Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXVI, September 15, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Goose, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Umphrey’s McGee and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Trey Anastasio track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. Jive II
    Goose
    9/13/23 Boston, MA
  2. Salt Lake City
    Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros
    9/8/23 Park City, UT
  3. The River
    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
    6/11/23 Chicago, IL
  4. Stop That Train
    The String Cheese Incident (w/ Lukas Nelson)
    9/9/23 Charlotte, NC
  5. Not Fade Away
    Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros (w/ Lukas Nelson)
    9/10/23 Franklin, TN
  6. The Ocean>No Quarter
    Umphrey’s McGee
    9/10/23 Indianapolis, IN
  7. First Tube
    Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB
    9/10/23 Indianapolis, IN

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXV, September 8, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Jimmy Buffet, moe., Greensky Bluegrass, Billy Strings and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. A Pirate Looks At Forty
    Jimmy Buffett
    6/26/92 Noblesville, IN
  2. Silver Sun
    moe.
    9/3/23 Lake George, NY
  3. The Curse of Julia Brown
    Big Something
    8/12/23 Wilmington, NC
  4. Can You Get To That
    Kitchen Dwellers
    9/2/23 Manteno, IL
  5. Can’t Stop Now
    Greensky Bluegrass
    9/2/23 Mill Spring, NC
  6. Heartbeat Of America
    Billy Strings
    8/26/23 Huntsville, AL
  7. Salamander Song
    Spafford
    8/30/23 Avon, CO
  8. Piper
    Phish
    9/3/23 Denver, CO

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXIV, September 1, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Leftover Salmon featuring Railroad Earth & Yonder Mountain String Band, Daniel Donato, Widespread Panic and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. Golden Age
    Phish (w/ Derek Trucks)
    826/23 Saratoga Springs,NY
  2. I Shall Be Released
    Leftover Salmon (w/ Railroad Earth & Yonder Mountain String Band)
    8/9/23 Kalamazoo, MI
  3. Big Iron
    Daniel Donato
    8/26/23 Montgomery, AL
  4. Giants in the Light
    Spafford
    8/19/23 Bridgeport, CT
  5. Echoes (Part 2)
    Gov’t Mule
    8/20/23 Vienna, VA
  6. Protein Drink
    Widespread Panic
    8/27/23 Napa, CA
  7. Sewing Machine
    Widespread Panic
    8/27/23 Napa, CA
  8. August
    Umphrey’s McGee (w/ Ben Atkind – Goose)
    8/27/23 Chattanooga, TN

All New Web Player, App Queue, and Other Recent Enhancements

We are excited to announce a completely rebuilt nugs.net web player, along with other recent iOS and Android app enhancements including personalized queue functionality, picture-in-picture, and more!

All New Web Player

Our new desktop web player is here! An all new design with new feature sets and product enhancements, this is a major upgrade! See below for some highlights:

Follow Your Favorites
The new player allows you to select your favorite artists so you can customize your app experience and stay up to date on the recent shows you care about the most.


Leave Show Reviews
Hear an epic jam? See a show that moved you? In the new web player you can now leave show reviews to help other fans know what’s hot and shouldn’t be missed


Save Shows & Albums
Keep your favorite shows saved for future reference. Click the heart button on the shows that you love and come back to them anytime online or in the app.

New Browsing Options
You can now browse the nugs.net catalog in a number of ways: by artist name, by the year of the show and by song title.


Live Audio Streams

An all-new way to listen to music on nugs.net – you can now stream live audio from select concerts. Listen in to the show live as it happens on the nugs.net apps, or website. This feature is available to all nugs.net users – both free and paid subscribers.


App Queue Functionality

Mix your music for the mood you’re in. The new queue functionality let’s you personalize your playback queue, with options to organize and sort as you please. This feature also unlocks the ‘History’ of recently played tracks.


Picture-in-Picture Playback

Never miss a moment with Picture-in-Picture. Now you keep can keep watching the show, even while using other apps. This works on livestreams and our subscriber videos on-demand.

Enjoy these enhancements, our full streaming catalog, exclusive listereams, and more with a 7-day free trial. Sign up today!

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXIII, August 25, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Grateful Dead, Gov’t Mule, Greensky Bluegrass and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Eyes Of The World (Take 6)
    Grateful Dead
    Wake Of The Flood: The Angel’s Share
  2. Us and Them
    Gov’t Mule
    8/19/23 Holmdel, NJ
  3. Bridgeless
    Umphrey’s McGee
    8/20/23 Pembroke, MA
  4. White Light
    Twiddle
    8/12/23 East Durham, NY
  5. Driven To Tears
    Eggy
    8/17/23 Raleigh, NC
  6. Tarpology
    Greensky Bluegrass
    8/19/23 Jacksonville, OR
  7. Boys Of Summer
    Greensky Bluegrass
    8/19/23 Jacksonville, OR
  8. Tarpology
    Greensky Bluegrass
    8/19/23 Jacksonville, OR
  9. Pigeons
    Widespread Panic
    4/22/99 Boone, NC

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXII, August 18, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Billy & The Kids, Bruce Springsteen, Greensky Bluegrass with Holly Bowling & Sam Bush and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Scarlet Begonias
    Billy & The Kids
    8/16/23 Baltimore,MD
  2. Darlington County
    Bruce Springsteen
    8/9/23 Chicago, IL
  3. Trunk Rum
    Dogs In A Pile
    8/11/23 East Durham, NY
  4. The Shape I’m In
    Eggy
    8/11/23 Virgina Beach, VA
  5. Baby, Don’t You Do It
    Kitchen Dwellers
    8/11/23 Alta, WY
  6. Deep Elem Blues
    The Infamous Stringdusters (w/ Rob & Ronnie McCoury)
    8/11/23 Alta, WY
  7. Don’t Lie
    Greensky Bluegrass (w/ Holly Bowling & Sam Bush)
    8/13/23 Alta, WY
  8. Comfortably Numb
    Gov’t Mule (w/ Jackie Greene)
    8/11/23 Charlotte, NC

Widespread Panic Archive Release: Boone 1999

LISTEN: Widespread Panic live at the Varsity Gymnasium at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, April 22, 1999

We’re stoked to announce the 13th-official Widespread Panic Archive multi-track release, Boone 1999! Recorded on 4/22/1999 at the Varsity Gym at ASU in Boone, NC, this hometown show for Michael Houser has been a longtime fan favorite from their red-hot 1999 Spring Tour, with early takes of “All Time Low” and “Red Hot Mama,” and a “Low Spark > Drums > Low Spark” for the ages.

Professionally mixed by Panic’s longtime producer, John Keane, this multi-track recording will see it’s official release on Friday for streaming and order, exclusively on nugs.net. Before the street date, join us Thursday, August 17th at 8 pm ET for the worldwide debut and listening party, free for everyone! A must listen, and you just need a free nugs account to join the live audio stream.

Start a 7-day free trial to listen to even more of the Widespread Panic archives, and check out some press clippings from the show below:

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXXI, August 11, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Gov’t Mule (covering Pink Floyd), The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
    Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
    5/21/71 San Francisco, CA
  2. Mike’s Song
    Phish
    8/4/23 New York,NY
  3. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
    Gov’t Mule
    8/7/23 Morrison, CO
  4. Colorado Bluebird Sky
    The String Cheese Incident
    8/1/23 Nampa, ID
  5. Eyes Jam
    The String Cheese Incident
    8/1/23 Nampa, ID
  6. Franklin’s Tower
    The String Cheese Incident
    8/1/23 Nampa, ID
  7. Midnight Moonlight
    The String Cheese Incident
    8/1/23 Nampa, ID
  8. Colorado Bluebird Sky
    The String Cheese Incident
    8/1/23 Nampa, ID
  9. Todd’s Tots
    Spafford
    7/10/23 Morristown, NJ
  10. Better
    Leftover Salmon
    7/19/23 Omaha, NE
  11. Happy Hour Hero
    moe.
    8/4/23 Atlantic City, NJ

Lossless Streaming Guide: Is Streaming Lossless Audio Worth It?

Lossless Audio

So you’re a fan of live music – which means you’re probably looking for the most authentic listening e­xperiences you can find. Luckily, nugs.ne­t and lossless streaming has you covered. In this comprehensive guide­, we’ll dive into the­ world of lossless audio and help you weigh the pros and possible cons to investing in high-quality lossless audio to satisfy your live music cravings.

What is Lossless Audio?

Simply put, lossless audio is­ one of the best music formats available. It provides an audio experience that truly immerses you in your favorite­ live performances, fe­eling as though you’re right there­ in the moment. Every instrume­nt, voice, and subtle inflection is capture­d with utmost precision. This remarkable achie­vement is made possible­ by compressing music without sacrificing any of its original sound data.

Standard formats, like MP3, are­ commonly referred to as “lossy” due­ to their ability to reduce file­ sizes by discarding certain data. Unfortunately, this compre­ssion technique doesn’t always provide the highest level of audio quality for real audiophiles. On the other hand, there­ are lossless formats such as FLAC (Free­ Lossless Audio Codec), ALAC (Apple Lossle­ss Audio Codec), and MQA (Master Quality Authenticated audio) that prioritize prese­rving the integrity of the audio. Opting for the­se formats allows you to experie­nce music in its intended form, capturing the­ essence e­nvisioned by the artists.

How to Stream Lossless Music

Streaming lossle­ss music involves playing audio files in a format that prese­rves all the data from the original re­cording. This ensures bette­r fidelity and sound quality compared to lossy formats like MP3. To enhance your listening experience, choose Hi-Fi streaming for a superior sound quality compared to compressed formats. This can provide superior sound quality compared to more compre­ssed formats. 

To ensure the­ perfect fit for your prefe­rences and nee­ds, you’ll want to assess factors like the size and range of the audio service­’s library, the level of audio fide­lity, device compatibility, available pricing options, and any additional feature­s it provides. Picking the right platform can be the first step in finding the quality audio you’re looking for. 

To optimize your stre­aming experience­, it’s also important to understand and adjust the quality settings for playback accordingly. After subscribing to an audio se­rvice, make sure that you se­lect the “lossless” option in the­ app or service configurations. Look for terms like­ “Hi-Fi,” “High-Resolution,” or anything similar as these are commonly used terms to get the best audio quality possible.

When it comes to streaming lossless audio files, a stable inte­rnet connection is another crucial element. Unlike­ their smaller and compresse­d counterparts, lossless files re­quire a more robust connection because the file tends to be larger than their lower-quality counterparts. To e­nsure uninterrupted playback and avoid frustrating buffe­ring (does anybody really like buffering?), make sure you have a fast and stable­ internet connection at your disposal.

If you’re a true audiophile, you may want to consider using an e­xternal Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) with your playback de­vice to get the most out of your listening experience (this is especially true for formats like MQA, or Master Quality Authenticated audio). This optional addition ofte­n provides even be­tter sound quality compared to the built-in DACs commonly found in consume­r devices. It may be another investment, but it’s one that can boost your audio quality for a long time. 

Once you’ve covered all of these steps, all that’s left is to search for and play your favorite tunes. With everything set up, you can start streaming high-quality music without any loss in sound fidelity and hear everything as if you were at the show yourself. And that’s what we’re here for! 

Consider the Pros and Cons of Lossless Streaming

The Obvious Pros

Impeccable­ Audio Quality: Lossless streaming offers an e­xceptional advantage to other formats – unmatched audio quality. The term ‘lossle­ss’ can be a little confusing, but it really just means that the compresse­d audio retains its original high quality. This creates a liste­ning experience­ that’s remarkably rich and detailed. Picture­ yourself immersed in the­ vibrant energy of a live audie­nce, surrounded by echoe­s of instruments and the textural beauty of voices. It’s almost as if you’re atte­nding the concert itself.

Audiophiles Re­joice: Lossless audio is a true de­light for those who appreciate­ intricate details, nuanced laye­rs, crystal-clear high notes, and dee­p bass. In essence, lossless audio offers unfiltered richne­ss without compromise. The vibrancy and clarity e­levate it as the ultimate­ choice for music fans with discerning ears who ye­arn for unparalleled acoustic perfe­ction.

Prese­rving Artist Intent: By opting for lossless streaming, you can imme­rse yourself in music in its purest and most authe­ntic form. This is especially important for those se­eking a profound connection with the music the­y listen to. Artists pour their heart and soul into the­ir performances, and lossless audio guarante­es that every nuance­ and emotion are faithfully prese­rved (audio formats designed especially for headphone-users, like 360 Reality Audio, are a good example of this dedication). That means for you as the listener, you’ll enjoy an incredibly immersive­ and emotionally enriching expe­rience. 

Some Possible Cons

Higher Subscription Fe­es: Naturally, high-quality services come­ with a price. Lossless streaming platforms can sometimes require highe­r subscription fees compared to the­ir standard counterparts – but as in all things musical, you tend to get what you pay for. Higher quality audio generally improves your overall experience, and you’ll often notice subtle elements of the audio that other formats can lead you to miss out on. Be sure to conside­r whether the e­nhanced audio quality justifies the additional cost base­d on your listening prefere­nces.

