Top Streamed Shows of 2023

2023 was a banner year of touring for many of our artists, with the app boasting nearly 3,000 shows from 2023 available for streaming. Among the myriad of standout moments, we’ve gathered the most-listened-to shows as determined by you, the fans!

From the last bow on Dead & Company’s Final Tour to Goosemas, Metallica’s M72 World Tour kick off and Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey homecoming, there’s something for all tastes in this list. Dig into each artist’s catalog and discover new favorites with these as a jumping-off point. There’s so much to uncover from the year in live music!

The official and professionally-mixed audio from all these concerts are available to stream in the nugs app. Sign up for a free trial to listen, or for a limited time, save on a year of streaming with our Year End Sale!


2023’s Top Streamed Shows:

(In order of most listens in 2023, including shows from 2023 and New Year’s 2022. Inclusions are capped at one show per artist.)

#1. Dead and Company: Jul 16, 2023

Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA

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#2. Billy Strings: Dec 31, 2022

UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA

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#3. Widespread Panic: Oct 28, 2023

Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA

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#4. Goose: Dec 9, 2023

Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

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#5. Billy & The Kids: Apr 27, 2023

Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA

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#6. Orebolo: Jun 10, 2023

Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder, CO

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#7. Bruce Springsteen: Sep 3, 2023

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

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#8. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: Jan 29, 2023

Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

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#9. The String Cheese Incident: Oct 28, 2023

Suwannee Hulaween, Live Oak, FL

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#10. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Jun 11, 2023

The Salt Shed, Chicago, IL

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#11. Gov’t Mule: Aug 7, 2023

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

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#12. The Disco Biscuits: Oct 28, 2023

Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

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#13. Pearl Jam: Aug 31, 2023

Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

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#14. My Morning Jacket: Nov 11, 2023

Chciago Theatre, Chicago, IL

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#15. Greensky Bluegrass: Dec 31, 2022

The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA

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#16. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Sep 28, 2023

Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, MD

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#17. Umphrey’s McGee: Dec 31, 2022

Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta, GA

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#18. Metallica: Apr 27, 2023

Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, NLD

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#19. Twiddle: Nov 26, 2023

Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

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#20. Kitchen Dwellers: Aug 26, 2023

Bridger Brewing, Three Forks, MT

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#21. Daniel Donato: Jul 23, 2023

The Double E Performance Center, Essex Junction, VT

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Stream all these shows and more with a free 7-day trial, or jump on our Year End Sale – offer ends January 17th.

The White Stripes: Wellington and Osaka, 2003

Two exclusive archives from The White Stripes are now available for streaming in the nugs.net app, featuring performances from Wellington, New Zealand and Osaka, Japan. From long time White Stripes fan Mike on this month’s ‘Third Man Thursday’ releases:


After the success of the September US tour, the band were off to New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, repeating the journey of the “Three Island Tour” from 2000. With the excellent Melbourne, Australia show released back in March as part of Third Man Thursday, here are the closing shows from the other two “islands” to complete the trio.

Wellington may be the most relaxed show of the entire Elephant tour. There is a pacing and vibe to this show that sits in a comfortable sweet spot, with the band no doubt buzzing off of the performances the day before in Auckland, where they had performed at the Freemans Bay Primary School to a crowd of schoolchildren, and then delivered an excellent performance later that evening at the St James Theatre. There is just something to the Wellington show that makes it feel both unrushed, while yet still delivering all the right amount of energy.  You can hear it in the set, which has a great flow from start to finish. From the “Everybody well in Wellington?” greeting to the audience, to the relaxed version of “Look Me Over Closely”, to a flawless “Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise”, and Jack’s introduction to “We’re Going to Be Friends”, complete with the mid-song aside “This is the important part…we don’t notice any time pass” – an almost Freudian acknowledgement of the pace of this show.  Or how about the version of “You’re Pretty Good Looking”, which gets a nearly half-minute pause midway through for no apparent reason, before kicking back in with the “swing” version to finish the song off.  Instead of going into “Hello Operator” per the normal pairing, they instead throw in “When I Hear My Name”, featuring a cappella lines from “The Object of My Affection”, the first known appearance since the Bowery show in 2002, and the last known time they’d perform it.  Also unique at this show is that Jack stays on guitar for the last verses of “I’m Finding It Harder to be a Gentlemen”, instead of returning to the keyboards.  By the next performance of the song in Adelaide on 10/15, he’ll take advantage of that section to include an updated version of “Why Can’t You Be Nicer to Me.”  “Girl,You Have No Faith in Medicine” also gets a change from the typical delivery, starting with a low-key intro and gradually ramping up to the familiar frenzy. The encores further highlight the sense of balance at this show, with “Astro” and “Jack the Ripper” getting followed by another appearance of the “Joss Stone” slow version of “Fell In Love With A Girl” (that Stone album had only just been released a few weeks earlier).  The soloing in “Ball and Biscuit” similarly features excellent slow blues lines right alongside the guitar hero style runs with the whammy.  Closing out with “I’m going to Wellington” in “Seven Nation Army” and the line “We’re gonna be o-kay when this song is through…that is my promise to you!” in “Boll Weevil”, it’s a satisfying close to a laid-back show.    

LISTEN: The White Stripes live at Town Hall in Wellington, New Zealand

On the other side of the equator, Osaka is a confident power set to close out the Japan run.  While New Zealand and Australia largely went off without a hitch, Japan was not without a few challenges – likely owing to the near-constant jumping across timezones as they moved from city to city, and country to country.  Fast forward a bit and you’ll find this exchange from an interview the band gave on MuchMusic TV in Toronto on 11/13/03, looking back on this leg of the tour:

Jack: We just played Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and it was…I think we had 21 airplane rides in like 2 ½ weeks or something like that. That starts to get, you know…you start to get really messed up. Because you don’t know what time it is, you don’t know when you’re supposed to be asleep and when you’re supposed to be awake, and you’re just expected to play every night, you know? It’s very difficult to keep that up, you know?

Having kicked off the Japan tour with the pair of shows in Tokyo on 10/21 and 10/22, it would be the Nagoya show on 10/23 where fatigue would catch up with the band, with that show getting cut-short due to illness.  The band would quickly get back on their feet at Fukuoka 10/25 and Hiroshima 10/26, with the show in Osaka on 10/27 being the confident return-to-form to close out the tour.

For a band that never used a setlist, there’s an almost clinical precision to the setlist here. A proper kicking out of the jams, one after another.  From the rush of “Let’s Shake Hands” into “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”, to that transition at the end of “I Think I Smell a Rat”, with the final chord hanging there for a second before slingshotting into “Black Math.” The set is loaded with tight run-throughs. “Love Sick”, “Death Letter” – “Grinning In Your Face”, “The Hardest Button to Button”, “We’re Going to Be Friends”, “Ball And Biscuit”. An almost “greatest hits” set for the Elephant tour right down to the closer of “Seven Nation Army” (“Boll Weevil” was skipped for the Japan tour, but would be played on the return visit in 2006).

