The show is set to begin at 9:30pm. Tickets are $10 and while currently available at the door, it may be best to order them online in advance as this show has the potential to sell out. Guests are welcome ages 18 and up with proper ID.

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Watkins Glen International has been the site of only three festivals since the pavement was first laid in 1956. The first and most spectacular “Summer Jam” held in 1973, featuring The Band, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Grateful Dead. The weekend attracted over 600,000 and although not as famous as Woodstock, it had a greater attendance. The second came in 2011 as Phish’s 9^th, hailed as “Superball.”

Magnaball had the lowest attendance of all of these festivals despite it selling out. This came as a result of a cap placed by the health department, so needless to say, the festival could and would have been much bigger without this restriction. Despite the lower attendance, the crowd seemed to fit the space perfectly. For the most part, campers camped just outside of the track and in most cases were merely a stones throw away from the asphalt. The privileged few were able to camp in “Glen Close” for a higher fee, which was found inside the track, and the real yuppies brought their RVs which were also parked inside of the track. Not the traditional festival lifestyle to be sure, but I would be lying if I said they didn’t make us a bit jealous.

The venue itself spread out the further back it went, but most people stuck to a rectangle area in front of the stage for the performances.  There was a wide assortment of delicious food from vendors at reasonable prices for a festival.  Perhaps the most popular item was the “Jerry Role,” which was nothing more than a giant egg roll with soy sauce, duck sauce, and Sriracha as a filling rather than a dip.  Grab one of these and you were good to go for the rest of the night.

Walking into the venue, the first thing to catch your eye was the incredibly tall stage directly ahead through the gate. It would appear that the stage was built so tall so that the light show would be visible for those even in the back. The second thing one was bound to notice was a strange looking structure directly back from the stage that turned out to be a “science laboratory.” Looking left was a row of vendors that lead to the back of the property on both sides. In the back were other local vendors, a Ferris wheel, and to the left of them was a massive screen attached to the back of a racetrack grandstand. This would be the site of the band’s secret set.

As for the music to spare the reader a play by play, first an overview, and then a breakdown of the eight sets will suffice.

A traditional Phish show consists of two sets. The first typically has a greater selection of songs, and less focus on taking those songs into a jam. A really strong jam in a first set is something special and infrequent. The second usually features more focus on jamming, especially in the latter’s first half. Following would typically feature what many would consider fan favorites: generally more composed yet difficult songs with jams that do not reach the length or exploration of those earlier in the set. Often, the jamming that occurs in the first half of the second set is considered “Type II” jamming, which simply means that the band leaves the foundation of the song they were jamming on, and enter into a completely improvised jam unlike the song it originated from. “Type I” jamming will be found more frequently in the first set and end of second sets and normally indicates that the jam has stayed within the framework of the song.

Phish destroyed these barriers that do not in reality exist except for in the minds of those who listen to a great deal of the band. Almost every set featured some degree of “Type II” jamming, except for the daytime set on Saturday. The band also featured a number of “bust outs” or songs that they do not regularly play, every night of the festival. For example, “Mock Song” had only been played once before Magnaball in 2003. This exploration of their catalog and disregard for traditional sets made for an incredible three nights.

The Sets:

The first set started off with a strong “Simple,” a number whose title does it justice. The song has a catchy riff and its lyrics poke fun at the simplicity of playing in a band. The set then slipped into some major bust outs and finally into quite possibly the strongest jam of the weekend. While “Bathtub Gin” has always been a versatile song, this was no ordinary “Gin” set closer as this time around, the band took off into and incredibly powerful “Type II” jam that left everyone including myself speechless. The song clocked in at 23 minutes and with that the first set came to a close.

The second set would not disappoint with the first half featuring strong jamming on “Chalk Dust Torture,” “Ghost,” and a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll.” The set then turned to some of the more transcendent pieces, particularly “Harry Hood” and “Slave to the Traffic Light.”  In between those two songs was another fan favorite “Waste” which to quote the great YouTube Phish critic FZappa20 “was for the bros trying to get laid.” For an encore, the woman behind me was treated with “Farmhouse,” arguably the band’s most popular song, to which she absolutely lost it.  After “Farmhouse,” Phish closed the night with the energetic “First Tube.”