Increase­d Data Usage: Keep in mind that lossless audio files re­tain all the details of the original re­cording, which usually makes them larger in size­. As a result, streaming lossless audio can consume more data. This aspect is particularly important to consider if you have­ limited data plans or if you enjoy listening to music while­ on the go (but it’s not an issue when you’re on a solid wi-fi connection). 

Dependence on Equipment: To truly appreciate­ the marvels of lossless audio, you’re going to want to have high-quality audio equipme­nt. Sadly, with all the options on the market today, ordinary headphones might not do justice to the­ high-resolution audio you’re investing in. It’s often nece­ssary to invest in a good pair of headphones or a decent sound syste­m in order to make the most of the­ lossless experie­nce.

Verdict: Is lossless audio worth it?

Deciding whether lossless audio is worth it is a big thing to consider, in the same way listeners have their individual music prefe­rences. For audiophiles with a disce­rning ear who appreciate unrave­ling the intricate layers in a track, lossle­ss audio is about as good as it gets. The­ pure and high-fidelity sound can be a transformative expe­rience, espe­cially for those willing to invest in a HiFi subscription and higher-end audio e­quipment. It’s the next best thing to being at a show in person. 

For those­ seeking an affordable option without compromising on audio quality, nugs.ne­t’s Hi-Fi streaming tier is worth conside­ring. As you explore our vast catalog of professionally-mixed concert recordings, you’ll find artists from Bruce Springsteen to Pearl Jam, Dead & Company, Metallica and more with a wide range of format offerings from MP3 to FLAC, ALAC, MQA, and even DSD and 360 Reality Audio. Learn more and sign up today

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXX, August 4, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Daniel Donato featuring Billy Strings, Dead and Company, Goose and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. Ain’t Living Long Like This
    Daniel Donato (w/ Billy Strings)
    7/23/23 Essex Junction, VT
  2. Cumberland Blues
    Dead and Company
    7/16/23 San Francisco, CA
  3. It Is What It Is
    The String Cheese Incident
    7/27/23 Bend, OR
  4. Diner
    Widespread Panic
    7/29/23 Huntsville, AL
  5. Silver Rising
    Goose
    7/29/23 Newport, RI
  6. Wolfman’s Brother
    Phish
    8/1/23 New York,NY

Forever Grateful: Jerry Garcia Ballads

Jerry Garcia was one of the greatest musical talents the world has ever seen, though one of the most unconventional suspects in the conversation of “best in history.” His notes were imperfect, his voice you could say raspy, and he wasn’t looking to overly flaunt his chops. What made Jerry special was his ability to bring you into the music, and make you FEEL every note. He could make your eyes light up in excitement, but could turn the mood around in an instant with the most subtle of chord progressions. He could captivate an audience in a way that few have ever done, having us all hanging to his words and lost in the music. Jerry’s playing was heartfelt, vulnerable, and exuded emotion.

Often times that emotion kept us on the edge of tears, and at times send us deep into the abyss of our own personal stories we conjure from the music. As we celebrate the life and times of Jerry Garcia during the ‘Days Between,’ we’ve chosen eight songs with the Grateful Dead that exemplify Garcia’s ability to pluck on your heartstrings. Explore a few of these beloved ballads below, and listen to the playlist here in the nugs mobile app, streaming with a free trial.


  1. Morning Dew
    Grateful Dead
    5/2/70 Binghamton, NY

    This Bonnie Dobson original is one of the oldest songs in the Grateful Dead repertoire, a standout track on the Dead’s first studio album and a consistent staple throughout the lifespan of the band. With lyrics that were written in hopes for peace in a time when nuclear annihilation was an international threat, Jerry Garcia used this song as a launch pad into the hearts of his followers. It’s a haunting song, and this 13 minute version encapsulates the essence of humanity with deep improv and a uniquely punchy ending.

  2. Days Between (12/11/1994 Oakland, CA)
    Grateful Dead
    Ready Or Not

    While it didn’t make it to the stage until 1993, and was only played 41 times, “Days Between” has made a name for itself as one of the most sentimental ballads in the catalog and will live eternally in the songbook of the Grateful Dead. It’s a shining example of Robert Hunter’s lyrical style, and this version in particular is devastatingly hypnotic with a powerful and explorative outro-jam.

  3. Standing on the Moon
    Grateful Dead
    7/7/89 Philadelphia, PA

    An integral Hunter-penned song that joined the repertoire months before this show, “Standing On The Moon” was one of the strongest vocal features of latter-day Jerry. By the time the song was in rotation the band was setting up in stadiums and performing for 30,000+ people, but even the massive crowds of the 90’s would plummet into silence to hear Jerry sing “I’d rather be with you.” This take from the final performance at JFK Stadium shines, an exemplary rendition of this Grateful Dead classic.

  4. Ripple
    Grateful Dead
    Reckoning

    “Ripple” is one of the most well-known songs that the Grateful Dead ever wrote and for very good reason. Garcia and Robert Hunter found a way to touch people even outside of the Dead world with powerful lyrics and the universal message of finding peace in everyday life. This particular track stands as one of the all-time greatest versions, taken from the iconic live-album Reckoning, recorded on 9/26/1980 at the Warfield Theatre.

  5. Stella Blue
    Grateful Dead
    10/21/78 Winterland 1978 – San Francisco, CA

    After making its debut at the Hollywood Bowl on Pigpen’s last show in 1972, “Stella Blue” stayed in the rotation all the way through 1995, appearing 328 times on the Grateful Dead’s setlist. Like many Hunter/Garcia masterpieces, the song tells the story of someone down and out on their luck, but the mood brightens triumphantly when Jerry belts out “dust off those dusty strings just one more time, gonna make ‘em shine.” We want to avoid saying any song here is the best of the best, but this version sees all sides of Jerry at his best, and in epic proportions.

  6. Wharf Rat
    Grateful Dead
    5/22/77 Pembroke Pines, FL

    While on the subject of down and out characters in Grateful Dead songs, “Wharf Rat” has to come to mind. A sad but inspirational story, the old man down by the docks will never be forgotten, and Jerry’s rendition here won’t either. This tear jerker has a tremendous Jerry rift in the jam and an eternally beautiful quality to it, with Donna’s backup vocals adding the perfect balance to Jerry’s dire conveyance of the lyrics.

  7. Brokedown Palace
    Grateful Dead
    6/20/91 Clarkston, MI

    Robert Hunter was in a sentimental mood on his 1970 trip to London, as this is the second song on this list to be written in the same afternoon from his stay, accompanied by “Ripple,” as well as “To Lay Me Down” – which also belongs on this list of ballads. The song was often used to bid the fans goodnight, closing out many shows with the lyrics “Fare you well” ringing throughout the audience. 20+ years after it’s first play, this later take from Pine Knob holds a different weight then earlier versions, and you can hear it in Jerry’s voice and playing.

  8. China Doll
    Grateful Dead
    Pacific Northwest ’73-’74: Believe it If You Need It

    It’s chilling, haunting, and an emotional story that was initially coined “The Suicide Song” by Robert Hunter. There’s a can’t miss acoustic version from the Reckoning album, but with this version from the University of Washington in Seattle on 5/21/74, Jerry’s heart is in it and every note sung and played hits your emotions hard, but leaves you with that sparkling glimmer of hope at the end.


Enjoy this playlist in the mobile app, and you can save it to your Library for desktop playback. You can explore the full collection of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band recordings here, and if you’re new to nugs.net, start a free 7-day trial and listen to every show and more concert audio and video from your favorite artists.

A Thank You Note To John Mayer

By Jon “Stugotz” Weiner

The Grateful Dead is the only band I’ve ever loved. I was introduced to the Dead by my older brother Eric in the mid 80’s, went to my first show in the late 80’s and as was the case for so many others, it was love at first show. People ask me all the time do you listen to any other bands? My response is always the same, “listening to other bands would mean less time spent listening to the Grateful Dead.” When Jerry passed away and the band stopped touring, it left a huge void in my life, one that I never imagined I’d come close to filling again.

Life goes on and eventually I had twin girls with my beautiful wife Abby. Throughout their childhood and into their teens, I would play the Grateful Dead nonstop throughout our house and would always get some variation of, “Dad, what is this garbage?” It made me both happy and incredibly sad at the same time. Sad, because naturally you want your children to enjoy the things you enjoyed growing up but that’s not always possible, especially with music. This music is so special though, you think to yourself, if they just sat down and gave it a try they would love it. Wasn’t happening. Happy, because they are teenage girls, of course they are going to say that and they listen to whatever teenage girls listen to these days, including a guy named John Mayer. I of course knew who John was, listened to some of his music through my daughters but never, in a million years did I think if the Dead ever tried to put something back together that it would include him. Not for any particular reason by the way, just never crossed my mind.

So naturally, when Dead and Company was announced and John Mayer was announced as being the one tasked with filling Jerry’s role, what was once something that was uncool in large part because their dad listened to it, suddenly became the coolest thing on the planet and just like that John Mayer, you closed the loop. I say this with all due respect to Oteil and Jeff because they have been equally as amazing but Dead and Company had me at Bob. They got my daughters with John.

LISTEN: The final show of the 2023 tour, Dead & Company live at Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA, 7/16/23

I remember going to my first Dead and Company show and like most, I was skeptical. Can Bob, Mickey and Bill still do this? How will they sound? Will they sing what we want to hear? And most importantly, can John Mayer possibly fill the shoes of one of the great musicians and guitar players of all time? Can he hit the jam on Terrapin, Loser and after each verse of Althea? Sure, I had my questions, but I didn’t care, I was with my daughters and my wife and they were going to a Dead Show with me and that’s all that mattered. A funny thing happened along the way, the answers to all those questions turned out to be a resounding yes, the band got better and better, faster and faster, one show became ten shows, ten shows became multiple trips to Cancun and eventually my daughters started listening to the both the Grateful Dead and Dead and Company throughout the house.

So, thank you John Mayer, I know enough to know that learning that catalog of music was no easy task, that it took a lot of hard work and for that I am Grateful. Thank you for handling his role and the music with the care, the attention to detail and the precision that it deserves. Thank you for singing the lyrics the way he sang the lyrics, the way we sing the lyrics, they make you feel the way they make us feel, the way they made him feel and for that, I am Grateful. Most importantly, thank you, John, for bridging a musical gap in my family, for transporting me back to a better time, for providing us with some of the greatest trips and memories of our lives and for helping me share the music I love most with the people I love most.

Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is the co-host of The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz (check out their instagram and twitter). You can see more on his twitter and instagram.


Listen to nearly every Dead & Company show since 2016 with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

The White Stripes: Chicago and St. Paul, July 2003

Two exclusive archives from The White Stripes are now available for streaming in the nugs.net app, featuring performances from Chicago, IL and St. Paul, MN. From long time White Stripes fan Mike on this month’s ‘Third Man Thursday’ releases:


In The Bigger Rooms…


Coming off of the June run, the trio of shows in Chicago and St Paul were a true test. Big shows in big rooms. July was all about exhibition, closing out the tour by pushing into the next level up.

As the last shows on this leg of the tour, these performances represent a kind of final exams. Two nights in the 4500 seat Aragon, and the tour-closer in the 5000 seat Roy Wilkins. While they had played the big room at Masonic back in April, the Aragon and Wilkins would be played without any home field advantage. While it may seem silly to be so focused on the capacity of a venue as a metric, the reality was that these were among the biggest venues that the band played on the tour. Three bears style, clubs like the Ritz and Stubbs were now too small, arenas like Sun Dome too big, and a venue like Memorial Hall just right. In order to graduate, the band needed to demonstrate that they could go bigger.

LISTEN: The White Stripes at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL

Like it or not, the band’s ability to dazzle at a large scale was the albatross that some critics desperately wanted to put around their necks. While the band would prove the doubters wrong, it didn’t change the fact that it was the narrative being forced on them. Jack himself was aware of the numbers at play at these shows, as you can hear him on the recording from 7/2 note the “4500 people” in the audience. And while the press around the St Paul show marveled at the band’s ability to jump from the tiny 400 capacity First Avenue the year before to the 5000 seat Roy Wilkins, the Chicago shows came with a narrative in the other direction. It seems that the issue that some reviewers had was not that the cavernous Aragon Ballroom was too big, but that it wasn’t small enough, wishing that the band would not “stray from the garage”. With comparisons to the performances the band had given at the Empty Bottle and the Metro in years past, the Aragon shows had been set up to be a Kobayashi Maru, an unwinnable game. And yet, what was missed in those concerns was that the Aragon shows were a natural step in the trajectory that the band had already long been on. In 2000 they played the Empty Bottle three times. In 2001, they did it again, including a two night stand at the tiny bar. In 2002, they went bigger, with two nights at the larger Metro. If any city was right for the band to expand and push their limit, Chicago was it. And true to the path they were on, both nights at the Aragon had completely sold out. Like the resistance to Dylan going electric, the critics had wanted the band to be something that they no longer were – unknowns playing to small crowds. With all the focus on the venue, the critics were asking the wrong question. Instead of asking about the room, they should’ve been asking about the crowd – and whether they would be willing to make the jump. As these shows would prove, the band had no problem bringing the fans with them. You never have to leave the garage if you can turn a ballroom into one. The bigger room meant that there was a home for everybody at the shows now: old fans, new fans, and the critics – whether they liked the size of the room or not.