LISTEN: The White Stripes live at Namba Hatch in Osaka, Japan

As if this wasn’t enough, what really puts Osaka into must-hear territory is that it features an ultra-rare performance of “Little Acorns”, the second of only two known performances.  The Adelaide show in Australia on 10/15 would be the first, but that show was sadly not captured by RADAR.  So, for “Little Acorns”, Osaka is it.  And while it’s a brief version, much like the debut of lines from “There’s No Home For You Here” at Los Angeles the previous month, there’s no doubt of the power the song had in a live setting.  A fitting surprise for the last night on the tour, like a bonus track on those Japan-only releases from back in the day.

While they were officially back to health by the time of the Osaka show, the relentless touring schedule would continue, almost comically so, with the band going from Japan to Brazil for a one-off show on 10/31, and then back to the US for the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans on 11/2, and then off to Scotland for the MTV Europe Awards on 11/6, before returning to the US to kickoff the next leg of the tour in Milwaukee on 11/10.  


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.

The White Stripes Live at The Greek Theatre, September 13, 2003

An exclusive archive from The White Stripes are now available for streaming in the nugs.net app, featuring a performance from 2003 at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. From The White Stripes’ archivist Ben Blackwell on this month’s ‘Third Man Thursday’ release:

The return from the finger injury. While a shorter set overall (about 1 hour and 13 minutes from start to finish), there is excellent enthusiasm here, and even a few debuts as well. This is the first show to feature the “That’s what I’m gonna do” adlib in “Seven Nation Army”, the first to feature a quote from the song Evil by Howlin Wolf, and the first to feature a cover of “Man” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who would be joining the tour a few days later in Seattle on 9/16.  This show also features an acapella performance of the song “I Got Stripes” by Johnny Cash, who had passed away the day before, as the lead-in to “Death Letter.”  While it had only been 9 weeks since Jack’s finger was broken, the only real sign of the injury here is the abrupt aborting of “Offend In Every Way”, which itself isn’t all that unusual, as they were known to jump from one song to another all the time. While there’s no reason given for the pivot away from the song here, a week later in Las Vegas on 9/20 Jack would again abort the song, revealing the inability to play the D minor chord as the reason.  This would also explain why “Jolene” (which also relies on D minor) would be absent for most of the September tour, not returning to the set until San Diego on 9/25.  As the setlists would show, the September leg would be a progressive return to the stage, with each performance getting additional songs from the earlier Elephant live set added back in.

LISTEN: The White Stripes at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA, 9/13/2003

Having been off the road for 2 months, if there is any rustiness here it’s mainly heard in some of the missed lyrics throughout the set, as opposed to anything instrumental or anything in the vocals. Jack hits all the right notes here, just misses a lyric here and there and adlibs through it where needed. The pivot away from “Offend In Every Way” results in a similarly abbreviated quote from “Isis”, which stops after a few rushed/hybrid verses, including the rarely performed verse 7 (“Pyramids embedded in ice”).  In the encores, Jack starts “Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise” on the keyboards, similar to the versions from Pomona/Chicago/Detroit Jun-Aug 2002, where he starts on the Rhodes and goes to the guitar midway through. Here, he does a verse, but then goes silent while he continues on the keys before finding his way back into the next verse.  But while the finger may have been injured and some of the lyrics missed, his vocals and the energy are in great form here. A highlight at this show is the run starting with “Cannon”, which goes through the usual “John the Revelator” interlude and ends on the familiar last line of “Evil!” before going into an unheard riff where he debuts lines from the song Evil by Howlin Wolf.  So, the word “Evil!” sets up the song “Evil.” Nice. This then segues into “Cool Drink Of Water Blues” (another Howlin’ Wolf quote) and transitions seamlessly into an excellent “Ball and Biscuit”, which features soloing played as effortlessly as any version you’d have heard pre-injury.  A few songs later and that “Offend”/”Isis” attempt gets more than made up for by Jack launching into “Let’s Shake Hands”, which includes the debut of the YYYs “Man” and a unique version of “Pick a Bale of Cotton”, with Jack doing what can be described as a low-end “burp” sound into the mic as a counterpoint on the lines “Me and *burp* pick a bale of cotton”, before some nice whammy soloing to close out the song and the main set.  The encores kick off with “Seven Nation Army”, featuring the first appearance of the “that’s what I’m gonna do” adlib. While the band had been off the road, the popularity of the song had of course continued to rise, with the Berkeley crowd heard going nuts in the background the moment the first note is played. While “Little Room”/”Union Forever” are a familiar duo here – “Little Room” gets a heavy delivery here and “Union” gets a clean intro – a flip-flop of the way the songs were usually paired up, with “Little Room” typically serving as the quieter set up for a bombastic entrance into “Union.” And “Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise” is a nice addition to the set, even with the missed lyrics, being the first performance since 2002. All tied up with a sincere shoutout to San Francisco as “the first city to like us” setting up “Boll Weevil” to close out the show.

A great start to the September leg, likely played short to make sure they didn’t overdo it on the first night back.  Even though the finger may have still been injured, the vocals and energy were in great shape, and the band would be quick to ramp back up.  

Hotel Yorba, I Think I Smell a Rat, Screwdriver, Love Sick, I Fought Piranhas, Astro, Jack the Ripper, I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman, St James Infirmary, Lord Send Me An Angel, and Hello Operator would all return to the set for the next performance on 9/15 in Vancouver. 

Little Bird, Let’s Build a Home, Goin’ Back to Memphis, Fell In Love With a Girl, Lafayette Blues, and Sugar Never Tasted So Good would be added at Seattle 9/16.  

Wasting My Time, Look Me Over Closely, Take A Whiff On Me and Small Faces would signal the “return to normal” at Portland 9/17, along with Motherless Children at Denver 9/19, setting up the Las Vegas and Los Angeles shows.  

The return of Jolene and Same Boy You’ve Always Known at San Diego on 9/25 would complete the recovery, and with a closeout show in Mesa on 9/26, they’d be off to New Zealand and Australia, where the setlists would be taken a few steps further.


Stream this new show, 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The White Stripes at the Palace in Melbourne, Australia 10/14/2003

LISTEN NOW: The White Stripes at the Palace in Melbourne, Australia 10/14/2003

Exclusive to nugs.net, this month’s Third Man Thursday release brings us The White Stripes’ October 14, 2003 performance from Melbourne. From long-time Stripes enthusiast and expert Mike:

Coming on the heels of last month’s premiere of Seven Nation Army at Wolverhampton, this show in Melbourne is the return to the city where the riff was first played, during that infamous soundcheck at the Corner Hotel. This time around, the band are upgraded from a Hotel to a Palace.