Day Two was the day of days as far as this festival went.  To quote one attendee, “Today felt like the best chore ever.” The music kicked off at 3:30pm with a shockingly appropriate “Divided Sky” as the sun had just broken through from what had been a day of complete overcast until right before the show. Phish would work their way through 13 songs, the densest set of the weekend. The highlights of this set were “Camel Walk” and “Undermind” along with the “Divided Sky.”

The second set of the day started around 8pm just as the first set did the night before. The regular and highly anticipated “Tweezer” brought a serious jam that seamlessly transitioned to a rarer yet popular “Prince Caspian” that had a jam so powerful it could have easily brought a grown man to tears, and likely did.  If there is a debate over strongest jam, it will be between the “Tweezer”>”Prince Caspian” jams, and “Bathtub Gin” from the night before.

The third set of the day was arguably the weakest and that by no means should suggest there was anything wrong with it. It featured one very strong jam with one of the band’s youngest songs in “Blaze On,” but other than that, the jams never really seemed to get to the place that they had been all weekend. The song selection was also just a little predictable. The encore, however, brought a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” one of the group’s strongest covers and personally, one of my favorite selections for an encore. At the conclusion of the set, some headed back to their campsites, while others stuck around in anticipation of the not-so-secret “secret set.” Not as ambient as years past and actually quite powerful and incredibly psychedelic, it was set up to mock an experience of a drive in movie without the pickup trucks and blankets. Clocking in at 52 minutes, it was the perfect way to end a very long day.

On the final day, we rested during the sun’s peak and headed in as dusk began to hit. All weekend, “Punch You in the Eye” was thrown around as possibility the greatest show opener, and on Magnaball’s final night, we were given just that. Phish later played one of their most popular pieces “Reba” which follows the structure of many of their older songs like “Harry Hood” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” as it begins with composition and then slides into a transcendent and ambient jam that reaches a peak. After “Reba” came the a cappella “I Didn’t Know” in which Trey Anastasio took the time to thank the members of the Phish crew who so often go unnoticed.

The final set did not disappoint, kicking things off with “Martian Monster,” one of the highlights of the bands musical costume from Halloween 2014.  Arguably the best jam of the night came in “Scents and Subtle Sounds” which although short, wasted no time and all four members of the band really locked into a strong “Type II” jam. The set closed with a “Mike’a Groove” (“Mike’s Song” and “Weekapaug Groove”) and in between the groove were both “Fuego,” the title track of their most recent album, and “Twist.” For an encore, we were treated with “You Enjoy Myself” another incredibly complex tune that goes into a jam that the band has played more times than any other song in their catalog, and for good reason.

Phish exceeded expectations for Magnaball. Throughout their entire summer tour the band developed seemed to deeply evolve their jamming and are without a doubt playing their best music since their return in 2009. Magnaball served as a vehicle for the band to experiment and stretch out their music more than they might otherwise have the time to do. There is a reason that the band has continued to put on these festivals, and Magnaball is a testament to that reasoning.  With a few days in the same venue and no limits on time or how things can or cannot be done, one of the most creative four piece bands in rock music history achieved what few other bands could hope to do.

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If you make the leap and go, expect to have your heart warmed with the soft acoustic tunes of all of these groups. To put it in another perspective, this isn’t a night for $3 PBRss but rather one to sip on scotch.

The evening will be hosted by Alfred Eberle Brown of the Brown Family Singers. Admission is presumed to be free, but that is not a guarantee. Things will kick off at 9pm and will wrap up some time around midnight. Hope to see you there.

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Although Murawski’s comment may have been a bit inflated, there was some truth to what he said. For one, this was absolutely a show to arrive early to and second, there is an argument to be made that when considering the time allotted to each band, Aqueous did more with their hour than Umphrey’s did with their two and a half.

Working with a shorter than usual slot time, the Buffalo band still managed to execute five selections with absolute precision. Kicking off with “Kitty Chaser (Explosions),” there was no doubt that they were bringing the fire for the hour they had been granted, as the opening number clocked in at just under 20 minutes.  From there, the group transitioned to “Underlyer”(a fan favorite) and “Gordon’s Mule” followed by an incredible cover of “War Pigs.”