As for the performances, for many the only exposure to the Elephant-era live show is the legendary performance from July 2. What may be surprising is just how much of an outlier that show is. No other show on the tour is quite like it, or goes that far down that particular kind of rabbit hole. One of the only shows on the tour not to feature “Black Math”, the performance forgoes many of the familiar numbers in favor of songs like “Aluminum”, “Black Jack Davey”, “Candy Cane Children”, the debut of “The Air Near My Fingers”, and the impromptu jam that would become “Little Cream Soda.” While there is still plenty of the familiar catalog present, the overall vibe of the show is one of experimentation and even a good bit of confrontation, starting and ending with ominous wails of feedback. You’ve heard the gig. Equal parts mania, exhaustion, and inspiration. A masterstroke that this gig was released as the primary reference for the tour. While it may be one of the most rewarding and unique performances the band ever gave, it can also be one of the most challenging for a newcomer to live Stripes.

When placing the shows from 7/1 and 7/3 alongside it, the run becomes a wonderful Neapolitan trio. Unlike the run in Scandinavia, where the shows build one after the other, the shows here are each a very different flavor. Like discovering an unknown prequel and sequel to your favorite movie. While the second night in Chicago is a stream-of-conscious show played without regard for any “normal” type of setlist, night 1 is the full display of the band’s live show. If 7/2 is the band completely off-script, 7/1 is the faithful readthrough, confidently nailing every line. You get virtually every one of the “standard” songs that had been in rotation on the tour – with the lone exceptions of “I Want to Be the Boy” and “Ball and Biscuit.” Otherwise it’s all in there, from the “Black Math” opener, the “Take Whiff On Me” quote in “I Think I Smell a Rat”, “Jolene”, “Motherless Children” in “Death Letter”, the honesty of “Same Boy” and “We’re Going to Be Friends”, the “You’re Pretty Good Looking”/”Hello Operator” duo, “Screwdriver” to close the main set, and “Boll Weevil” to close the encores.

The show also rises to the setting, delivering moments of pure vaudeville. In addition to “Mr Cellophane” they also throw in a one-time addition of “We Both Reached For The Gun” from Chicago as a quick quote inside of “Screwdriver.” “Wasting My Time” also gets a unique variation, in a way that sets up the performance of “Black Jack Davey” the following night. These moments balance against the bombast on display. Listen to “The Hardest Button To Button” here, or that yell that pivots “Death Letter” into “Motherless Children”, as if bringing a stampede to a standstill. This show is a proper opening night blitz. The encore at night 1 also features a rare performance of “Hand Springs”, a deep cut shout out to those fans who no doubt had been with them at the Bottle. Even though the critics may have wished that these Chicago performances had instead taken place at a smaller venue, the first night in Chicago proves why that was never an option, delivering what is probably the most refined show of the entire tour up until this point, enthusiastic and complete.



If Chicago Night 1 was the Dr Jekyll to Night 2’s Mr Hyde, Night 3 in St Paul is the combination of the two, a set that goes back and forth between both personalities, delivering both the familiar and the one-of-a-kind moments. The Roy Wilkins Auditorium was even larger than the Aragon, and the band makes good on the narrative of being the small band that goes big, opening appropriately with “Little Room”. The surprises are there from the get-go, as “Dead Leaves” is quickly abandoned due to an out of tune guitar and Jack performs the song entirely on the keyboards for the first time since the early performance at the Magic Bag on July 30 1999. Prior to that recording circulating, no one really knew that he could do the song like that, as if revealing a super-power he hadn’t yet flexed onstage before. He goes to the organ again to open “The Union Forever”, even adding in a quote from “Razzle Dazzle.” The quiet numbers here also hit exactly as they should. Where the song “Do” had been a challenge to perform at 7/2, here it’s the right song for the room – getting almost as much applause as “Seven Nation Army” before it. The show also features the first known cover of the Beatles’ “Boys” as an impromptu outro to “Let’s Shake Hands” and a masterful medley of “Fell In Love With A Girl”, “Cannon”, and “Hypnotize”, all built around a cover of “Dirt” by the Stooges – a not-so-subtle acknowledgement of how they were likely feeling by this point in the tour. Where Chicago night 1 closed with “Boll Weevil” and night 2 closed with “Let’s Build A Home” and “Goin’ Back to Memphis”, the encores at St Paul close with both – finishing as the longest set the band performed on this leg of the tour. A fantastic exhibition in the big room to close out this leg of the tour.

LISTEN: The White Stripes at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, MN, 7/3/2003

As a wonderful form of conclusion for the tour, the ticket stub for the St Paul show came with the words “NO MOSHING OR BODYSURFING” printed on it. Like OSHA standards for a concert, as if to say be careful, there will be a lot of people at this one – with big rooms come big responsibilities. Again a validation of exactly where the band were. Like the foreshadowing use of the strobe light in the club in Raleigh at the start of this leg of the tour, the St Paul ticket stub acts a bit like a diploma at the end of it. They had officially graduated from the clubs, and had the paperwork to prove it. Welcome to the bigger rooms.


Stream these two new shows, and all other exclusive archive releases from Third Man Records with a 7-day free trial. Explore The White Stripes catalog and start your free trial here.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXIX, July 14, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company, Phish and more.

  1. St. Stephen
    Dead and Company
    7/8/23 George, WA
  2. The Eleven
    Dead and Company
    7/8/23 George, WA
  3. Sugar Shack
    Daniel Donato
    6/30/23 Scranton, PA
  4. Times Square
    The Disco Biscuits
    7/8/23 Livingston, MT
  5. Factory Fiction
    Goose
    7/7/23 Saratoga Springs, NY
  6. Fuego
    Phish
    7/12/23 Huntsville,AL
  7. Ether Edge
    Phish
    7/12/23 Huntsville,AL

Gratefully Covered: June 2023 Playlist

We’re back with another edition of the ‘Gratefully Covered’ playlist, featuring live tracks from the gamut of bands streaming on nugs, covering the Grateful Dead catalog. This month we’re focused just on covers from concerts in June 2023, as we’ve heard new takes on Grateful Dead classics from  Gov’t Mule to Orebolo, Goose, moe., The String Cheese Incident, Dogs In A Pile and more.

Subscribers can stream this month’s playlist now, or start your free trial to listen. The playlist is only accessible in mobile app, but you can save it to your Library for desktop playback. Explore the songs and the artists included below, and know that the music never stops.

  1. West L.A. Fadeaway
    moe.
    6/22/23 Missoula, MT
  2. Eyes of the World
    The String Cheese Incident
    6/9/23 Laytonville, CA
  3. Big River
    The String Cheese Incident
    6/9/23 Laytonville, CA
  4. Tennessee Jed
    Orebolo
    6/10/23 Boulder, CO
  5. Turn On Your Love Light
    Goose
    6/30/23 Garrettsville, OH
  6. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
    Goose
    6/21/23 Chicago, IL
  7. Fire On The Mountain
    Gov’t Mule
    6/11/23 Valley Center, CA
  8. St. Stephen Jam
    Gov’t Mule
    6/23/23 Mankato, MN
  9. Sugaree
    Gov’t Mule
    6/10/23 Saratoga, CA
  10. Help On The Way
    Dogs In A Pile
    6/13/23 Cave Junction, OR
  11. Slipknot!
    Dogs In A Pile
    6/13/23 Cave Junction, OR
  12. Jack Straw
    Dogs In A Pile
    6/30/23 Scranton, PA
  13. Jack A Roe
    Daniel Donato
    6/14/23 Cleveland, OH
  14. Let It Grow
    Greensky Bluegrass
    6/5/23 Reykjavik, IS
  15. China Cat Sunflower
    Greensky Bluegrass
    6/30/23 Huber Heights, OH
  16. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
    Yonder Mountain String Band
    6/9/23 Bellvue, CO
  17. Deal
    Kitchen Dwellers
    6/3/23 Livingston, MT
  18. New Speedway Boogie
    Kitchen Dwellers
    6/1/23 Livingston, MT
  19. Not Fade Away
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    6/18/23 Telluride, CO
  20. Casey Jones
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    6/17/23 Telluride, CO
  21. Morning Dew
    Leftover Salmon
    6/11/23 Laytonville, CA
  22. U.S. Blues
    Leftover Salmon
    6/11/23 Laytonville, CA

Wilco Through The Years: Live vs Studio

By Tyler Asay

On stage or in the studio, Wilco’s brilliance shines through. With the recent addition of a number of studio and compilation albums from Wilco’s vast catalog, this week we’re taking a deep dive and comparing their produced cuts to live tracks from our exclusive Front Of House Series, and the Roadcase Series. After digging in below, stream all the shows and albums in our app to hear how the band transforms each song into a unique live experience.


A.M. (1995) x Liberty Lunch, Austin TX (Nov 5, 1996)

The very beginning. From the ashes of Uncle Tupelo comes the band’s first record, A.M., released on March 28, 1995. Many long standing country-rock standards from the album have remained in the band’s set for their entire career like “Box Full Of Letters” and “Casino Queen.” To best understand where the band the band was at during this critical phase, we’ve paired this album with the earliest Wilco show on our platform at Liberty Lunch in Austin, Texas on November 5th 1996. This show included a number of songs from A.M., some Uncle Tupelo classics like “The Long Cut” and “New Madrid”, and a taste of what’s to come next with songs from Being There, including “I Got You (At The End Of The Century)” and “The Lonely 1”.


Being There (1996) x Promenade Park, Toledo OH (Sep 6, 1998)

Wilco’s second album, Being There, was a big swing for a sophomore record. Not only was it a double album sold as a single (which began the band’s disputes with Reprise Records), it was also the beginning of Jeff Tweedy and Co’s tearing apart from the genre of alt-country and adding in more experimental influences. Their show at Promenade Park in Toledo, Ohio on September 6th, 1998 includes several Being There tracks, highlighted by a massive “Kingpin,” alongside songs from their Woody Guthrie project with Billy Bragg, Mermaid Avenue. Main set ends with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” Hell yeah.


Summerteeth (1999) x Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London UK (Mar 27, 1999)

Before embarking on a proper tour in support of the release of Summerteeth (a tour that would last for most of 1999), Wilco played a few “showcase” shows, including this one at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on March 27, 1999. With Jay Bennett spending more time behind the keyboards, and the continued use of Leroy Bach as an additional sideman, the band was able to reproduce the lush sounds heard on the album, which was released three weeks prior. This show is peppered with several songs from Mermaid Avenue too, including “Christ For President” and “Hesitating Beauty,” as well as Uncle Tupelo’s “New Madrid”. The original studio album and the Super Deluxe version of Summerteeth are available to stream, the later of which which includes multiple demos and alternate versions including “Summer Teeth (Slow Rhodes Version)” and “Pieholden Suite (Alternate),” and outtakes from the Summerteeth sessions, as well as lost tracks like “No Hurry” and “Viking Dan”. It also includes a previously unreleased live show that took place November 1st, 1999 at the Boulder Theatre in Colorado. The audio was sourced from an uncirculated soundboard recording.


Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) x Orpheum Theater, Madison WI (Jul 31, 2002)

A turning point for the band, with both Jay Bennet leaving the band and a bobbled release from Reprise to Nonesuch. However, that didn’t stop Wilco from releasing their defining achievement and one of the greatest American-rock records of all time: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Their show from the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wisconsin on July 31st, 2002 takes place only three months after the physical release of the album. Hearing live versions of the heavily orchestrated cuts from Yankee such as “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” and “Reservations” are both beautiful and insightful, and hearing the band reinterpret their older material in this new style is illuminating. We have to shout out “Laminated Cat” as well, one of our favorite jammy Wilco songs (Well, Loose Fur technically).


A Ghost Is Born (2004) x Madison Square Garden, New York NY (Dec 31, 2004)

Wilco rang in 2004 with New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden in New York City, a year that saw the release of their fifth album, A Ghost Is Born. Whatever personal struggles Tweedy had been going through at this time that are illustrated on Ghost, they can barely be heard during this show: the band is in high spirits and covers of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, “Living After Midnight” by Judas Priest and “I Shall Be Released” by Bob Dylan are fired up. Maybe that had something to do with the recent addition of guitarist Nels Cline. When the clock strikes midnight, the band leads the Garden in a rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” into wishing drummer Glenn Kotche a happy birthday.