This show takes place during the underrated New Zealand-Australia leg of the Elephant tour. The natural point of comparison for this show in Melbourne is the Sydney performance at the Enmore Theatre a few days earlier on 10/10. Whereas that show captured the band out to wow the audience, the energy is at times frantic, with Jack going song to song almost recklessly. If Sydney is the getaway car barreling down the alleyway, crashing through the trashcans, Melbourne is the other side of that coin: the same car, the same driver, but why not take the long way home?

Like Sydney, this show in Melbourne is also a marathon set, clocking in at around 1hr 40min. But whereas Sydney hits most of the familiar numbers from the Elephant live repertoire, with no time to stretch out on any one song too long, this set at Melbourne is less about the inclusion of this song or that song, and more about how the songs themselves get performed just a little bit different. Throughout the set, there are many unique change-ups and extra doses of improvisation here, making for an excellent and relaxed performance

Many of the surprises here are subtle. Listen as Jack moves to the keyboards for the first verse of Dead Leaves, or how I Want To Be the Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart gets an extended outro in place of the final verse. Other surprises are more obvious, such as Death Letter getting stretched out to over 10 minutes, including a unique rapid-fire delivery of Motherless Children and adlibs at the end of the song proclaiming “Your mother was a mother now!”, before wrapping with a quote from Little Bird. Cannon gets a unique whispered vocal delivery for the opening verses, before switching out the John The Revelator section with improvised lines inviting the audience to “come into my home” for “something you ain’t never had before”. The fourth wall gets broken again during Look Me Over Closely, with the line “every girl in this room, I’m singing this one to you” before ending the song with a saturated burst on the guitar. The Hardest Button to Button also gets an extended intro and an adlib about a brain that “felt like Pea-nut butter!”. The same songs already played many times on the tour, done just a little different here.

And then there’s the truly unique moments, which includes the where-the-hell-did-that-come-from performance of Caravan by Duke Ellington. Broken Bricks also gets the first known performance since 2002, with yet more of those whispered vocals and a “slow version” treatment, before setting up an excellent Small Faces and yet another one-time-only cover, this time Love Me by Elvis Presley – complete with adlibbed Buddy Holly style vocals. So yeah, not your typical Elephant show. Other nuggets include Jack playing some lines from the Peter Gunn Theme during Jack the Ripper, the audience singing the verses during I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quote from Wichita Lineman during Seven Nation Army, before closing out with Boll Weevil to bring this one home.

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Setlist

  1. Black Math
  2. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
  3. I Think I Smell A Rat / Take A Whiff On Me
  4. Jolene
  5. Hotel Yorba
  6. In The Cold, Cold Night
  7. Wasting My Time
  8. St. James Infirmary
  9. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart
  10. Death Letter
  11. Cannon
  12. Look Me Over Closely
  13. The Hardest Button to Button
  14. Caravan
  15. Fell In Love With a Girl
  16. You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)
  17. Hello Operator
  18. Lord, Send Me An Angel
  19. Broken Bricks
  20. Small Faces
  21. Love Me
  22. We’re Going To Be Friends
  23. Apple Blossom
  24. Astro
  25. Jack the Ripper
  26. Ball And Biscuit

Encore

  1. Seven Nation Army
  2. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself

The White Stripes at Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, UK 4/7/2003

LISTEN NOW: The White Stripes at Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, UK 4/7/2003

Exclusive to nugs.net, this month’s Third Man Thursday release brings us The White Stripes April 7, 2003 performance from Wolverhampton. From archivist Ben Blackwell:

Twenty years ago, give or take a couple of weeks, the White Stripes purchased a Random Access Digital Audio Recorder. RADAR for short. It cost $8000. When recently asked about the impetus behind the move, long-time Stripes manager Ian Montone said…

“Many artists I respected – musically and from a business standpoint – always recorded their shows. Frank Zappa specifically. We wanted to implement something similar given we already owned our studio master recordings. So it made sense to record and own everything the band (and Jack) did moving forward. Live shows included. Because every show was different. There was no setlist. Everything was special. We wanted to capture that for posterity’s sake – hence the RADAR.”

In terms of the archival footprint of the White Stripes, the importance of this decision cannot be overstated. Previously, sanctioned live recordings were largely limited to whenever I was there AND the club had a cassette deck wired to the soundboard. With the end result being a static two-channel board recording subject to the whims and preferences of a house sound engineer’s real-time mixing, it left a lot to be desired.

For example…my obligations as a mediocre Detroit college journalism student with a scholarship meant that for the entirety of 2002 (a year the Stripes played nearly 100 shows) I was present for a mere seven performances, two of which were purely coincidental as my band the Dirtbombs were slotted as the warm-up act.

Thus, the number of proprietary live recordings from 2002 in the archive? Shit, barely any. I count one, give or take one.

But come 2003 the White Stripes would have the raw masters of their on-stage inputs digitally preserved. This gave the band the ability, after-the-fact, to have whomever they desired to properly and precisely mix every live show they performed, regardless of whether or not I was there to slide the sound guy a tape that night. This was $8000 well-spent.

Thank god for RADAR.

The April 7th, 2003 gig in Wolverhampton was the first show the White Stripes recorded with this digital system. More importantly, this show is the kick-off to the Elephant world tour, approximately 14 months of whirlwind travel, Whirlwind Heat, sold out shows, not sold out ethics, finger breakings, Grammy takings, global gallivanting and “oh oh oh oh oh ohhhh oh” chanting.

The performance, shockingly, has not been heard in ANY form since the amps powered down that evening two decades ago. I guess no one in Wolverhampton was doing surreptitious audience recordings at the time. Photos of the gig? I found none. Concert poster? I’ve never seen one. Please, prove me wrong. I welcome it. Contemporaneous accounts of the evening? A dumb brief write-up from the NME, one slightly more informative from the Independent and that’s it.

As Jack humbly tells the crowd that Elephant hit number 1 on the charts this day…the gig…you’d think there’d be more proof that it really existed. Things here feel big. They seem important. A chance whiff of greatness. The weight of it all is palpable on the recording.

So the wait to hear this show is most definitely worth it. The first-ever public outing of a clutch of songs off Elephant is the definition of historic.

The fact that Meg switches to her snare hits late on the first verse of “Seven Nation Army”? I LOVE it. Perhaps the only time ever she didn’t 100% nail that song. Jack’s nerves evident on “In The Cold, Cold Night”? Endearing. The premature ending of “The Hardest Button To Button”? A combo of “wow” and “holy shit” said in wonderment.