This wasn’t the first time I witnessed the band cover the Black Sabbath classic, as they also tackled it last fall in Burlington. After the show, while talking to guitarist Mike Gantzer, I said “Damn man, its pretty cool that you guys played that on the day we just sent 1,500 more troops to Iraq.” He responded by saying he had no idea and they just felt like playing that, but it was a cool coincidence. Well, we once again got “War Pigs,” on the night of the first GOP primary no less. Coincidence? Probably, but I would still like to believe the forces of the universe played some role in the song selection. They then closed their five song set with “Don’t Do It” which had everyone at Canalside dancing.

As for Umphrey’s McGee, perhaps the most attractive jam band out there mind you, they played two strong sets that clocked in at nearly three hours. Their first set did kind of feel like they were going through the motions, though.  A cover of Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” managed to be the highlight of the set in regards to crowd reaction while lead guitarist Jake Cinninger really felt like he was simply warming up for the back half of the night.

Umphrey’s second set was much stronger. Starting with “Wife Soup” into “Higgins” and back into “War Soup,” it became pretty clear that they were not messing around. As the set progressed, my friend did express one grievance to me that I am not sure I completely agree with but would certainly entertain.

“A lot of these songs sound very similar.”

I guess where this comes from is the reality that Umphrey’s uses a similar structure for many of their jams. It’s not that their songs are necessarily carbon copies of each other, but there is an argument to be made that they do in fact end up finding the same place most of the time

To the merits of Murawski’s tweet back in April, I say that Aqueous took full advantage of the opportunity they had. They looked incredibly comfortable on the big stage, and they executed their selections with absolute precision. The same thing can be said for Umphrey’s. I don’t think either band thought this was a competition, but ever since the twitter exchange occurred, it’s been hard for me to view it any other way, although I ultimately decided to abandon that idea while leaving the water front.

Opener or not, Aqueous played a diverse and explosive set. Would we all liked to have had a little more time with those guys up on Buffalo’s biggest stage? Sure. But mark my words, those guys will headline Canalside sooner than you would expect. If you doubt me, just take a look at where they have been playing this summer. And for anyone who may have missed last night’s show, mark your calendars for Iron Works on October 30th and 31st.

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Lyrically, the Lennon influence really shines, using an attractive rhythm and melody as a foundation for the song’s beautifully written lyrics. In romantic fashion, Josh Netsky’s words serve as a Whitman-esque poem of transcendence with nature.

“I saw a sight to see flying away from me, a wall of mirrors projecting it’s disappearance.”

Netsky suggests breaking down the barriers of consciousness and seeing life as it truly is, and most importantly observing nature as it is around him. He later confirms that he has found beauty in nature, and that this beauty is ever present and continuous.

“The buildings tower high, the birds swim through the sky; The iris full color, the day just like any other.”

Listen to “Big Sun Explosion” below.

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I spent a lot of time throughout the show in an attempt to categorize their music. Having read so much about the band’s genre(s), ranging from “southern rock” to “jam” to “indie rock”, none of those choices seemed to quite add up. First and foremost, regardless of where this band is from (Kentucky to be exact), they do not fall into what I would consider “southern rock.” Even more so though, certainly not a “jam” band. Although MMJ does jam on some of their songs, they seem to have no desire to experiment.

To push this point further, MMJ was one of the most comfortable bands I have ever seen perform. Tight and flawless for sure, but lacking any drive for “more.” If they are happy where they are, then good for them. They have certainly achieved their dreams. For me, this was the one element I was really missing.  For what I would consider “indie rock” stretched out, MMJ definitely draws influence ranging from U2 to the Flaming Lips.

The first half of the show the band blazed through their songs pretty quickly.  The middle of their set brought out the most impressive selections. “Where to Begin” into “Victory Dance” were definitely the strongest pieces of the night.

One of the highlights of my night was stopping to talk to one of the hired security members. He said that this had been his favorite show of the year so far: good music and a very easy going audience, few problems, and “a few people who took some bad shit.”  We discussed everything from previous shows to my first ever show at Artpark years ago at which he stomped out my joint. We laughed and then discussed the imperative of marijuana legalization. It was a dynamic conversation.  Why do I bring this up? Because this should reflect the overall nature of the show, and it absolutely did:  good vibes and smiles all around.