Kicking Television: Live In Chicago (May 4-7, 2005)

Kicking Television was Wilco’s first and only official live album to this date, recorded over the course of four nights at Chicago’s Vic Theater. We’re not going to compare live vs live on this one, but being a new addition to nugs it’s worthy to call out as this release had come at a time where Wilco’s live line-up had solidified to what it still is today: Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Nels Cline, Pat Sansone, and Mikael Jorgensen. The tracklisting runs the gamut of their whole career to that point, with Mermaid Avenue songs to fan-favorites and setlist standards like “Jesus, Etc.” and “Handshake Drugs.” The show closed with “Monday,” featuring a full horn section to end it with a bang.


Sky Blue Sky (2007) x Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank NJ (Jun 22, 2007)

2007 begins Wilco phase two with the release of Sky Blue Sky, a soaring musical adventure that showed the band leaning into its live chops and guitar pyrotechnics (See “Impossible Germany”). Their show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey on June 22nd, 2007 opens with the gorgeous “Side With The Seeds” and includes some fun extended cuts like “Hate It Here” and “War On War.” “Walken” is a highlight as well, with its mutating strut and buoyant rhythms. The main set ends with a version of Uncle Tupelo’s “Acuff-Rose”.


Wilco (The Album) (2009) x Royal Oak Theatre, Royal Oak MI (Jul 21, 2009)

Wilco love you, baby. On their 2009 album, Wilco (The Album), the band gets self-referential and settles into their position of one of the great American bands. But settling doesn’t mean you forget how to cook. This show from the Royal Oak Theatre on July 21st, 2009 in Royal Oak, MI, the band is in full force, ripping through Wilco songs like “Sonny Feeling” and “One Wing.” Delightful songwriting is the main driver here, proving how underrated Wilco (The Album) is. This show also includes rare performances of “A Magazine Called Sunset” and “Summer Teeth”.


What’s Your 20? Essential Tracks 1994 – 2014 (2014) x Kaserne Basel, Basel, SWI (Nov 7, 2011)

In 2014, Wilco released their first ever greatest hits album, What’s Your 20? Essential Tracks 1994 – 2014, which included songs from the beginning of their career up to their most recently released album, 2011’s The Whole Love. Whole Love includes some of Wilco’s catchiest tunes like “Dawned on Me” and “I Might,” which kick off this show at Kaserne Basel in Switzerland on November 7th, 2011. Several other “greatest hits” are performed at this show, including a blazing “I’m The Man Who Loves You” and a lovely “Via Chicago. The “Born Alone” from this show is massive.


Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994 – 2014 (2014) x Largo at the Coronet, Los Angeles CA (Dec 16, 2013)

We’re mixing it up here. In 2014 Wilco released a huge collection of rarities in the form of Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994 – 2014. The show picked here in comparison is a solo Jeff Tweedy performance from Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles on December 16th, 2013. Tweedy performs several deep cuts including “Cars Can’t Escape” and “One True Vine.” Uncle Tupelo songs including “Black Eye” and “The Long Cut” make an appearance, so this set truly spans Tweedy’s catalog.


Ode to Joy (2019) x Chicago Theater, Chicago IL (Dec 19, 2019)

Ode to Joy is the eleventh studio album by Wilco, released in October of 2019. This show from the Chicago Theater on December 19th, 2019 takes place during a multi-night run and features several songs from Ode To Joy such as “One And A Half Stars” and “Love Is Everywhere (Beware)” as well as “Random Name Generator” from 2015’s Star Wars. The encore is an amazing triple punch: “California Stars” (featuring James Elkington) into “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” into a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” featuring Sharon Van Etten.


Exclusive to nugs.net, the Front of House Series explores Wilco’s live catalog past and present. Start a 7-day free streaming trial to listen to these exclusive concert releases, the Roadcase Series, and their studio counterparts. Explore Wilco’s live and studio catalog on nugs.net.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXVIII, July 7, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company featuring Dave Matthews, Goose, Umphrey’s McGee and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. All Along The Watchtower
    Dead and Company (w/ Dave Matthews)
    7/3/23 Boulder, CO
  2. The Empress of Organos
    Goose (w/ Jake Cinninger & Joel Cummins – Umphrey’s McGee)
    7/1/23 Garrettsville, OH
  3. Seat of My Pants
    moe.
    6/30/23 Quincy, CA
  4. Higgins
    Umphrey’s McGee
    6/30/23 Scranton, PA
  5. Howard
    The String Cheese Incident
    6/23/23 Rothbury, MI
  6. Morning Dew
    Dead and Company
    7/2/23 Boulder, CO

King Gizzard: Remlinger Farms Premieres

Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen.

The three-show Remlinger Farms run premieres start on Monday July 3, these are the final livestreams from the 13-show livestream marathon. Read more about the entire U.S. run in Cohen’s full Summer Tour write-up.


The final three shows of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s summer U.S. residency took place at Remlinger Farms 30 miles outside of Seattle, and the gray, rainy, “we’re all in this together” vibe made for some unforgettable moments even when attendees were getting very soggy. The June 16 opener hits a high point within the first 15 minutes as the band tears through the first four songs from the 2014 album “I’m in Your Mind Fuzz.” “Shanghai” is once again a brain-twisting synth-fueled jam, The second half of the jam in “Sense” is Gizzard in full, big grin Grateful Dead mode, “Hot Water” sees its lyrics replaced by a “Joey Walker” chant, and four relentless songs in a row from the album “Murder of the Universe” wind the show down in fist-pumping fashion.


On June 17, “Static Electricity” appears for the first time on this U.S. tour and as an opener for the first time ever, with a subsequent run of “Gila Monster,” “Witchcraft,” “Self-Immolate,” and “Crumbling Castle” -> “The Fourth Colour” revealing Gizzard at its absolute finest and heaviest. Following shots of “some of George Clooney’s finest,” Walker’s solo on “Work This Time” will drop your jaw, much like the 30-minute “The Dripping Tap” to close the performance. It’s the longest version of the song ever played, and each of the distinct jam sections and other song teases (“Crumbling Castle,” “Cellophane,” “Head On/Pill”) push it to greater heights.

The Remlinger Farms finale gets moving quickly with the tour debuts of “All Is Known” and “Anoxia” and reaches fever pitch with the absolutely punishing stoner metal extravaganza “K.G.L.W.” by the fifth song. “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” is a revelation — almost 18 minutes of pure jam incorporating riffs from “Iron Lung” and a sublime blues section led by Ambrose Kenny-Smith near the end. The closing trio of “Wah Wah,” “The River,” and “Float Along – Fill Your Lungs” offers one delight after another, and suddenly, 13 songs have flown by in two hours. This is a show you’ll want to relive.


Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.


King Gizzard: The Salt Shed Premieres

Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist, and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen

Watch our Youtube playlist featuring clips from their 13-show marathon, and listen to the full show audio from their 6/11 Salt Shed Show. Read more about the entire marathon of shows in Cohen’s full Summer Tour write-up.


The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL

The first night of a three-show run in the Windy City on June 11 says a lot about live Gizzard circa 2023: 14 songs from 12 different albums, dabbling in everything from weird microtonal rock (the opening combo of “O.N.E.” and “Pleura”), top-shelf thrash (“Motor Spirit” and “Gaia,” the latter dedicated to none other than John Mayer) and Grateful Dead-worthy sonic explorations (“The River”). The sludgy “The Great Chain of Being” appears for the first time on the residency tour, while an extended “Boogieman Sam” (with teases of five different other songs) wraps the evening with hip-shaking, harmonica-flavored vibes.

Tour debuts abound on June 12, from the simmering, microtonal “Honey” and the chugga-wugga blast “Road Train” to the herky-jerky “Invisible Face” (its first complete performance ever) and finale “Am I in Heaven?” “Hate Dancin’” and “Astroturf” are back to get the bodies moving, “Shanghai” is a super atmospheric jam, and three songs from 2017’s “Polygondwanaland” (“Inner Cell,” “Loyalty,” “Horology”) demonstrate Gizzard’s uncanny ability to morph one similar-sounding riff into 10 minutes of beautiful, creeping dread.

Day-long rain can’t deter the Gizzard faithful at the Chicago finale on June 13, and they’re rewarded with the live debut of the rhythmically obtuse “Change” from “Changes” (“fuck, are we really doing this?,” the band asks aloud). A 10-minute-plus “Hot Water” wanders all over the place before unexpectedly segueing into the always satisfying Krautrock epic “Hypertension,” and the fan favorite, Cook “Cookie” Craig-sung “The Garden Goblin” affords Gizzard the chance to reminisce about Australian hardware store chain Bunnings and the animated kids show “Bluey.” “The Dripping Tap” sends the soggy crowd home humming “drip drip from the tap / don’t slip on the drip” after 19 minutes of blissed-out, major key rock’n’roll.


Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXVII, June 30, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company’s 2023 tour. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Sugaree
    Dead and Company
    6/27/23 Noblesville, IN
  2. Dark Star On The Big River Jam>
    Dead and Company
    6/24/23 Boston, MA
  3. The Other One Jam
    Dead and Company
    6/24/23 Boston, MA
  4. Black Peter
    Dead and Company
    6/24/23 Boston, MA
  5. Wharf Rat
    Dead and Company
    6/27/23 Noblesville, IN
  6. They Love Each Other
    Dead and Company
    6/25/23 Boston, MA
  7. Big River>
    Dead and Company
    6/27/23 Noblesville, IN
  8. Dark Star
    Dead and Company
    6/27/23 Noblesville, IN
  9. All Blues>
    Dead and Company
    6/22/23 New York, NY
  10. Cumberland Blues
    Dead and Company
    6/22/23 New York, NY

King Gizzard: Red Rocks Premieres

Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist, and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen

Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon. The three-show Red Rocks’ premieres start Tuesday June 27. Read more about the entire marathon of shows in Cohen’s full Summer Tour write-up.


Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO

Back in the friendly confines of Red Rocks on June 7, Gizzard dusts off “Sense,” which had been on the acoustic Caverns show set list but was cut for time, and debuts the genial “Hate Dancin’” from last year’s Changes album (hint: they don’t really hate it). A two-fer from 2017’s Murder of the Universe is an excellent precursor for three continuous tracks from “Nonagon Infinity,” with “Robot Stop” working in teases of “Hot Water,” “The Dripping Tap” and “Shanghai.”

In another “hey, why not?” move, Gizzard plays two separate shows at the gorgeous mountain venue the next day, with the afternoon matinee marked by the first performance of the gauzy “Satan Speeds Up” since 2014 and numerous devil-horn rockers such as “Self-Immolate” and “Evil Death Roll.” Walker gets the vocal spotlight on “This Thing” and “Most of What I Like,” and “Shanghai” has an impromptu chant about getting high, because … well, Colorado.

At the evening show, the twisting and turning “Rattlesnake” is an ideal opener to reset the collective energy, and Kenny-Smith again steals the spotlight with his vocals and stage presence on “Straws in the Wind” and “Presumptuous.” The last portion of the night shifts from the infrequently aired “Slow Jam I” into four straight rippers: “Hell,” “Mars for the Rich,” “Super Cell” and “Gila Monster,” the latter two “Petro” tracks reminding the audience of Gizzard’s inherent mastery of dynamics and virtuosity.


Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon, the Red Rocks’ shows start Tuesday June 27th, with The Salt Shed and Remlinger Farms still to come. Save 25% when ordering all 13, available as an upgrade from any single-night’s show.


Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.

New York Got the Ways and Means: Dead and Company Live at Citi Field (6/22/23)

By Matt Brookman

WATCH: Dead & Company live at Citi Field in New York, NY, 6/22/23

New York – Got the Ways and Means

June 22 – Night 2 Citi Field to close out an epic NY stand on the final tour. There was a special energy in the air this evening. The forecast was calling for rain, but the weather knew it couldn’t stop the band from playing one final show in New York. It was a beautiful night and the band was greeted to a packed and electric stadium. 

The band hit the stage with John wearing a Mets Lindor jersey (John later posted on his Instagram that his father was a huge Mets fan). The boys were all smiles and you could tell that tonight was going to be special. “Feels Like a Stranger” to open the show, which was last played on May, 23 in Phoenix.   It was a funked out version and it definitely felt like it was going to be a long, long crazy, crazy night. 

To follow was “Franklin’s Tower”, giving us some 1980’s energy. The coupling was first done in 1980 and became a standard from 1987 to the summer of 1989. Listen to the great version on nugs.net from the album “Dead Set”. It was time for a Cowboy Tune and we got the always welcome Merl Haggard cover “Mama Tried”.  The playing continued on a very high level with Bobby in fine form on the vocals.