These are by no means the best versions of ANY of these songs. But they are precious for what they presage…the eventual enshrinement of said tunes in the bombastic canon of a band well on its way to their peak form.

Beyond that…the first time ever covering Public Nuisance’s “Small Faces.” What a moment! And the extra special treat of what we’ve titled here “Talking Pillow By My Side Blues.” An improvised song done in the “talking blues” style pioneered by Chris Bouchillon, appropriated by Woody Guthrie and yet further popularized by Bob Dylan, “Pillow” is one of the more realized extemporaneous songs to emerge from a White Stripes live show of any era. Which is fortunate to have been captured here, as it never shows up again, anywhere, ever.

Thank god for RADAR.

Though I must stress, the method was not perfect. As The White Stripes front of house engineer Matthew Kettle would say “Despite being the best thing we could get at the time, the RADAR was occasionally unreliable, and as we weren’t carrying a sound desk everywhere at that point, not every show was recorded successfully.”

With that in mind, there’s a handful of songs that failed to be recorded in Wolverhampton. “Dead Leaves” and “Black Math” and “I Think I Smell A Rat” seem to be songs from the top of the set lost to the ether on this night. Which isn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things, considering there’s an entire WEEK where Kettle’s best efforts were thwarted by the finicky digital interface and thus, we’re left only with our imagination and collective recollection trying to discern what happened at half dozen shows in June of 2003.

Otherwise the RADAR material was immediately put to use…the accompanying audio to “Black Math” live vid from the Masonic Temple, the Berlin soundcheck b-side recording of “St. Ides of March” and the promo-only triple LP Live In Las Vegas are all proper public-facing mobilizations of these recordings. Third Man didn’t even attempt to crack these suckers open for another ten years until prepping the Nine Miles From The White City live LP included in Vault Package 16 from 2013.

At that point, upon handing mix engineer Vance Powell the necessary drives, he audibly winced.

“What?” I asked him, perplexed and, let’s face it, ignorant.

“These drives have moving parts. Good luck getting anything off of them,” Vance replied.

To which point I said “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“No, I’m not,” he said. “These things are ten years old.”

I learned a very crucial lesson at that moment…that any digital format is only reliable for a couple years before it’s usurped by something more streamlined and less cumbersome – OR – it just stops working. The need to constantly update and re-archive digital files is downright maddening. There is no long-term, futureproof, failsafe digital carrier. Ever. It would be another five years before all drives were properly transferred to a relatively stable LTO format. And even then, not without RADAR drive “G” requiring a $1761.60 “clean room” recovery to save seven shows that would have otherwise just disappeared.

It sounds comical now, but wearing my “businessman” hat I broke out the calculator to amortize the proposal…deciding with an almost embarrassingly “duh” quickness that $251 per show was a reasonable enough fee to reclaim those ephemeral moments. Because there’s spirit in all these recordings. The unforeseen nostalgia of memories yet to be uncovered. Instances where the power of an assemblage of strangers in a room together can divine a psychically shared experience. Time that mattered to someone. Moments could now last forever,

One of those moments, cast off with barely any consideration, a seconds-long thought formulated into action in a more simple manner, appeared when Jack White signed the venue guest book after the show.

“Thanks Civic, you made my day and I shan’t forget it.”

And because of a wise $8000 investment made nearly a generation ago, you won’t either.

Thank god for RADAR.

Start listening today with a free trial.

Setlist

  1. Jolene
  2. Seven Nation Army
  3. In The Cold, Cold Night
  4. You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)
  5. Hello Operator
  6. Good To Me
  7. The Hardest Button to Button
  8. Hotel Yorba
  9. Small Faces
  10. Talkin’ Pillow By My Side Blues
  11. We’re Going To Be Friends
  12. Apple Blossom
  13. Ball And Biscuit
  14. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart
  15. Death Letter / Motherless Children Have A Hard Time

Encore

  1. Let’s Build A Home
  2. Goin’ Back To Memphis
  3. The Union Forever
  4. Boll Weevil

Top Streamed Shows of 2022

This is it, the best of the best, the top shows streamed in 2022! Packed with musical moments, the thirty concerts here truly shine, but this list is just a small sampling of the amazing artists in our catalog, and the standout performances we were blessed to hear this year. Explore the fan favorites below, then dig in and find the show that speaks to you.

The official and professionally-mixed audio from all these concerts are available with a free nugs.net streaming trial. This is also our final 2022 Year In Review post, if you missed any of the others, explore them all including Top Guest Sit-Ins, App Enhancements, Top Cover Songs, and more.

(Statistical clarification for those wondering; the list is in order of most listens in 2022, including shows from 2022 and archival concerts, capped at 1 show per band.)

2022’s Top Streamed Shows:

#1. BILLY STRINGS: May 13, 2022

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

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#2. The String Cheese Incident: Jul 17, 2022

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

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#3. Goose: Jun 25, 2022

Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

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#4. Dead & Company: Jun 18, 2022

Folsom Field, Boulder, CO

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#5. Pearl Jam: Sep 11, 2022

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

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#6. Widespread Panic: Oct 29, 2022

Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA

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#7. Bobby Weir & John Mayer: Aug 08, 2022

Pine Creek Lodge, Livingston, MT

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#8. Metallica: Nov 06, 2022

Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL

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#9. Billy & The Kids: Jul 13, 2021

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

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#10. GRATEFUL DEAD: MAR 9, 1981

Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

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#11. Orebolo: Sep 07, 2022

Levitt Pavilion, Westport, CT

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#12. My Morning Jacket: Mar 02, 2022

One Big Holiday, Riviera Cancun, MX

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#13. Bruce Springsteen: Dec 12, 1975

C.W. Post College – Greenvale, NY

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#14. Umphrey’s McGee: Nov 11, 2022

Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL

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#15. The Disco Biscuits: Jul 01, 2022

High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy, CA

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#16. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Jun 17, 2022

Live at Bonnaroo ’22, Manchester, TN

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#17. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong: Dec 31, 2021

Exploreasheville.com Arena, Asheville, NC

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#18. Jack White: May 01, 2022

Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, TN

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#19. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Mar 09, 2022

Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

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#20. Greensky Bluegrass: Aug 19, 2022

The Caverns, Pelham, TN

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#21. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: Sep 30, 2022

The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ

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#22. Jerry Garcia Band: Oct 31, 1992

Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA

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#23. Lotus: May 20, 2022

Domefest, Thornville, OH

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#24. David Bowie: Oct 20, 1972

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA

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#25. Twiddle: Jun 10, 2022

Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, CO

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#26. Gov’t Mule: Jan 16, 2022

Island Exodus 12, Runaway Bay, JM

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#27. Spafford: Apr 23, 2022

Sony Hall, New York, NY

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#28. Kitchen Dwellers:Sep 24, 2022

Wilma Theatre, Missoula, MT

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#29. moe.: May 29, 2022

Summer Camp Music Festival, Chilicothe, IL

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#30. The Infamous Stringdusters: Apr 09, 2022

Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA

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Stream all these shows and more with a free 7-day trial to nugs.net.

