSpeaker,

"I for one do think that everyone that bought a ticket to Coventry, in or not, should be refunded. That way no one can complain about anything, Phish has enough money to do it and it would forever solidify them in everyone's heart as the great benevolent entity they are. I love you Phish, I miss you already."

I agree with you FreekerByTheSpeaker, though it doesn't look like that is going to happen, as the above post states.

I miss Phish already too.

from www.phish.com

COVENTRY REFUNDS 08.17.04

To obtain full, face value refunds plus all convenience/service fees (excluding shipping) please send via US Mail un-ripped, original COVENTRY tickets (with the stub still attached) to the ticket company that you originally purchased the ticket(s) from (either Phish Tickets or Ticketmaster).

If you purchased from Phish Tickets, send your unripped ticket(s) to:

Phish Tickets

ATTN: Customer Service

PO Box 1911

Charlottesville, VA 22903

If you purchased from Ticketmaster, send your unripped ticket(s) to:

Customer Service

4445 Corporation Lane

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

If your ticket(s) were left at WILL CALL by Phish Tickets or Ticketmaster and were never picked up, you will receive a full refund including all convenience/service fees (excluding shipping) – you don’t need to contact us, the refund will be issued automatically.

YAHOO AUCTION WINNERS please contact this e-mail address for further information: wwauctioninfo@phish.com

If you’d like your ticket(s) back (without the stub), just include a self-addressed, stamped envelope when you request your refund.

Please expect your refund to appear on your credit card statement within 3-4 weeks from the time you mail in your ticket(s). If you placed your order with Phish Tickets you will receive a confirmation e-mail acknowledging that your refund has been processed.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience. If you have additional questions that are not answered here please contact us at coventryrefunds@phish.com

from www.billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. August 17, 2004, 3:20 PM ET

Phish Sorting Out Festival Refunds

As Phish's career-ending Coventry festival in Vermont is slowly dismantled in the mud, producers are unraveling the impact of torrential rain preceding the concert that vastly impacted the band's final fest.

After state police closed highways leading to the festival on Friday, some fans walked miles to the festival grounds, while others simply turned back.

"We're still sorting it out, but we estimate about 65,000 people were here on the grounds," says Dave Werlin, president of Great Northeast Productions, promoter of record for Coventry and all previous Phish festivals. "We're trying to understand how many people we'll have to offer refunds to."

Detailed refund information was posted on the Phish Web site today (Aug. 17).

"When people normally come in [to a Phish festival], they present their ticket, it's torn and they get a wristband, but this was far from normal," Werlin continues. "People came walking in from every direction. Most walked in and found their way to the box office and exchanged their ticket for a wristband and then found their way back to the stage."

Clearly, though, many Phish-heads entered without their tickets ever being torn. And then there are those that never made it in at all. Werlin says doesn't expect many fans that actually attended the concert to try and get a refund.

"We believe in the basic decency of Phish fans and think that will be a non-issue," he says. "But we're still trying to get our hands around how many refunds there will be. Several thousand, anyway."

Werlin stresses that it was not the band, management or producers who made the decision to turn fans away, but rather Vermont state police. "To us this was a frustrating decision because it was not our call," he offers. "It was not our desire to do things this way, but it became a public safety issue."

As it stands, Coventry will end up grossing about $10 million, up from $8.25 million from the band's It festival last year. And Werlin has no regrets about the band's final performance.

"We were blessed with clear skies on Saturday and decent weather on Sunday," he says. "The band played incredibly well, production was great, the sound was great, and there was a real emotional interaction with the fans."

-- Ray Waddell, Nashville

I'll say something about my experience later.

from www.rollingstone.com

Phish Say a Wet Goodbye

Blocked roads can't stop the last jam

Thousands of devoted Phish fans abandoned their cars along Vermont's Interstate 91 and hiked upwards of fifteen miles to reach the Coventry festival, the twenty-year-old jam band's final performances.

Record precipitation resulted in a badly muddied 600-acre concert site. With parked cars beginning to sink in the mire, many -- even those with tickets -- were asked to turn away. State police shut down I-91 nearly twenty miles from the festival grounds.

"We never imagined in a million years that we would experience this kind of saturation," said festival co-producer Dave Werlin of Great Northeast Productions. "This is only the second or third time in nearly 100 years."

The announcement to turn back came early Saturday morning, spread by The Bunny, the festival's on-site FM station. "There's just no way it's gonna clear up in three days," bassist Mike Gordon apologized, broadcasting to the tens of thousands of fans stuck in traffic on I-91. Promoters promised that a yet-undecided olive branch would be offered to those who complied.