“Alabama Getaway” followed, the “Go To Heaven” Garcia/Hunter song, which was first played in 1979 has become John Mayer’s . The pace was high and the Citi Field crowd was moving and grooving. Next to follow was the Traffic cover “Dear Mr Fantasy” which led into the Beatles “Hey Jude Reprise”. The 80’s energy continued with John giving both songs the full workout. In this writer’s opinion this was the best version of this combination that Dead & Company has done since reviving it last summer. The Citi Field crowd all singing in unison the “Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude…” They kept the foot on the gas treating the NY faithful to a NYC favorite “Truckin’” and they roared as Bobby delivered “New York – Got The Ways And Means”.  Closing out this perfect first set was “Deal”, which was an absolute show stopper. The jams built and built seeing John deliver three powerful windmills and raising his fist in the air ala the famous Jerry Garcia image. This is a definite must listen and has to be in the running for best first sets of the tour.

The second set started off with a hot “Scarlet Begonias>Fire on The Mountain” finally reconnecting the coupling, which had been separated of late in previous shows. All felt right in the world and the high energy playing from the firs set continued into the second. The NY crowd was then treated to another traditionally played combination with “Estimated Prophet>Eyes Of The World”. Stellar versions of both with the band finding their way into a tease of The Wailers “Get Up Stand Up” during “Estimated”. The versions of “Eyes of The World” have gone from strength to strength since Cornell and this was another high energy version seeing the various band members shining in their solos while taking the song to jazzy places it hasn’t been before. “Eyes” would lead perfectly into “Drums” which once again was a standout portion of the show.

“Space” would see Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil return to the stage with some incredible improvisational jamming.  The drummers returned and the band worked its way into rare cover Miles Davis’s “All Blues”. This was the first version of the song on the Final Tour, which was played only once before last year in Chicago. This would lead into another fiery version of “Cumberland Blues”. A heavily jammed “All Along the Watchtower” lead into the show stopping “Morning Dew”. The perfect closer for a show this special.

The band returned for a beautiful rendition of “Brokedown Palace” and bid their adieu to the NY crowd. This show will definitely be in conversation as one of the best of the tour, but this band never seemed to let the NY fans down.

Rare song of the night: “All Blues.” The Miles Davis cover played for the second time by Dead & Company after being broken out at Wrigley Field in 2022. 

Other must listen to moments: “Alabama Getaway”, “Dear Mr. Fantasy>Hey Jude Reprise”, “Deal”, “Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain”, “Cumberland Blues” and “Morning Dew”


Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXVI, June 23, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Umphrey’s McGee with Chuck Garvey, Greensky Bluegrass, moe. with Jake Cinninger, Bruce Springsteen and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Trey Anastasio Trio track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
    The String Cheese Incident (w/ Jennifer Hartswick & Jeff Arevalo)
    6/17/23 Swanzey, NH
  2. Glory
    Umphrey’s McGee (w/ Chuck Garvey)
    6/17/23 Morrison, CO
  3. Opium
    moe. (w/ Jake Cinninger)
    6/17/23 Morrison, CO
  4. Living Over
    Greensky Bluegrass
    6/16/23 Telluride, CO
  5. Midnight Moonlight
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    6/17/23 Telluride, CO
  6. I Saw the Light
    The String Cheese Incident (w/ Del McCoury)
    6/15/23 Telluride, CO
  7. The River
    Bruce Springsteen
    6/16/23 Birmingham, UK
  8. I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)
    Gov’t Mule
    6/18/23 Wichita, KS
  9. They Love Each Other
    Dead and Company
    6/17/23 Saratoga Springs, NY

King Gizzard: The Caverns Premieres

Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist, and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen

Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon. The four-night Caverns run will premiere starting Friday June 23. Read more about these special events in Cohen’s full Summer Tour write-up.


The Caverns – Pelham, TN

What could be more King Gizzard than a show inside a literal ancient cave in a rural Tennessee town with a population of about 400? On June 1 at the first of four gigs in this unique venue (two in the cave, two in the above-ground amphitheater up the hill), the energy is off the charts from the opening notes of “The Dripping Tap” to five straight songs from 2016’s “Nonagon Infinity” played without a pause. Two of the best and most sprawling selections from Gizzard’s five distinct 2022 studio albums, “Ice V” and “Hypertension,” also make a wonderfully symbiotic pair, while the “PetroDragonic” standout “Super Cell” is given its live debut.

Back in the cave the next night, Gizzard again seems possessed by hard-rocking spirits with the opening suite of “I’m in Your Mind” -> “I’m Not in Your Mind” -> “Cellophane,” a trio immediately trumped by the head-banging thrash of “Planet B,” “Predator X” and another new tune, “Converge.” An attempt to incorporate some electronic gadgets goes comically awry after the flute-kissed hip-hop of “The Grim Reaper,” with multi-instrumentalist Joey Walker at first commanding frontman Stu Mackenzie to “engage the granulator” before giving up and chuckling, “our stuff is broken really well.” The long-awaited live debut of the funk jam “Astroturf” follows, and by the “K.G.L.W.” closer, it almost feels like Gizzard is just getting warmed up after almost two hours on stage.

The June 3 outdoor set had already been designated beforehand as a Pride Night celebration, but Gizzard goes above and beyond by performing fully in drag after purchasing dresses and other goodies that afternoon from a Goodwill by the Bonnaroo site in nearby Manchester. The night before, a federal judge had struck down Tennessee’s widely criticized anti-drag law, and fans of all ages and orientations can’t help but feel the love coming from the stage. Highlights include the one-two heavy metal punch of “Gaia” and the yet-to-be-released “Petro” face-melter “Witchcraft,” the Ambrose Kenny-Smith showcase “Boogieman Sam” (with snippets of Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country” and Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working”) and the expansive combo of “Magma” and “Lava” from last year’s “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava.”

At the final Caverns show, fans get to experience Gizzard at its most beguiling. Despite the heaviest album of its career due for release in less than two weeks, the band opts to play a fully acoustic set for what’s believed to be only the fourth time in its 14-year existence, and this ultra-rare assemblage of songs includes just two that have been released since 2017. It’s a reminder of how earlier Gizzard songs such as “Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer,” “Sleepwalker,” “The River” and “Let Me Mend the Past” bring out a more nuanced, roots-y and jam band-adjacent sound, and why they work so well in this stripped-down setting. “Thanks for indulging our dad-rock tunes,” Walker says at one point. Closer “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” embodies all sides of Gizzard at once, as it works its way into a loud, two-chord jam before quieting back down to hushed tones. All in all one of the most unusual performances in recent Gizzard history, this one is not to be missed.


Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon, starting Friday June 23rd. Save 25% when ordering all 13, available as an upgrade from any single-night’s show.


Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.

They Were Dancing In New York City: Dead and Company Live at Citi Field (6/21/23)

By Matt Brookman

WATCH: Dead & Company live at Citi Field in New York, NY, 6/21/23

They Were Dancin’ In New York City

June 21st – Next stop on the Final Tour was New York and Citi Field. NY shows have always had a special electric energy. NY has always felt like a second home for the Grateful Dead and the various incarnations of the band have always shined in the New York area playing some of the bands most legendary shows. Citi Field has been the site of some classic Dead & Company shows and tonight would set the tone for a two night right in the home of the New York Mets. For those who were away, It was also a very special night as it was the Summer Solstice. Summer time was now officially here although the weather felt like spring.

The forecast was calling for possible rain and the wind was howling through the stadium. The band took to the stage and came out of the gate with an appropriate NY opener “Shakedown Street”. Some legendary “Shakedown’s” have been played in NY over the years, see 9/18/87 MSG. Another well jammed “Shakedown” set the tone for a high energy and well played first set. The band went right into a powerful “Bertha” which was the first of the weather themed first set songs. Thankfully we didn’t run into a rain storm, but we felt the thunder of Mickey and Jay’s driving drums. John and Jay took the jams to huge highs and the NY crowd was along for the ride. Next to follow was “Ramble On Rose” which as usual saw a strong reaction from the NY crowd, “Just like New York city, just like Jericho”. 

“It Hurts Me Too” followed, the Tampa Red cover was a Pigpen staple from 1966 to 1972. John has truly made this song his own and tonight’s version was an absolute standout. A nod to the Summer Solstice would follow with the Martha and The Vandellas cover “Dancing In The Streets”. Summer was here and the time was right to be Dancing In The Streets. Another nod to the NY faithful as they were definitely dancing in New York city. A funked out “Dancing” would lead us into the thunderous “Althea”.  Similar to tonight’s “Bertha”, this “Althea” truly soared. The band closed the set with “Let It Grow”.  An ode to the Summer Solstice as the seasons were changing. This was a big set ender as the band took the jams to new places. A perfect ending to an incredibly played first set. 

Before the start of the second set John would take to social media notifying the fans that he threw his back out and might be sitting during the set. The second set started off with a hot “China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider” continuing the fine form of the first set. A seated John Mayer didn’t hinder him from playing scorching leads and driving the NY crowd into a frenzy. The NY crowd was then treated to an incredibly powerful and stretched out version of “St. Stephen”. The jams built and built finally hinting towards “The Eleven”. “The Eleven” didn’t come but they instead segued into “Uncle John’s Band”. “Uncle John’s Band” took us into “Drums” where we were treated to a special guest drummer Joe Russo who added to the powerful segment joining Mickey and Jay. The drums have been a standout all tour and this one was no different. Kudos to the bands production as the visuals have truly complimented this segment each night of the tour.

The drummers left the stage after Mickey lead the crowd in a call and response for a thunderous finish. Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil would return to the stage for “Space” teasing us with notes of “The Eleven”.  The drummers returned and we were finally treated to a massive version of “The Eleven”. After really heating the crowd up the band slowed things down with a very powerful “Stella Blue”. Bobby has really embraced this song and it was a perfect fit as the wind really starting to howl. The set finally closed with a very high energy version of “US Blues” with the crowd all singing along in unison. Summer was officially here!

As the curfew approached the band decided to cool down the NY crowd after a rocking “US Blues” with an incredibly soulful rendition of “Black Muddy River”. No official encore as the band left the stage. 

Rare song of the night: “Dancing In The Streets.” The Martha and The Vandellas cover played for the second time of this tour, but has always been a rare treat for this band. A standard for the band from the 1960’s through the 1970’s, becoming a rare treat in the 80’s. It was last played by the Grateful Dead in the NY Metropolitan area at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ on April 6, 1987. 

Other must listen to moments: “Bertha”, “It Hurts Me Too”, “Let It Grow” “St. Stephen” “The Eleven” “Stella Blue” and “US Blues”.

Back at it again tonight for night 2 at Citi Fields. It Feels like a Stranger 😉 


Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

READ: The review of Dead & Company Night 2 at Citi Field

Don’t Tell Philadelphia That It has No Heart: Dead and Company Live at Citizens Bank Park (6/15/2023)

By Matt Brookman

Don’t Tell Philadelphia That It has No Heart

WATCH: Dead & Company live at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, 6/15/23

June 15th – Next stop on the Farewell Tour was Philadelphia, which is a special city for the Grateful Dead where they had sold out 53 shows – the most by any musical act — at the legendary Spectrum. The Philly faithful have continued to come out and support various incarnations of the band and tonight was no different with Citizens Bank Park filled to the rafters.

The band took to the stage and came out of the gate hot with the tour debut of “Women Are Smarter”. A song that would have usually found itself in the second set, it sounded at home as an opener and got the Philly crowd on their feet and dancing. The band followed with a funked-out version of “Shakedown Street” with John and Jeff taking the song to places it never had been before. Out of “Shakedown” they went into a raw and driving “Cold Rain and Snow”. John has delivered some strong “Cold Rain’s” this tour and this was another stellar version.

“Jack Straw” followed, which slowly built to a thunderous peak with Jay and Mickey completely locked in. It has been fun watching this duo get in synch and bringing the energy each night. “Brown Eyed Women” was next as the set continued to carry the high energy. Although a ballad would have been a likely next song, we were greeted with a huge surprise of “Dark Star”. The band went through various improvisational jams before leading to Verse 1. The second tour debut would follow with the Marty Robbins classic “El Paso”. This combination has been resurrected with Dead & Company, with the most notable version played 8/27/72. Bobby was in fine form and had the Philly crowd fully engaged. “Don’t Ease Me In” would follow and closed out the first set with a bang.

The second set started off with a tasty “Fire on The Mountain” and “New Speedway Boogie.” The Philly crowd was treated to a classic duo of “Estimated Prophet” into “Eyes of The World.” John started playing “Eyes” and then realized that wasn’t the next song. A funny moment ensued as John took his guitar off and laid it on the stage while Bobby started playing the opening to “Estimated”. They had the stadium rocking taking the jams to huge highs with John playing whirling leads. Bobby once again was in fine form both vocally and with his incredible rhythm playing. “Eyes of the World” would then finally find its way and oh what an “Eyes of The World” it was. This song has really shined on the Farewell Tour and this version would be no different. Incredible soloing from John, Jeff and Oteil! “Eyes” lead into “Drums” with the drummers taking the crowd on a tribal journey.