Top App and Subscriber Enhancements of 2022

It’s not just about delivering you the best in class concert audio and video, day in and out we’re striving to bring more value to our subscribers and enhance our product. Over the course of 2022 we made significant advancements to our app, a lot of it you’ve seen, and a lot of work goes on in the backend to enhance your streaming experience. There’s so much to celebrate from 2022’s advancements, but here’s a few that we’re really proud to share in our 2022 Year In Review recap.

P.S. Please make sure your app is updated to the latest version to take full advantage of the features and upgrades below.


Subscriber Exclusive Livestreams
Our subscribers gained a big new benefit this year with the launch of Subscriber Exclusive Livestreams! These shows are available to all paid subscribers for no additional cost, and have featured live and archival concerts from Metallica to Billy Strings, Wilco, The Revivalists, Goose, and many more. This feature has fast become a fan favorite, and we’re working hard on adding these shows to our streaming on-demand catalog. Stay tuned, there’s some big announcements in store here for 2023.


CarPlay Enhancements
We redesigned the CarPlay interface to be more intuitive, and introduced Recommendations and Continue Listening into your driving experience. We also fixed some key bugs including; resuming songs after an incoming call, fixing broken images, and implementing a more intuitive navigation to find the music you love.


Android Auto
For the first time, Android users were able to utilize Android Auto to enhance their listening experience while driving! Android Auto support unlocked a number of key features for users including an intuitive interface for playing as well as browsing the nugs.net catalog directly through your car’s display. Our latest features like Recommendations and Continue Listening were also added for a seamless experience between your app and your vehicle.


Android SD Card Support
Even more great news for Android users, 2022 saw the added support of SD cards for offline downloads, allowing users to use the extra space on their SD card to download more shows. This means you are no longer limited by the on-phone storage limit and can download many more shows to listen to when you can’t (or don’t want to) stream them over data.


Recommended Shows (Personalized Recommendations)
Finding new music to listen to has never been easier! New in 2022, we’re taking cues from your favorite music and are now introducing artists to explore and shows you’ve never heard before. Check it out in the ‘For You’ section of the app, and find a new or archival concert we think you’ll love!


Continue Listening
Pick up where you left off. Now, jumping back into the show you were listening to earlier today (or last week) has never been easier. We’ve saved the show you’ve been listening to, so you can jump back in and listen to that encore.


Player UI Facelift
One of the most visible changes to nugs.net in 2022 was the new design of our player screen. We did away with the circular scrub bar and instituted a more user friendly interface for controlling your audio playback.


For You Screen
We added a new tab to the nugs.net mobile app in 2022 – the ‘For You’ screen. This new feature allows you to keep up-to-date with your favorite artists and their new content, making sure you never miss a show from artists you follow. Recommended Shows and the Continue Listening feature has been added here too, providing an easy place to discover new music and jump back into shows you’ve started. 


Genres
One of the biggest additions to the nugs.net website this year has been the Genres tab on the Browse Artists page. You can easily bounce between genres and check out our catalog’s offering, whether it’s Classic Rock, Metal, or Jamgrass, we’ve got you covered.


Recently Added
Want to know what the absolutely freshest shows on nugs.net are? Now you can know. Our Recently Added landing page provides an easy to view list of the latest releases on the platform. Whether it’s a show from last night, or a recently unearthed archive from 1988, you can always listen to the latest show ASAP by checking out the Recently Added page.


Self-Service Portal
While our customer service team loves helping our subscribers, we know sometimes it’s easier to just do it yourself. That’s why we launched a totally new Self-Service Portal in 2022 for managing your subscription. Easily upgrade to HiFi, manage your payment method, or update your billing address with just a few clicks.

Top (Subjective) Cover Songs of 2022

This week’s 2022 retrospective takes us down the rabbit hole of our favorite cover songs from the last year. ‘Subjective’ is a key word here, and to keep it at 25 covers with no more then one per artist, presented some tough decisions. This list is solid though and each song deserving of a listen, so dig and find a new version of your old favorites.

nugs.net subscribers, in the mobile app you can stream all the tracks below in the playlist here. New to nugs.net? The professionally-mixed audio from all these songs/concerts are available to stream with a 7-day free trial.

The (Subjective) Best Covers Of 2022 (in artist alphabetical order):

  • BILLY STRINGS
    War Pigs” by Black Sabbath (w/Widespread Panic’s Duane Trucks)
    10/31/2022 – Asheville, NC
  • BOBBY WEIR & WOLF BROS
    Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis (First time played)
    3/10/2022 – Memphis, TN
  • DANIEL DONATO
    Ghost Riders In The Sky” by The Outlaws
    10/06/2022 – Cincinnati, OH
  • DEAD & COMPANY
    Dear Mr Fantasy > Hey Jude” by Traffic and The Beatles
    6/11/2022 – Los Angeles, CA
  • DOGS IN A PILE
    Great Balls Of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis
    10/28/2022 – New Orleans, LA
  • DOPAPOD
    Brain Stew” by Green Day
    11/04/2022 – Boston, MA
  • EGGY
    Madman Across The Water,” by Elton John (Also featured the Dead’s “Slipknot” and Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” teases)
    10/31/2022 – Charleston, SC
  • GOOSE
    So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast (With very special guest Big Boi from Outkast)
    10/8/2022 – Austin, TX
  • GOV’T MULE
    Big Bottom” by Spinal Tap
    10/29/2022 – New Orleans, LA
  • GREENSKY BLUEGRASS
    St. Stephen > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad > St. Stephen” by the Grateful Dead
    10/29/2022 – San Francisco, CA
  • HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER
    Bird Song” by Grateful Dead
    2/26/2022 – Walla Walla, WA
  • JACK WHITE
    Whispering Sea” by Loretta Lynn
    9/17/2022 – Chattanooga, TN
  • JOHN MAYER
    Friend Of The Devil” by the Grateful Dead
    8/21/2022 – Livingston, MT
  • KITCHEN DWELLERS
    Transdermal Celebration” by Ween
    10/6/2022 – Cincinatti, OH
  • METALLICA
    Borderline” by Thin Lizzy
    12/16/2022 – Los Angeles, CA
  • MOE.
    Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin (with Hayley Jane)
    9/3/2022 – Lake George, NY
  • MY MORNING JACKET
    Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” by The Rolling Stones
    03/02/2022 – Riviera Cancun, MX
  • OREBOLO
    Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen
    12/10/2022 – Beaver Creek, CO
  • PEARL JAM
    Her Majesty” by The Beatles (in honor of the Queen’s passing)
    9/8/2022 – Toronto, ON
  • PIGEONS PLAYING PING PING
    Learn To Fly” by The Foo Fighters (in honor of Taylor Hawkins)
    4/1/2022 – Boston, MA
  • THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT
    Lonesome Fiddle Blues” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (with Billy Strings)
    7/17/2022 – Morrison, CO
  • SPAFFORD
    Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte
    10/29/2022 – San Francisco, CA
  • THE DISCO BISCUITS
    Shakedown Street” by the Grateful Dead (with Al Schnier)
    10/1/2022 – Utica, NY
  • UMPHREY’S MCGEE
    In The Flesh > Another Brick In The Wall” by Pink Floyd
    9/8/2022 – Salt Lake City, UT
  • WIDESPREAD PANIC
    Dear Prudence” by The Beatles (First time played)
    3/13/2022 – Las Vegas, NV