However, though they were discouraged from doing so, many parked their cars on the side of the road, strapped on their backpacks and traversed the green hills to the concert site. By showtime on Saturday, nearly 65,000 of the 70,000 ticket buyers made it inside the festival grounds.

"I sat through thirty-six hours of traffic and walked fifteen miles all to see one band," said Nick Rocha, 25, who left Kansas City early Tuesday morning. "I'm not gonna get towed. Where are they gonna take all the cars?"

Phish, founded in Vermont in 1983, built a unique audience with bizarre stage antics, intricate composition that deftly hopped between genres, long improvisations, and a notion of fan-friendly progression that endeared them to bootleg collecting obsessives with a predilection for following their heroes to the ends of the earth. After a two-year hiatus, from 2000 to 2002, the band returned to the road, though found themselves less than inspired.

In May, guitarist and leader Trey Anastasio posted to the group's Web site, announcing that Phish would be disbanding following the June release of their final album, Undermind, and the subsequent tours. He insisted that he did not wish for the band to "drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health" becoming "caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act."

The already-announced Coventry became final edition of the off-the-beaten-path campouts for which Phish was renowned. Beginning with 1996's Clifford Ball, Phish's festivals were revered among fans for their surreal touches by Vermont installation artists Lars Fisk and Russ Bennett, late night surprises, and generous helpings of Phish music.

This year, local farmers offered fresh produce at low prices, while Nectar's (a Burlington bar where Phish gigged in their formative years) sold their infamous gravy fries from a tent in the Commons food court. In addition to broadcasting Phish's performances and traffic updates, The Bunny blasted avant-garde weirdness well into the wee hours.

Though a triumph for the many who slogged through hell to get there, Phish's three-set performance on Saturday underscored why they are breaking up. Punctuated by several deliciously winding jams on "Stash," "AC/DC Bag" and "Twist," the band -- especially guitarist Trey Anastasio -- seemed to only half-remember much of their complex material.

The band's final sets on Sunday were an extraordinarily human "goodbye" mostly unknown in rock & roll. Early on, Anastasio confessed his nervousness to the crowd. Later, both he and keyboardist Page McConnell broke out in tears, the latter during an emotional rendition of "Wading in the Velvet Sea." Though still uneven, fans were more than forgiving of the band, which -- under the double pressures of disastrous conditions and its final shows -- sparkled with extended improvisations on "Seven Below" and "Down With Disease."

Throughout the evening, Anastasio let the audience in decades-old inside jokes, explaining long-cryptic song lyrics and stories of the band's Vermont origins. For Phish's final encore, they chose the obscure "The Curtain With," a song composed by Anastasio when he lived for a summer in a cabin nearby Coventry. "Please me have no regrets," Anastasio sang, and thousands sang along.

JESSE JARNOW

(Posted Aug 16, 2004)

from www.billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. August 13, 2004, 2:30 PM ET

Gov't Mule, Claypool Salute Skynyrd

Gov't Mule, Primus' Les Claypool, Blues Traveler and the Drive-By Truckers are among the acts getting down and dirty on "Under the Influence -- A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd," Billboard.com can reveal. Due Oct. 5 via Sanctuary, the 11-track collection also boasts contributions from Big Head Todd and the Monsters, the North Mississippi Allstars, Galactic and moe. with John Hiatt.

Gov't Mule takes on "Simple Man," a song the band "has performed several times prior to this recording," says frontman Warren Haynes. "It's amazing what you can do with three chords, if they're the right three chords."

Big Head Todd tackles "Sweet Home Alabama," one of the most enduring rock tracks of the 1970s. "It was very challenging to give the song a new interpretation," admits vocalist/guitarist Todd Mohr. "The track was a blast to work on and I think we were successful in honoring the song, while presenting it in a completely contemporary setting."

Other Skynyrd cuts that have been redone for the tribute include the immortal "Free Bird" (Blues Traveler), "Call Me the Breeze" (Claypool), "Every Mother's Son" (Drive-By Truckers), "Ballad of Curtis Loew" (moe. and Hiatt), "Gimme Three Steps" (Disco Biscuits), "Whiskey Rock a Roller" (North Mississippi Allstars), "Four Walls of Raiford" (Yonder Mountain String Band), "Saturday Night Special" (Galactic) and "Workin' for MCA" (Particle).

Skynyrd is in the midst of summer headlining dates, which will run through Sept. 30 in Bloomsburg, Pa. The group will then begin a co-headlining tour with fellow southern rock legends the Allman Brothers Band Oct. 1 in Raleigh, N.C.

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

This is the third time I have planned on seeing Lenny Kravitz and the show was either postponned or cancelled!

First, in 1996 during the 'Circus Tour' when Lenny's mother passed away, which is a very good reason to postpone a tour. Though the date in Ottawa that I was going to attend was cancelled forcing me to go to Montreal to see him.