The drummers left the stage after delivering a thunderous finale which had the stadium reverberating. Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil would return to the stage for “Space” with some dark and out there jamming that lead into “Dark Star Verse 2.” A monster “Cumberland Blues” came soon after showcasing fiery playing from everyone in the band. A beautiful “Standing on The Moon” followed with Bobby passionately delivering the Garcia/Hunter ballad. What other way Closing out this special set, was a rousing “Not Fade Away”. You could feel the stadium moving as the crowd danced their way through the rollicking version. The Philly crowd showed their love chanting “You know our love will not fadeaway!” while clapping in unison as the band left the stage.

The encore was “Ripple” as an appropriate sendoff to the city that embraced this band from San Francisco and made it one of their second homes.

Rare song of the night: “El Paso.” The Marty Robbins song has always been a special treat going back the later Grateful Dead days and the combination with Dark Star made this an even special treat. A tour debut as well.

Other must listen to moments: “Shakedown Street”, “Dark Star Verse 1”, “Estimated” “Eyes of The World” and “Cumberland Blues”.

Next stop is Saratoga and the legendary Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It feels like things might get a little bit Stranger. Don’t forget you can watch the show live on nugs.net.


Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

READ: The review of Dead & Company’s 6/21 show at Citi Field in New York

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXV, June 16, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company, Counting Crows, Orebolo, moe. and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Trey Anastasio Trio track is only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. The Well
    Trey Anastasio Trio
    6/9/23  Denver,CO
  2. St. Stephen
    Dead and Company
    6/10/23 Chicago, IL
  3. Friend Of The Devil
    Counting Crows
    6/13/23 Omaha, NB
  4. Dripfield
    Orebolo
    6/11/23 Boulder, CO
  5. Shine
    The String Cheese Incident
    6/10/23 Laytonville, CA
  6. Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home
    Gov’t Mule
    6/10/23 Saratoga, CA
  7. Nights In White Satin
    Billy Strings
    6/10/23 Indianapolis, IN
  8. Deep This Time
    moe.
    6/9/23 Utica, NY

Concert Review & Setlist: Dead & Company Gig in Cincinnati 2023

By Matt Brookman

Looks Like Rain in Cincinnati

WATCH: Dead & Company live at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH 6/13/23

June 13th – The latest stop on Dead & Company’s Final Tour took us to Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. Set alongside the Ohio River, Riverbend has been a frequent haunt of tour’s past, and was the location of a special Grateful Dead show in ’85 that featured a sought-after “Cryptical Envelopment,” a song which was broken out that year after a 13-year hiatus.

Tuesday’s show was one of the more intimate venues we’ll see this tour, and the rainy start helped set the vibe, and setlist, for the electrifying night to come. The band opened with “Music Never Stopped” taking note of their location “There’s mosquitoes on the river.” Music would then lead to the first breakout of the night “Next Time You See Me”.  The Junior Brown cover was brought back out by Dead & Company in 2016 and John always gives it a proper workout. This version would be no different and was one of the high points of the first set. 

“Me & My Uncle” and “Row Jimmy” followed, leading to “Dear Mr. Fantasy>Hey Jude” which would let John let loose as well as some powerful organ playing from Jeff Chimenti. The combo which was broken out by Dead & Company last summer has become a welcome return addition to the Dead & Company setlist.  Another ode to their location along the river would follow with Bobby leading the band through “Cassidy”.  “Iko Iko” would close the set on a high energy note leading to what was to come in the second set.

The band opened the second set with a beautiful and jammed out “Here Come Sunshine”. This would set the tone for a set filled with high energy jams. “Viola Lee Blues” would follow and delivered some of the biggest jams of the night. They took Viola Lee to a funky place including a smoking “Cissy Strut Jam” with Jeff driving the organ part and Jay and Oteil locking down the rhythm. After such a high energy start to the set it felt like an appropriate time for a ballad to cool off the Cincinnati faithful. 

We got our second tour debut of the evening with Bobby taking lead vocals for a powerful version of “Looks Like Rain”. In past Grateful Dead days “Looks Like Rain” would often find itself played after a “China>Rider”, but tonight it would go in reverse. “China Cat Sunflower” followed “Looks Like Rain” leading into a hot “I Know You Rider”. The drumming duo then lead the band into an ethereal segment before taking “Drums” to a driving place.


“Space” would follow, leading into a stellar “The Wheel” “Wharf Rat” couplet. Bobby has continued to make this Garcia/Hunter ballad his own with Mayer playing soaring leads. We were then treated to a roaring “Casey Jones” to close out the set. 

The encore was “Touch of Grey” as a final farewell to this Cincinnati crowd.  

Rare song of the night: “Next Time You See Me.” The Junior Parker song which was played around 70 times during the Pigpen era was resurrected by Dead & Company in 2016, This was the first performance on the Farewell Tour and hopefully not the last.

Other must listen to moments: “Here Comes Sunshine”, “Viola Lee Blues”, “Looks Like Rain” “China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider”

Next stop is Philadelphia where those Philly Filly’s sure know what to do.


Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

The White Stripes: June 2003 Raleigh to Kansas City

Two exclusive archives from The White Stripes are now available for streaming in the nugs.net app, featuring performances from Raleigh, NC and Kansas City, KS. From long time White Stripes fan Mike on this month’s ‘Third Man Thursday’ releases:


Starting in the last week of spring and finishing in the first week of summer, these two shows capture the beginning and end of a 13 day trek, from North Carolina to Kansas. Two sets of 6 performances in a row, with a day off in the middle on June 22, and 2 shows played on the same day at Stubbs in Austin on June 25. 13 shows in 13 days.

LISTEN: The White Stripes at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC, 6/16/2003

Kicking off in Raleigh on June 16, with a return to a club they had visited 4 years earlier as a then-unknown opening act for Pavement, and concluding in Kansas City on June 28 at the Memorial Hall – the closest they would get to actually “going to Wichita” on the Elephant tour – the performances here are a true before & after. Two snapshots in time: one looking back, reflecting on their early years on the road. The other looking forward…to the bigger venues and the many dates still to come on the tour.

In as much as April was about exposure and May was about exploration, you could say that June was all about endurance.

The venues on this leg ranged from clubs, to theaters, auditoriums, and even a sports arena. While the band had no problem delivering excellent performances at large events such as Glastonbury, Roskilde, or Coachella (in fact, they had started June with a festival date in Italy to close out the European leg, and then performed at back-to-back festival appearances in California before making their way to Raleigh), finding the appropriate place to play in each city would prove to be a challenge. Not every city had a good mid-size venue. In Tampa, for instance, they had no other option but to play in the 10,000 seat Sun Dome, which had to be curtained off in order to reduce the size of the arena, with the band performing to about the same size crowd as they would at the club shows.

While Raleigh had obvious sentimental significance for the band, just like the show in Houston where they gave a shout out to Blind Willie Johnson, or Oklahoma City “land of Woody Guthrie” – in Kansas City it would be the audience that provided the acknowledgment, roaring in approval during the “Wichita” line in “Seven Nation Army”, taking Jack by surprise. Like the triumphant return to Raleigh, the Wichita reaction at Kansas City is also a true “it could only have happened here” moment on the tour.

The recordings of these two performances perfectly capture not just the sound of the band, but also the venues that they were playing in. The Ritz being the smaller venue, with the crowd upfront and present, and Memorial Hall, with the band playing in a bigger room, and the crowd further in the background. Where you can hear the reverb on Jack’s amp so clearly on the recording at Raleigh, at Kansas City it’s the sound of the room that reverberates.

The Raleigh performance is a club show through and through, a relaxed and warm nod to the band’s history. The tour-closing shows in North Carolina from 2000 and 2001 in Asheville are among the best from those years. This time around, North Carolina got the tour opener, with the band coming back to conquer on familiar ground in Raleigh. While the name of the venue had recently changed from the Ritz to the Disco Rodeo, it was still very much the same place, with Jack playfully reminding the audience about how the last time they played there in 1999 “nobody gave a damn”, before joking “Now who’s laughing?” As if further embodying that feeling of a return to an earlier time, Jack’s Fender Twin has the reverb set high at this show – like he did in the early years (listen to the sound of the springs audibly slapping back during the pulsing intro to “The Hardest Button to Button”), giving an almost throwback feel to the sound of this performance. Like a 2003 version of a 1999 club show, back when it was just one amp on stage doing all the heavy lifting. The setlist here is also about as unpredictable as many of those early shows were – stretching out in any direction they felt like going, from the cheerful tribute to North Carolina in “Lord, Send Me An Angel” early in the set, to a flawless “I Fought Piranhas” packing as much tightly-wound energy as can fit into 3 minutes, or the disarming intimacy of Bob Dylan’s “Girl From The North Country”, the first known performance since the early years – featured as a brief quote at the end of “Five String Serenade.” Even the “Take a Whiff on Me” interlude gets inserted into “The Big Three Killed My Baby”, a colliding of a debut-era song with an Elephant-era adlib. And yet, even with all of this nostalgia – this show is one of the first to feature a strobe light effect for “Seven Nation Army”. A small acknowledgement of where the band were by this point, with the bigger stage productions and larger venues to come. While they would go on to play at a few more clubs on the tour, none would hold as much significance as this one.

LISTEN: The White Stripes at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KS, 6/28/2003

13 days later, and the relaxed and open-ended feeling so present at Raleigh has been replaced with an almost brutal directness at Kansas City. They’ve just been through a long run of shows, and oh boy can you hear it. Like a boxer having worked their way through the circuit, with only a few matches left before the championship. Still hungry, aware of what it takes to last the necessary rounds, and more than capable of delivering the knockout. While they could focus on more personal storytelling at a comfortable pace in the smaller club setting in Raleigh, in Kansas City the bigger room required bigger gestures, with a focus on keeping the energy going from end-to-end. Look no further than the 7+ minute rendition of “I Think I Smell a Rat”, featuring a medley that leads off with a cover of Lead Belly’s “Pick a Bale of Cotton”, the vocals a jarring display delivered at the top of the lungs – as if demanding that the audience can hear him all the way in the back. If Raleigh had a lightness to it, Kansas City brings the heavy. The near-shredded vocals during the breakdown in “Black Math”, or the doomy intro to “Cannon”, played almost as if mimicking Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral.” There’s an edge to many of the songs here, and plenty of surprises, including the rare performance of “Candy Cane Children” – the only live rendition captured by the Stripes to feature that excellent dark outro riff, or the final performance of “Don’t Blame Me” which feels less like a ballad from a hopeless romantic and more like a cautionary tale. Or how about that extended ending added to “Hello Operator”, turning one of their most buoyant songs into glorious sludge. And of course that one-of-a-kind performance of “Seven Nation Army”, where the Kansas crowd go ballistic the moment the Wichita line finally arrives. With so much effortless riffing and raw power on display, it’s no surprise that there is very little time spent on the keyboards here. This ain’t that kind of show. By the time they get to “Boll Weevil”, having successfully delivered a near non-stop performance, it’s a straightforward “Alright folks, I suppose it’s that time of the night…”. A reminder that each show on the tour, just like a carnival, eventually has to pack up and head to the next town. A fitting close to the run.

After this 13 day journey, the band would have a day off and head to St. Louis, where that show would be marked by near constant equipment failures. After such a long haul with no issues, St. Louis ends up being a bit like returning from a cross-country drive, and then the car breaks down the very next time you take it down the street. And even with all of those challenges, just like running through so many back to back dates in so many different settings, they still managed to make that St. Louis show a memorable performance. Endurance.

As it would turn out, the trip from North Carolina to Kansas would include the final shows that the White Stripes would ever perform in those states – as well as Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. Louisiana would get a final visit at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans in November, and the band would return to Georgia one last time for the Midtown Music festival in Atlanta, early on in the Get Behind Me Satan tour. They would also return to Kansas City on that tour, but it would be on the Missouri side of town – at the much larger Starlight Theatre, of course.


Stream these three new shows, and all other exclusive archive releases from Third Man Records with a 7-day free trial. Explore The White Stripes catalog and start your free trial here.

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard: Marathon Preview

Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist, and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen

Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon.


When last we left King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard in the fall of 2022, the Australian sextet was laying waste to Red Rocks Amphitheatre with three, three-hour shows featuring no repeated songs drawn from throughout its then-23 album deep discography. As hard as it may be to imagine for a group with an already jaw-dropping work ethic, King Gizzard’s summer 2023 U.S. tour is taking this concept to the proverbial next level, and nugs.net will have all the action via delayed livestreams beginning June 23.

Rather than a traditional tour, the group has hunkered down for multiple-show residences at the Caverns in Pelham, Tn., the aforementioned Red Rocks outside Denver, the new Salt Shed in Chicago, and Remlinger Farms 20 miles east of Seattle. No songs are being repeated within each individual city, allowing Gizzard to touch on more than 80 different tracks so far on the run. Among them have been the live debuts of material from the upcoming trash metal/prog concept album “PetroDragonic Apocalypse,” which will be released Friday (June 16).

Below, check out some highlights from the shows already completed and look ahead to the Seattle concerts. Also be sure to peruse nugs.net’s King Gizzard catalog, which includes more than a dozen audio and video releases taped all over the world.