    Stream all these shows and more with a free 7-day trial to nugs.net.

Top Archive Additions of 2022

In addition to last night’s show, we’re constantly adding to our streaming service iconic concerts throughout time. In this week’s 2022 Year In Review we take a look back at these archives, highlighting our top streamed shows from year’s past, that were added to the nugs.net app in 2022. The professionally-mixed audio from all these concerts are available to stream with a 7-day free trial to nugs.net.

Top Streamed Archives – Added in 2022 (in alphabetical order):

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND: JAN 17, 1971

Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, PA

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BILLY & THE KIDS: JUL 12, 2021

Red Rocks Amphitheatre -Morrison, CO

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: DEC 12, 1975

C.W. Post College – Greenvale, NY

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DARKSIDE: AUG 24, 2014

FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA

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DAVID BOWIE: Oct 20, 1972

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium – Santa Monica, CA

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THE DISCO BISCUITS: JAN 30, 1997

Wetlands Preserve – New York, NY

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GRAM PARSONS: MAR 13, 1973

Ultra Sonic Recording Studios – Hempstead, NY

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GRATEFUL DEAD: MAR 9, 1981

Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

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HOLLY BOWLING: SEP 11, 2019

The Linda – Albany, NY

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IRON MAIDEN: NOV 27, 1988

National Exhibition Centre – Birmingham, GB

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JACK WHITE: JUL 26, 2014

Newport Folk Festival – Newport, RI

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JANIS JOPLIN: JUN 23, 1968

Carousel Ballroom – San Francisco, CA

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JERRY GARCIA & MERL SAUNDERS: NOV 2, 1974

Keystone Berkeley – Berkeley, CA

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JERRY GARCIA BAND: NOV 11, 1993

Providence Civic Center – Providence, RI

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JIMI HENDRIX: MAY 18, 1968

Miami Pop Festival in Hallandale, FL

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LED ZEPPELIN:JUN 25 & 27, 1972

How The West Was Won

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MY MORNING JACKET: NOV 24, 2015

Beacon Theatre – New York, NY

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NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE: NOV 13, 1990

The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA

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THE NTH POWER: APR 28, 2018

One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA

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OREBOLO: MAY 30, 2020

The Solarium – ‘Somewhere’, CT

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PEARL JAM: JAN 17, 1992

Moore Theater – Seattle, WA

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PIXIES: DEC 11, 2004

Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY

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THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT: OCT 31, 1996

Jack Straw’s – Charlotte, NC

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STS9: FEB 17, 2020

Belly Up – Aspen, CO

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THE WHITE STRIPES: JUN 19, 2007

The Fillmore at Irving Plaza – New York, NY

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WILCO: FEB 12, 2010

Royal Theatre – Victoria, BC

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YES: FEB 19, 1972

New York, NY

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Stream all these shows and more with a free 7-day trial to nugs.net.

Top Guest Sit-Ins of 2022

Having a special guest sit-in at a show can make for a unique and one-of-a-kind experience, and some of the most memorable concert moments. In this week’s 2022 Year In Review we take a look back at some of our favorite guest appearances of the year, and shows that are destined to be legendary concerts. The list of honorable mentions is exhaustive, and it’s challenging to pick just one from each band to highlight, but hopefully you find a show here to stream again or discover for the first time. Dig in and chime in, we’d love to hear your favorite guest sit-ins of the year.

Our Favorite Guest Appearances Of 2022 (in order of show date):

MY MORNING JACKET: 3/2/2022 – Riviera Cancun, MX

Featuring Phish’s Trey Anastasio for the three-song encore at their annual One Big Holiday festival. The following nights featured Brittany Howard and more.

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BOBBY WEIR & WOLF BROS: 3/9/2022 – Nashville, TN

Guest filled opening night at The Ryman with Wynonna Judd, Margo Price, the WolfPack strings and horns section, and more.

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JACK WHITE: 4/8/2022 – Detroit, MI

Listen back to one of the sweetest moments of the year as Jack’s then girlfriend Olivia Jean joins him on stage for a proper marriage proposal, then wedding!

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VOODOO DEAD: 5/1/2022 – New Orleans, LA

This show was nothing but guests, a night of funky Grateful Dead tunes featuring Steve Kimock, John Medeski, Al Schnier, John Kimock, George Porter Jr., Reed Mathis, plus very special guest Duane Betts.

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BILLY STRINGS: 5/8/2022 – Nashville, TN

The Ryman run featured guests each night, and the closing night saw legends Les Claypool, Bobby Weir, Ronnie McCoury, and Marty Stuart join the stage for one of the year’s best concerts.

LISTEN & WATCH


PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG: 5/21/2022 – Thornville, OH

Billed as ‘The Domefest All-Stars’, the show featured PPPP with guests Peter Anspach of Goose, Jake Brownstein of Eggy, plus members of Funk You and more. Peter also joined the Pigeon’s earlier set at the fest.

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THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS: 5/6/2022 – Morrison, CO

Red Rocks always brings out the best in a band, and the best guests. In this show we see Paul Hoffman from Greensky Bluegrass, members of California Honeydrops, and Karina Rykman.

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THE DISCO BISCUITS: 6/12/2022 – Essex Junction, VT

The Pink Floyd themed encore featured Umphrey’s McGee’s Joel Cummins, Kris Myers and Brendan Bayliss on “Brain Damage” & “Eclipse”.

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DEAD & COMPANY: 6/24/2022 – Chicago, IL

With Bill Kreutzmann recovering from an injury, Jay Lane stepped in again for this ‘women themed’ show to open up the Wrigley Field doubleheader.