Second, in 1999 when Lenny's guitarist Craig Ross was under the weather, another good excuse. Though after Lenny came back to do a autograph session and he did a private gig for Molson or something, even though there were us ticket holders waiting for a Massey Hall show? As I was getting his autograph I asked when the Massey show was going to happen and he said soon, a couple of weeks later it was cancelled. Though he did come back that summer to the Molson Amphitheatre, I would have rather saw him at Massey Hall.

I luckily saw him with out a delay in 2002 for that tour. But now this is three out of four tours! Crazy.

from www.billboard.com on August 12, 2004.

1949 - Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is born in Glasgow, Scotland. The group's biggest hit is "Money for Nothing," which Knopfler writes with Sting. The song tops Billboard's Hot 100 for three weeks in 1985.

I unfortunately never saw Mark Knopfler in Dire Straits. Though I was lucky enough to see him perform a solo gig at Massey Hall in 2001. I had front row tickets and it was one of the greatest shows I've ever witnessed in my life.

Mark must have thought it was a great gig too as he released live tracks "Sailing To Philadephia" and "Brothers In Arms" recorded at Massey Hall on a bonus CD on his next solo release "Ragpickers Dream." Mark also released "So Far Away" and "Speedway At Nazareth" from the show on his CD single for "Why Aye Man."

Happy Birthday Mark!

from www.billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. August 11, 2004, 3:45 PM ET

Billboard Bits: Hornsby, Galactic, Hot Snakes

Bruce Hornsby has slated a trio of late-October New York performances in vastly different settings. Under the banner of "Three Nights on the Town," the veteran artist will host an Oct. 26 jam session at famed jazz club the Blue Note, an Oct. 28 solo piano performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall and a full band show the next night at Town Hall.

With a capacity of 200, the first show, dubbed "Jammin' at the Blue Note," promises to be the most intimate. While "special guests" are expected, it is unknown exactly who will fulfill that promise. The possibilities are exciting, seeing as Hornsby is a one-time touring member of the Grateful Dead and an artist who has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Chick Corea and Ricky Skaggs, among many others.

Add to that Hornsby's latest album, "Halcyon Days," which boasts guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Sting and Elton John. Bumped one week to Tuesday (Aug. 17), the set will be Hornsby's first for Columbia after a career spent with RCA.

Hornsby is already on the road with his band, playing the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y., tonight. Stateside dates pause after an Aug. 27 Memphis show for a September European tour, and resume Oct. 8 in Hampden-Sydney, Va., according to his official Web site.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

I'll probably be there, I haven't missed a Gov't Mule gig in Toronto since 1997.

Hey Palms, Did you have to do a pre-sale to get the bumper stickers and buttons? If not what place did you order the album to get these great items?

I'm really looking forward to seeing Crosby/Nash live in the next year. I have always loved all that is CSNY but I recently passed up CSN's 35th anniversary because poor Stephen Stills just ain't what he used to be. Whereas Crosby/Nash still sound like angels.

Status quo? How can we forget about a story like this? It was an absolutely crazy incident!

Why was this threaded already? No one has even gotten out of bed to read this post yet.

from www.billboard.com

For August 11, 2004

2003 - Phish bassist Mike Gordon is arrested in Wantagh, N.Y., and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and trespassing in a closed area. At a concert by the Dead at Jones Beach's Tommy Hilfiger Theater, police were alerted that a nine-year-old girl was missing. The child was later found with Gordon in an enclosed boathouse near the backstage area of the venue, for use by state employees only.

Has it been a year already? Mike Gordon seriously got his ass kicked by those Hells Angels, I remember it being reported that they focused on his groin. Man I thought that was the worst news I was going to hear from Phish, until one of them died. I was wrong.

Entertainment - AP Music

Eric Clapton Inducted Into 'Rockwalk'

Tue Aug 10, 8:27 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - Sixteen-time Grammy Award winner Eric Clapton (news) was inducted into "Rockwalk" on Monday during a private ceremony.

AP Photo

Clapton, 59, received a commemorative plaque and had imprints of his hands and signature installed in marble on Sunset Boulevard. "Rockwalk" was established in 1985 to honor musicians who have made a significant contribution to the history of music.

Clapton is the only triple Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He recently completed a North American concert tour to promote his latest CD, "Me and Mr. Johnson."

Everybody has their limits, I respect that. I myself used to think that you were a washed up has been if you play Casino's. But after going to see Crosby, Stills & Nash last year, I changed my tune. I realized that I enjoyed the gig, Casino gig or no Casino gig. I really regret not seeing Ringo Starr & His All-Star band there last year as it was recorded for his new live album.