The Caverns – Pelham, TN

What could be more King Gizzard than a show inside a literal ancient cave in a rural Tennessee town with a population of about 400? On June 1 at the first of four gigs in this unique venue (two in the cave, two in the above-ground amphitheater up the hill), the energy is off the charts from the opening notes of “The Dripping Tap” to five straight songs from 2016’s “Nonagon Infinity” played without a pause. Two of the best and most sprawling selections from Gizzard’s five distinct 2022 studio albums, “Ice V” and “Hypertension,” also make a wonderfully symbiotic pair, while the “PetroDragonic” standout “Super Cell” is given its live debut.

Back in the cave the next night, Gizzard again seems possessed by hard-rocking spirits with the opening suite of “I’m in Your Mind” -> “I’m Not in Your Mind” -> “Cellophane,” a trio immediately trumped by the head-banging thrash of “Planet B,” “Predator X” and another new tune, “Converge.” An attempt to incorporate some electronic gadgets goes comically awry after the flute-kissed hip-hop of “The Grim Reaper,” with multi-instrumentalist Joey Walker at first commanding frontman Stu Mackenzie to “engage the granulator” before giving up and chuckling, “our stuff is broken really well.” The long-awaited live debut of the funk jam “Astroturf” follows, and by the “K.G.L.W.” closer, it almost feels like Gizzard is just getting warmed up after almost two hours on stage.

The June 3 outdoor set had already been designated beforehand as a Pride Night celebration, but Gizzard goes above and beyond by performing fully in drag after purchasing dresses and other goodies that afternoon from a Goodwill by the Bonnaroo site in nearby Manchester. The night before, a federal judge had struck down Tennessee’s widely criticized anti-drag law, and fans of all ages and orientations can’t help but feel the love coming from the stage. Highlights include the one-two heavy metal punch of “Gaia” and the yet-to-be-released “Petro” face-melter “Witchcraft,” the Ambrose Kenny-Smith showcase “Boogieman Sam” (with snippets of Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country” and Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working”) and the expansive combo of “Magma” and “Lava” from last year’s “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava.”

At the final Caverns show, fans get to experience Gizzard at its most beguiling. Despite the heaviest album of its career due for release in less than two weeks, the band opts to play a fully acoustic set for what’s believed to be only the fourth time in its 14-year existence, and this ultra-rare assemblage of songs includes just two that have been released since 2017. It’s a reminder of how earlier Gizzard songs such as “Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer,” “Sleepwalker,” “The River” and “Let Me Mend the Past” bring out a more nuanced, roots-y and jam band-adjacent sound, and why they work so well in this stripped-down setting. “Thanks for indulging our dad-rock tunes,” Walker says at one point. Closer “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” embodies all sides of Gizzard at once, as it works its way into a loud, two-chord jam before quieting back down to hushed tones. All in all one of the most unusual performances in recent Gizzard history, this one is not to be missed.

Red Rocks – Morrison, CO

Back in the friendly confines of Red Rocks on June 7, Gizzard dusts off “Sense,” which had been on the acoustic Caverns show set list but was cut for time, and debuts the genial “Hate Dancin’” from last year’s “Changes” album (hint: they don’t really hate it). A two-fer from 2017’s “Murder of the Universe” is an excellent precursor for three continuous tracks from “Nonagon Infinity,” with “Robot Stop” working in teases of “Hot Water,” “The Dripping Tap” and “Shanghai.”

In another “hey, why not?” move, Gizzard plays two separate shows at the gorgeous mountain venue the next day, with the afternoon matinee marked by the first performance of the gauzy “Satan Speeds Up” since 2014 and numerous devil-horn rockers such as “Self-Immolate” and “Evil Death Roll.” Walker gets the vocal spotlight on “This Thing” and “Most of What I Like,” and “Shanghai” has an impromptu chant about getting high, because … well, Colorado.

At the evening show, the twisting and turning “Rattlesnake” is an ideal opener to reset the collective energy, and Kenny-Smith again steals the spotlight with his vocals and stage presence on “Straws in the Wind” and “Presumptuous.” The last portion of the night shifts from the infrequently aired “Slow Jam I” into four straight rippers: “Hell,” “Mars for the Rich,” “Super Cell” and “Gila Monster,” the latter two “Petro” tracks reminding the audience of Gizzard’s inherent mastery of dynamics and virtuosity.

The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL

The first night of a three-show run in the Windy City on June 11 says a lot about live Gizzard circa 2023: 14 songs from 12 different albums, dabbling in everything from weird microtonal rock (the opening combo of “O.N.E.” and “Pleura”), top-shelf thrash (“Motor Spirit” and “Gaia,” the latter dedicated to none other than John Mayer) and Grateful Dead-worthy sonic explorations (“The River”). The sludgy “The Great Chain of Being” appears for the first time on the residency tour, while an extended “Boogieman Sam” (with teases of five different other songs) wraps the evening with hip-shaking, harmonica-flavored vibes.

Tour debuts abound on June 12, from the simmering, microtonal “Honey” and the chugga-wugga blast “Road Train” to the herky-jerky “Invisible Face” (its first complete performance ever) and finale “Am I in Heaven?” “Hate Dancin’” and “Astroturf” are back to get the bodies moving, “Shanghai” is a super atmospheric jam, and three songs from 2017’s “Polygondwanaland” (“Inner Cell,” “Loyalty,” “Horology”) demonstrate Gizzard’s uncanny ability to morph one similar-sounding riff into 10 minutes of beautiful, creeping dread.

Day-long rain can’t deter the Gizzard faithful at the Chicago finale on June 13, and they’re rewarded with the live debut of the rhythmically obtuse “Change” from “Changes” (“fuck, are we really doing this?,” the band asks aloud). A 10-minute-plus “Hot Water” wanders all over the place before unexpectedly segueing into the always satisfying Krautrock epic “Hypertension,” and the fan favorite, Cook “Cookie” Craig-sung “The Garden Goblin” affords Gizzard the chance to reminisce about Australian hardware store chain Bunnings and the animated kids show “Bluey.” “The Dripping Tap” sends the soggy crowd home humming “drip drip from the tap / don’t slip on the drip” after 19 minutes of blissed-out, major key rock’n’roll.

Remlinger Farms – Carnation, WA

Looking ahead to the Seattle three-pack, there are still two “Petro” songs yet to be played live (“Dragon” and “Flamethrower” are both nine-minute slabs of vein-bulging, pedal-to-the-metal magnificence). Since the album will be officially released at 9 p.m. local time during the first show, it would stand to reason that one, if not both, of the tracks may finally see the light of day.

Other songs in general Gizzard rotation that have yet to be performed during the residencies include “Blame It on the Weather” (which might feel especially appropriate amid an unseasonably cold spell in the Seattle area), “Oddlife,” “Venusian 2,” “Static Electricity,” and the “Altered Beast” suite from “Murder of the Universe.” Maybe the group will feel particularly inspired by its grunge surroundings and work a Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Soundgarden tease into a jam one night too. Hey, a Gizz fan can dream, right?


Watch the worldwide premieres from the 13-show marathon, starting Friday June 23rd. Save 25% when ordering all 13, available as an upgrade from any single-night’s show.

Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.


We Had a High Time in Chicago: Dead and Company Live at Wrigley Field (6/10/23)

Wrigley Field Hosts Dead & Company for Two-Night Concert Event

By Matt Brookman

We Had a High Time in Chicago

LISTEN: Dead & Company live at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL 6/10/23

June 10th, 2023 – Dead & Company closed out their two-night run at the legendary Wrigley Field as the Farewell Tour rolled through Chicago. The first set started off with a jazzy jam that flowed into a high energy “Truckin’.” This would set the tone for a first set that was filled with special moments and loaded with high paced energy. “Truckin’” segued into Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”, which was a tour debut (tonight was Howlin’ Wolf’s birthday (thanks to Dead Air’s Gary Lambert for tipping the band off about the special date and sharing that tidbit during tonight’s segment)). As “Smokestack” was about to end, the band dropped a “Truckin’” Tag. Strong versions of “Althea” and “Mississippi Half Step” followed, leading into one of the high points of the first set “High Time”. The Garcia ballad once again shined with Oteil on lead vocals. The band came out of “High Time” into a fiery version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, which led to a monstrous set finish of “Bertha>Good Lovin’.” Bobby was in fine form and “Good Lovin” had the Wrigley crowd in a full frenzy.

After such a high energy first set what did the band have in store for their final set in Chicago? They came out of the gate strong with “Help on The Way>Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower.” This trio never disappoints and once again this band took it to special heights with “Franklin’s Tower” receiving a massive workout. “St. Stephen” was to follow, and Jay Lane drove the beat as the solos built. A “William Tell Bridge” tease from Jay finally saw the band members leaving the stage to start an energized “Drums” that engaged the crowd.

“Space” would follow and had teases of “Cumberland Blues,” which would come later in the set. The band came out of “Space” into “Uncle John’s Band,” which had some exceptional jamming and segued into a monstrous version of “Cumberland Blues.” This has become a song that this band has taken to new heights every time it’s played. Jay pushed the band into a raucous pace with John and Jeff playing smoking solos. The band didn’t let up, taking Cumberland into the “The Other One Verse 2” closing out the song as Verse 1 was played the first night. Would this be a sign for more to come? “The Other One” would lead us to an always special moment in any Grateful Dead set with “Morning Dew.” John showcased his guitar wizardry, as Oteil filled Wrigley with thundering bass bomb, and Bobby delivering the powerful outro: “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway”!

The encore started with a beautiful and appropriate version of “Brokedown Palace,” but that wasn’t enough. Carrying on a theme from earlier in the second set, the band returned to “Playing in The Band” delivering a rocking “Playing Reprise.” This wasn’t it, as it was Saturday night and the band obliged by firing into “One More Saturday Night” leaving the Chicago crowd overjoyed before having to say their final farewells to the band.

Catch this band while you can as they continue to go from strength to strength!

Rare song of the night: “Smokestack Lightning” played for Howlin’ Wolf’s birthday. This song has become a once a tour rarity and tonight’s version may have been the best from Dead & Company.

Other must listen to moments: “High Time”, “Bertha>Good Lovin”, “Franklin’s Tower” “St. Stephen”, “Cumberland Blues” and “Morning Dew.”

See you Tuesday, alongside the Ohio River at the Riverbend Music Center.


Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXIV, June 9, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Bruce Springsteen, Dead and Company, Goose featuring Lucious, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Detroit Medley
    Bruce Springsteen
    5/25/23 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
  2. They Love Each Other
    Dead and Company
    6/1/23 Raleigh, NC
  3. Slow Ready
    Goose (w/ Lucious)
    6/4/23 Lexington, KY
  4. Poor Sylvester
    Desmond Jones
    6/2/23 Syracuse, NY
  5. Dixie Chicken
    Kitchen Dwellers
    6/3/23 Livingston, MT
  6. When My Time Comes
    Dawes
    4/26/23 San Francisco, CA
  7. Jamflowman
    Twiddle
    5/28/23 Lake George, NY
  8. Thunder
    Billy Strings
    6/3/23 Austin, TX

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXIII, June 2, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee featuring moe., Dead and Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Proud Mary
    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
    (w/ Daniel Donato, the St. Paul & The Broken Bones Horns, Ron Holloway, and friends)
    5/26/23 Martinsville, VA
  2. In The Pines
    Kitchen Dwellers
    5/25/23 Axton, VA
  3. Windshield
    Greensky Bluegrass (Holly Bowling & Paul Hoffman Duet)
    5/27/23 Martinsville, VA
  4. Trashy
    Widespread Panic
    5/28/23 Brandon, MS
  5. Are you ready for the Country?
    Widespread Panic
    5/27/23 Brandon, MS
  6. Crosseyed & Painless
    Umphrey’s McGee (w/ moe.)
    5/27/23 Chillicothe, IL
  7. Plane Crash
    moe. (w/ Allie Kral)
    5/26/23 Chillicothe, IL
  8. Morning Dew
    Dead and Company
    5/28/23 Atlanta, GA

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXII, May 26, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Billy Strings, The Disco Biscuits, Dogs in a Pile, Dead & Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish Spartanburg ’94 tracks are only available in the LivePhish app.