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GOOSE: 6/25/2022 – New York, NY

In the band’s debut at Radio City Music Hall, the show started with an all acoustic set followed by a second set and encore with surprise guest appearances by Father John Misty and Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Later in the year, we’d get ‘TABoose’ tour and tons of top-notch Trey sit-ins, but this is where it started.

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GREENSKY BLUEGRASS: 7/2/2022 – Quincy, CA

High times at High Sierra with a set featuring Cris Jacobs, Skerik, Molly Tuttle, and Lindsay Lou!

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KITCHEN DWELLERS: 7/3/2022 – Baltimore, MD

In a late-night Billy Strings afterparty, Billy Strings himself joined for “Whitewater,” “Tombstone Blues,” and “Big Mon.”

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THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT: 7/17/2022 – Morrison, CO

Few shows were bigger this year then SCI’s Red Rocks performance, featuring an all Grateful Dead second set and guests Billy Strings and The Infamous Stringdusters Andy Hall.

LISTEN & WATCH


UMPHREY’S MCGEE: 7/23/2022 – North Plains, OR

At the Northwest String Summit we heard a number of acoustic tunes and also saw guests Paul Hoffman of Greensky, Yonder Mountain’s Allie Kral, and Jennifer Hartswick.

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LITTLE FEAT: 7/29/2022 – Greenwood Village, CO

This throwdown at Fiddler’s Green featured guests Jerry Douglas, SCI’s Kyle Hollingsworth, Ronnie McCoury, as well as Jay Collins, Steven Bernstein, and Erik Lawrence .

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EGGY: 8/5/2022 – Woodstock, NY

Their Levon Helm Studios debut saw Ben Atkind of Goose and Rusted Root’s Michael Glabicki join in, amongst a slew of debut covers by The Band & Rusted Root.

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JOHN MAYER: 8/8/2022 – Livingston, MT

Part of John Mayer’s Rise For The River benefit concerts, this full show featured his Dead & Company bandmate Bobby Weir for a very special acoustic duo performance.

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GOV’T MULE: 8/11/2022 – Boston, MA

Hard to pass shows with Mike Campbell and John Popper as our favorite, but this concert with guests Oteil Burbridge and Tom Guarna on ABB’s “Dreams” and Oteil with Eric Krasno on the Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree” really shines.

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NEIGHBOR: 9/11/2022 – Pembroke, MA

A must listen, featuring an all acoustic set, before a horns-driven second set with Morphine’s Dana Colley and Trey Anastasio Band’s Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman.

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PEARL JAM: 9/11/2022 – New York, NY

In this special 9/11 performance in NYC, fans were treated to a guest appearance by the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Chad Smith on Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

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WIDESPREAD PANIC: 10/11/2022 – Memphis, TN

It was just a one set performance for Mempho Music Festival, but it was a big one with The Allman Brothers Band’s Chuck Leavell joining in for 4 songs including “Jessica.”

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OTEIL BURBRIDGE: 10/20/22 – Denver, CO

Our first Oteil show will be one to remember, with ‘friends’ Steve Kimock, Duane Betts, Melvin Seals, Lamar Williams Jr, and John Morgan Kimock.

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DOPAPOD: 11/19/2022 – Washington, DC

With surprise guests ranging from Billy Strings to members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, & P-Funk, this show’s diversity in guests puts it as a standout moment.

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LEFTOVER SALMON: 11/25/2022 – Boulder, CO

This Thanksgiving day show saw their introduction into the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame, LoS then welcomed Sam Bush for the entire show, Billy Failing from Billy Strings, Lindsay Lou, and more!

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TWIDDLE: 11/26/2022 – Philadelphia, PA

The second night of the annual ‘Frendsgiving’ holiday shows at The Capitol featured multi-instrumentalist Scott Hannay and Rick James of Neighbor.

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METALLICA: 12/16/2022 – Los Angeles, CA

At The Helping Hands Benefit Concert, the show featured an acoustic set with Avi Vinocur, three live debuts, and St. Vincent on “Nothing Else Matters.”.

LISTEN NOW


Listen to the professionally-mixed, official soundboard audio from all these shows and thousands more with a 7-day free trial to nugs.net.

New In 2022: Streaming Artist Additions

In the week’s ahead we’ll be taking retrospective trip through the year of live music, including best cover songs, favorite guest sit-ins, and more. This week, we take a look back at our new-to-streaming artist in 2022, from icons of classic rock to new bands exploding upon the scene, we’ve added nearly 30 artists this year and we’re not done yet! Explore the catalogs below, then delve in to their official concert audio with a nugs.net free trial.


NEW STREAMING ARTISTS ADDED IN 2022

  • Apollo Suns (19 shows): Jazz, funk, and psychedelic grooves.
  • Bruce Springsteen (200+ shows): Iconic singer-songwriter, streaming exclusively on nugs.net and for the first time ever.
  • CBDB (4 shows): Prog rock, jamband, and “joy funk”.
  • Daniel Donato (55 shows): Cosmic Country from Nashville, TN.
  • Darkside (5 shows): Electronic, psychedelic and progressive rock.
  • Dogs In A Pile (14 shows): Improvisation jam with deep roots in psychedelia, jazz, fusion, funk, traditional, and rock & roll.
  • Doom Flamingo (7 shows): A “six-headed synthwave beast” fronted by Kanika Moore, and Ryan Stasik of Umphrey’s McGee
  • Eminence Ensemble (21 shows) Rock to funk, metal, electronic, soul, and hip-hop.
  • Grateful Dead (161 shows) One of the most influential bands in music history, and the complete streaming catalog is on nugs.net.
  • Hiss Golden Messenger (6 shows) Indie, jam, rock, and psychedelic folk.
  • Holly Bowling (35 shows) Solo pianist with a specialty in Grateful Dead & Phish covers.
  • Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (7 shows): Progressive High-Energy String Band with roots in old-time, folk and bluegrass.
  • Iron Maiden (20 shows): British heavy metal leaders, active from the 1970’s to today.
  • Jimi Hendrix (5 shows): One of the most influential electric guitarists of all time.
  • Karina Rykman (2 shows): Bassist that “straddles the worlds of jam rock and indie pop drenched in psychedelia“.
  • Led Zeppelin (27 shows): One of the most successful and influential bands in the history of rock and roll.
  • Little Feat (5 shows): One of our newest additions with an everlasting legacy, with a sound that’s a fusion of rock, funk, country, and ‘New Orleans swamp boogie‘.
  • Neighbor (16 shows): Ambitious composition, soulful balladry, and a fearless approach to their lengthy improvisations.
  • Neil Young (39 shows): One of the most celebrated artists in music history, “touching on everything from noise-rock and synth pop to blues and rockabilly”.
  • Pixies (33 shows): Pioneers of the alt-rock movement that helped blaze the trail for artists from Nirvana to Radiohead and Pearl Jam.
  • Sammy Hagar (2 shows): Front man of Van Halen, he’s considered to be one of rock music’s most dynamic and prolific artists.
  • Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (6 shows): “The Godfather of the New Jersey Sound.”
  • TAND (21 shows): South Florida improv-rock, the band is known for their expressive songwriting and vast catalog of originals and covers.
  • The Revivalists (23 shows): Great instrumental and vocal talents, they bring a new element of New Orleans flare to rock.
  • Yak Attack (10 shows): Electronic power-trio blends live-looping, house, breakbeat, electro-funk, drum & bass with a touch of trip-hop.
  • Yam Yam (5 shows): A vibrant blend of jazz, jam, funk, and soul.
  • YES (19 shows): Pioneers of progressive rock, with a “daunting virtuosity, cosmic lyrics, complex musical textures, and powerful yet delicate lead vocals”.