My review is as follows. My Morning Jacket is a talented band, with a niche audience, that rarely, if ever disappoints. They stretch out their music yet with minimal improvisation that for many takes them a step up.  For me, the lack improvisation was not enough to qualify them as a band that “jams” if you will. They focus on quality over innovation. I have no doubt that the level of musicianship is very high across the board, but there were times throughout the show that Jim James felt like a poet performing his work, over the musician so many have hailed him to be.  Finally, their songwriting is good, not great.

With all of this taken into consideration, if I would have listened to the show over a webcast, I would have given the band a solid C+ as they were above average, but nothing mind blowing. But there are a few things to consider because yes, I was there and there is a lot more to a show then the members on stage,. There is always the 12th man effect. The vibes were strong, very strong. There was absolutely no bullshit that I encountered at all throughout the night.  Everyone gave the band the respect they deserve and were engaged from start to finish, and to the band’s credit, when they could have come out and played one song for an encore and got off stage a little early, they played four songs instead, making their encore almost a mini second set.

So because of this I will give the concert a B, with a little note up in the top corner in red ink saying that next time I hope they push it a little more and try harder, paired with an inspirational “because I know you are capable of it!”

Video by Brosef Wilson

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Lazlo Hollyfeld is an instrumental art-rock group that originated in Buffalo in 2003. The long time act has a sound that teeters between mellow and intense grooves with a lot of experimentation. While at the Burchfield Penney, the gallery will also be up and running inside, and visitors will even have the opportunity to create their own art until 7:30pm.

If you are looking for a night out away from the kids, or a place to bring them, Burchfield Penney is the place to be tonight. Music begins at 5:30pm. Stay tuned for a closer look at Cages, also performing on the front yard, later on today.

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Laura Jane Grace has had one of the most iconic voices in punk rock for over a decade and a half, and the band backing her, despite a few changes over that time, has remained as strong as ever. If you haven’t dabbled in Against Me!, tonight would be a great way to get a first taste.

The show starts at 7 pm and Against Me! will be joined by Frank Iero and the Cellebration.  Tickets are $23 at the door and with only two acts, the night shouldn’t go too late for any punk rock parents out there.  Expect tonight to be a good one.

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As for the rest of the show, let’s break it down between the good, the bad, and even the goofy.

The Good:

Mother Mother did what all touring acts set out to do, and that is satisfy their paying customers. Everyone there to see the band was very enthusiastic about the entire show. The band played with a lot of energy and had a solid mix of hits spread throughout its set list. Musically, the rhythm section held everything together and were the most impressive musicians by a long shot. Drummer Ali Siadat was tight and played with immense energy while driving all of their selections forward. The entire group also composes their pieces with impressive vocal harmonies that set themselves apart from many other groups.

The Bad:

There is no doubt that the vocal harmonies between Ryan and Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin are strong, and Molly and Jasmin certainly deserve their place on stage. On the other hand, there were three synths on stage distributed equally among Molly, Jasmin, and bassist Jeremy Page. For a five piece band, this is a bit too much, and quite frankly, when Molly and Jasmin were both playing, the sound would become very muddled at times. The five piece could remain a five piece in the name of vocal harmonies, but I think it’s time to get a synth or two off the stage. No one ever said there was anything wrong with backup singers, which is essentially what Jasmin Parkin is.

The Goofy:

Front man Ryan Guldemond honestly looks like a cross between Sting and a James Bond Villain. I have yet to decide if that is high praise or an insult. It guess that’s up to him.

Sleepy Hahas photo by Meredith Snow.

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When asked if there was anything people should know about the show, Hahas singer Pat Butler said “to be honest I don’t even know if I’ll still be alive by Thursday night, but if I am, it’ll be a great show. People should come out. We’ve been practicing all of the time and our sound is improving.”

The Hahas are joined by local acts The Soft Love, SHEDS, and Planet Three. Tonight’s cover will be $8 at the door, which open up around 7pm.

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