  1. Birdsong
    Dead and Company
    5/20/23 Los Angeles, CA
  2. Lonesome LA Cowboy
    Billy Strings
    5/19/23 Los Angeles, CA
  3. Henry
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    5/20/23 Clive, IA
  4. Trunk Rum
    Dogs In A Pile
    5/20/23 Reykjavík, ICE
  5. Park Ave.
    The Disco Biscuits
    5/20/23 Reykjavik, IS
  6. Fallen Down
    Gov’t Mule
    5/19/23 Asheville, NC

  7. Avenue Malkenu
    Phish
    10/29/94 Spartansburg,SC

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LXI, May 19, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Billy Strings, Gov’t Mule featuring Peter Frampton, Dead & Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
    Gov’t Mule (w/ Peter Frampton)
    5/12/23 Nashville, TN
  2. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
    moe.
    4/30/23 New Orleans, LA
  3. Andromeda
    Perpetual Groove
    4/22/23 Washington, D.C.
  4. Melting Lights
    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
    4/22/23 Atlanta, GA
  5. Something in the Night
    Bruce Springsteen
    5/9/23 Dublin, IRELAND
  6. Thunder
    Billy Strings
    5/11/23 Morrison, CO
  7. Help on the Way>Slipknot!>Franklin’s Tower
    Dead & Company
    5/8/23 Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca,NY
  8. Black Muddy River
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    4/22/23 Felton, CA

The White Stripes: Scandinavia 2003

Three exclusive archives from The White Stripes are now available for streaming in the nugs.net app, featuring performances from Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen during a three-night run in May of 2003. From The White Stripes’ archivist Ben Blackwell on this month’s ‘Third Man Thursday’ releases:


Having survived the all-eyes-on-them April tour in support of the release of Elephant, the band kicked off the European leg in May with a three day journey through Scandinavia.


It didn’t get much attention at the time, but the Elephant touring cycle was actually supposed to start in March, with a secret performance at SXSW. With that show canceled after Meg broke her arm, and the album’s release pulled-in by two weeks due to online leaks, April became a tightly packed end-to-end event. Pretty much every one of the performances that month had an additional occasion to go along with it, like an insanely-curated showcase.  From the release of the album on April 1st and the 5-star review in Rolling Stone, to the tour kickoff in Wolverhampton on the day Elephant went to number 1 in the UK, to the debut of the video for “Seven Nation Army” – where you can catch a glimpse of the cast on Meg’s left arm, to the radio broadcast from London – the first time that many fans would get to hear the new songs live, and then back stateside for the hometown shows in Detroit, to performing with Loretta Lynn in New York, the afternoon club show and evening radio broadcast from Boston, an unprecedented 4 night residency on Late Night with Conan O’Brien performing to an audience of millions each night, to the iconic photoshoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, to the one-shot-on-goal at Coachella back when the festival was a single weekend – as openers for the reunion of Iggy and the Stooges no less, and then finishing off with back-to-back nights in San Francisco “the first city to like us” where a fan would make good on that history by throwing an elephant squeeze toy onstage that Jack would keep on his keyboards throughout the rest of the Elephant tour (which you can still see in Under Blackpool Lights), and then a final stop coming back down to earth with a low-key club show in San Diego on April 30th.  Just as soon as the month would come to a close, the band would head right back to England for a one-off festival slot on May 4th, Elephant would be certified Gold on May 9th, and they would be off to Scandinavia to start the trek across Europe.


To get a sense of just how unique these shows are, look no further than the way the run starts, with Jack taking to the stage at the appropriately-named Cirkus in Stockholm with lines from Arthur Brown’s “Fire”: “I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you fire!”.  Hell yes.  


These shows feel a lot like a residency, except instead of being 3 nights at the same venue, it’s 3 days across 3 countries. They are breaking in new ideas, debuting songs, and stretching the sets longer – culminating with the show in Copenhagen, the longest they had ever done by that point.  This is the sound of the band in the Elephant workshop. 


While these performances each have their own character, there is also a common thread across the three nights via the introduction of the song “Mr Cellophane” from the musical Chicago.  A small addition to an already varied set, serving as a vaudeville counterpoint to the sinister blues of “Take a Whiff on Me” introduced in April.  While a natural fit, there is also a bit of symbolism in the choice.  A song about a man who feels invisible, performed by a band that was quite literally everywhere at the time.  The performance of “Mr Cellophane” at these shows would get a different rendition each night, fitting with the feel of each show. The opening night in Stockholm gets the live debut, performed as a single verse and chorus sung with the keyboards. The second night in Oslo gets an additional verse, with the vocals getting a looser and more energetic delivery, and the third night in Copenhagen gets an unique acapella version – like the setlist that night, stretched out for maximum effect.
There is an embarrassment of riches here. In addition to the debut of “Mr Cellophane” and the first known performance of Little Richard’s “Ooh! My Soul” since the Jack White and The Bricks show in 1999, Stockholm is a powerhouse run-through of the live set, complete with a shout out to local heroes The Hives – via a quote of their song “Main Offender” during “Astro” and “Jack the Ripper.”  Oslo gets the live debut of “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” alongside brutal versions of “Death Letter” and “One More Cup of Coffee” both nearly collapsing in a fury of out of tune glory.  Copenhagen brings the full “Razzle Dazzle” via a stunning 36 song set, consolidating the ideas from the previous two nights and serving as a benchmark for the shows to come.  


There’s perhaps no better advertisement for these shows than the poster that originally accompanied them, featuring a circus monkey bashing away at the band’s instruments.  Equal parts playful innocence and unpredictable mayhem, nicely foreshadowing the performances themselves. For as much as one could gush over the setlists and the one-of-a-kind moments here, the shows are made all that much better when you realize how loose they are. A skipped lyric here, a false start there, a guitar out of tune.  And just like the monkey on that poster, look at how much fun they’re having.  


Later in the year, the band would sit down for an interview with David Dye on NPR’s World Café. Seek out the full interview, and you’ll be treated to an in-studio performance of “Mr Cellophane.” You’ll also hear this quote from Jack, a guiding principle for the ages: “It’s like when you don’t wanna do something perfect, it’s like trying to be an anti-perfectionist. It’s really perfect by not trying to be perfect.”


Stockholm – May 13, 2003
From the unique opener of lines from Arthur Brown’s “Fire” to the “Stockyard, Stockhouse, Stockholm!” introduction to the audience, and the debut of “Mr Cellophane” from the musical Chicago, the enthusiasm here is off the charts.  Listen to the off-mic yells from Jack when the guitar cuts out during the intro to “Seven Nation Army” before coming back in with a snarl, or the shout of “Alright Meg!” to kick off “Let’s Shake Hands,” which features “Clarabella” and a brief quote from Little Richard’s “Lucille” before segueing into “Ooh My Soul”, the only known performance by the Stripes, and the first since the Jack White and the Bricks shows in 1999.  After a mic-drop in “John The Revelator” something falls onto the keyboards, holding down a note that carries over into “Ball and Biscuit”, where Jack uses the error to his advantage by tuning his Airline to pitch. Even with that technical issue, the version of “Biscuit” here is still unique, as it’s the first to feature the riff from Howling Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”, which would also get thrown in the next night and would feature periodically throughout the rest of the band’s live career.  There is also the playful  “Did anybody make any mistakes today?” exchange, a nod back to shows in the early days when Jack would engage in similar dialogue with the audience.  Look out for the insertion of lyrics from the Hives “Main Offender” during “Astro” and “Jack the Ripper” and the post-show shoutout to both the Hives and Sahara Hotnights.  An excellent start to the tour. 


Oslo – May 14, 2003
With a warm “Hello Norway! My name is Jack, and this is my big sister Meg on the drums, from Southwest Detroit, and we think you’re pretty good looking!” the surprises continue.  This show gets the first live performance of “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine”, played as if it had been in the set for years.  “Mr Cellophane” again gets an airing, with a second verse added.  “Ball and Biscuit” again gets the quote from “Smokestack Lightning”, with a third person switch-up in the lyrics with “Jack White’s strength is ten fold!”  “Hotel Yorba” also gets a unique reference to a “dirty old road in Grand Rapids Michigan!”.  Meg had a cold during this run of shows, and just makes it to the last lines of “In the Cold Cold Night” before giving a polite apology “you’ll have to forgive my cold!”  Adding to just how intimate this gig is, this may be the only show to end the main set with “We’re Going to Be Friends”, complete with Jack asking the crowd “Are we friends yet Norway?” before joking “How about that Meg? You thought you didn’t have any friends!”.  Matching this warmth is a good bit of chaos. Listen to “Death Letter” going full self-destruct into a storm of out of tune feedback, Jack going full scream battling the Airline at the end of “One More Cup of Coffee” –  making it one of the best live renditions of the song, and “Cannon” getting an insertion of “St. James Infirmary” with a fantastic extended guitar solo section before going straight into “Boll Weevil” to close out yet another excellent show.



Copenhagen – May 15, 2003
A special show to close out the run.  Even the intro music is unique here, as the band take the stage to the sound of “The Wells Fargo Wagon” from The Music Man being played over the house speakers: “Oh, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a ‘comin, now I don’t know how I could wait to see. It could be something for someone who is no relation, but it could be something special just for me…”  This is the longest show that the band had ever done up until this point.  We get yet another variation on “Mr Cellophane”, this time as a unique acapella rendition between “You’re Pretty Good Looking” and “Hello Operator.” Instead of “Death Letter”, there is the combination of “Stop Breaking Down” into “Little Bird.” “Look Me Over Closely” gets a one-time quote of “Razzle Dazzle” from Chicago as an opener, and this show features both “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” and “Hypnotize” – one of the few to feature both songs in the same show, alongside covers of “Clarabella”, “Small Faces”, and an absolutely stunning rendition of “Five String Serenade” by Arthur Lee as a bookend to an excellent “Offend In Every Way.” There are songs spanning all 4 albums here, played one after another after another.  By the time they get to “Boll Weevil”, Jack gives a laugh, acknowledging “This is the last verse of the last song of the night!”  Unlike the previous two nights, there isn’t much between song banter here. Not much else to say here that the music doesn’t already make crystal clear.  A truly inspired performance that sets the bar for the rest of the Elephant tour.  An absolute must hear.


Stream these three new shows, and all other exclusive archive releases from Third Man Records with a 7-day free trial. Explore The White Stripes catalog and start your free trial here.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LX, May 12, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead & Company, Gov’t Mule featuring Reeves Gabrel, Goose, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Eyes of the World
    Dead & Company
    5/8/23 Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca,NY
  2. Rockin’ In The Free World>Machine Gun>Rockin’ In The Free World
    Gov’t Mule (w/ Reeves Gabrel)
    5/5/23 New Orleans, LA
  3. Opium
    moe.
    4/29/23 New Orleans, LA
  4. Northern Lights
    Eggy
    5/2/23 New Orleans, LA
  5. Cumberland Blues
    Daniel Donato (w/ Billy Kreutzmann)
    4/28/23 New Orleans, LA
  6. Hot Tea
    Goose (w/ Neil Francis & Horns)
    5/3/23 New Orleans, LA

Grateful Dead Meet-Up 2023

The Grateful Dead is back for the highly anticipated annual event “Meet-Up At The Movies,” screening in select theatres worldwide on June 22 and 24.

A year after Brent Mydland’s passing, the Grateful Dead returned to the summer stadium circuit, playing Chicago’s Soldier Field for the first time, with two keyboard players filling the seat Brent left vacant. Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick’s presence and musical contributions reinvigorated and revitalized the Grateful Dead, and the inspiration of the Dead’s playing was palpable. On a Saturday night in front of 60,000 fans, the Dead played what is often considered one of the greatest shows of the Bruce-Vince era, up there with the second Giants Stadium show from a few days earlier. The Soldier field show was filled with favorites, including “Shakedown Street,”“Brown-Eyed Women,” “Playing In The Band,” “Terrapin Station,” and “Dark Star.” From the original six-camera video feed that appeared on the stadium’s big screens and the pristine soundboard audio, Chicago 6/22/91 is an incredible performance start-to-finish.

Tickets for “2023 Meet-Up At The Movies” are now on sale, find your theatre and get your tickets here.

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LIX, May 5, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Jack White, Bruce Springsteen, Goose, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Shakin’ The Tree
    The String Cheese Incident
    4/30/23 St. Paul, MN
  2. Arrow
    Goose
    4/28/23 San Francisco, CA
  3. China Doll
    Billy and The Kids (w/ Molly Tuttle)
    4/27/23 New Orleans, LA
  4. Midnight Moonlight
    The Infamous Stringdusters
    4/23/23 Mill Valley, CA
  5. Demons
    Greensky Bluegrass
    4/29/23 Prescott, AZ
  6. It’s A Bunch
    Spafford
    4/22/23 Virginia Beach, VA
  7. The Triple Wide
    Umphrey’s McGee
    4/30/23 Birmingham, AL

Weekly Live Stash Vol. LVIII, April 28, 2023

Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Jack White, Bruce Springsteen, Goose, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.

  1. Borne
    Goose
    4/25/23 Eugene, OR
  2. Valley of the Jig
    The String Cheese Incident
    4/22/23 Ozark, AR
  3. Destroyer
    Lotus
    4/21/23 Denver, CO
  4. When My Time Comes
    Dawes
    4/7/23 Houston, TX
  5. Driving Song>Little Wing>Driving Song
    Widespread Panic
    4/22/23 Austin, TX
  6. Wargasm
    Billy Strings
    4/22/23 St. Augustine, FL
  7. A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing>Mr. Completely
    Phish
    4/23/23 Los Angeles,CA