Goose: The Road To Red Rocks and Beyond

Goose’s journey from small-town venues to sold-out arenas may seem like it’s happened overnight but here at nugs.net it’s been a long time coming. The band’s rise to fame during the pandemic has clearly been rooted in modern day ‘taper’ culture, with sell out shows across the country throughout 2022 despite never having played most markets. From YouTube premieres to nightly soundboards on nugs.net, over the last 5 years Goose not only tapped into the jamband community but have made their mark as one of the industry’s most unique talents. Nearly 200 high-definition soundboards from Goose are streaming on-demand in the nugs.net app with shows that date back to 2018! In honor of their sold-out, debut & headlining performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, here are highlights from our favorite Goose moments on nugs.net.

02/02/18 Octave, Covington, KY

LISTEN NOW: February 2nd, 2018 Octave, Covington, KY
This show may be the first Goose soundboard on nugs.net but it packs a punch. At only 1 set and 8 songs – Madhuven, Wysteria Lane, Creatures, Crosseyed and Painless & So Ready all ring in over 10 minutes long! This venue capped at 200 people so if you got to witness this intimate but rockin’ show – good for you.

12/08/19 Old Town Pub, Steamboat Springs, CO

LISTEN NOW: December 8th, 2019 Old Town Pub, Steamboat Springs, CO
A two set show that features a Widespread Panic cover AND a Michelle Branch cover?! This setlist actually features tons of phenomenally executed covers making it an easily shareable soundboard, but also comes along with a great story of how Peter was rescued from a snow bank and consequently dedicated “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch to his rescue squad.

06/19/20 Goose Community Rec Center Night 1, Bingo Tour, CT

LISTEN NOW: June 19, 2020 Goose Community Rec Center – Bingo Tour
Goose may be one of the few bands that absolutely thrived during 2020. The band executed some epic livestreams & drive-ins that year but what brought them national news coverage was their conceptually unique ‘Bingo Tour’ in Summer 2020. Livestreaming from an undisclosed indoor location, the band had commentators, hosts and interactive digital bingo cards for viewers. Prompts such as “No Drums” or “20+ minute Jam” were pulled and magic was made. This show also marks the debut of Jeff Arevolo as Goose’s official percussionist & 2nd drummer.

07/09/21 Sculpture Park, Denver, CO

LISTEN NOW: July 9th, 2021 Sculpture Park, Denver, CO
The July 2021 Sculpture Park shows sold out quickly & marked the largest audience the band had played to at this point in their career – 5000 fans! Antics included a costume contest & getting their manager to play drums on stage.

06/25/22 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

LISTEN NOW: June 25, 2022 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
As if a sold out run at Radio City Music Hall wasn’t epic enough, jam-icon Trey Anastasio and indie-icon Father John Misty performed as special guests on the 6/25/22 show. Little did we know that this would soon lead to an ENTIRE TOUR of Trey Anastasio Band x Goose in Fall 2022!

WATCH NOW: August 18th, 2022 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
Check out Goose’s debut performance to a sold-out crowd at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre! nugs.net subscribers can watch the full show on-demand for a limited time at nugs.net/goosestreams.

Want to catch Goose live? Check out upcoming tour dates here.

Recap: The Black Keys at Red Rocks

by Jonathan Cohen

For most bands, the third show of a major tour is a time when they’re still finding their footing on stage, especially when its their first extended run of concerts in three years. Throw in a venue as formidable as Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver, and you have the makings of an up-and-down night of live performance. But on July 13, these challenges were quickly overcome by The Black Keys during a 21-song set that hit all the high points of the Akron, Ohio-reared rock duo’s two-decade career.

The group’s 2022 tour ostensibly comes in support of its new album, “Dropout Boogie,” but on this night, only two songs were played from it. Instead, vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney gave a major tip of the hat to their Mississippi hill country blues influences by covering songs by R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, John Lee Hooker, John Fahey and Richard Berry, many of which were included on their surprise 2021 release “Delta Kream.”

Those tunes were made all the more thrilling by the presence of guest guitarist Kenny Brown, who played with Burnside for years and is an acknowledged master of the slide guitar. “Definitely without a doubt there would be no Black Keys without this man here on guitar,” Auerbach said of Brown before the musicians launched into Hooker’s “Crawlin’ Kingsnake.” Indeed, an 18-year-old Auerbach once drove from Ohio to Mississippi to see his blues idols in person, and what he learned from them remains readily apparent in both his playing and singing to this day.

At Red Rocks, it could be heard during Keys tracks like the new album’s “It Ain’t Over,” which featured an excellent solo, and “Wild Child,” which delighted with its thick, screaming riffs. Show opener “I Got Mine” and the stomping “Your Touch” were also nice nods to the Keys’ early days emerging from an Akron basement and into a professional studio for the first time. They were also the oldest original songs on the set list, which omitted any non-covers from the Keys’ first three albums.

That left classics such as “Tighten Up,” “Howlin’ for You,” “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Lonely Boy” to carry the lion’s share of the show, which they did with aplomb thanks to backing by the Keys’ trusty touring band of keyboardist Ray Jacildo and guitarists/bassists Andy and Zach Gabbard. Encore opener “Little Black Submarine” offered a momentary change of pace from the down-and-dirty rock’n’roll, with Auerbach starting the song alone on acoustic guitar before the band kicked back in. The mournful “Ten Cent Pistol” also demonstrated the band’s well-honed dynamics, with Auerbach emoting under a lone spotlight prior to the tune’s final chorus.

Although the Keys traditionally play a similar set list from night to night, the group had something very special in its back pocket after “Little Black Submarine” when it paid tribute to close friend and collaborator Richard Swift, who died in 2018. With surprise guest Nathaniel Rateliff handling most of the vocals, the Keys covered Swift’s “Broken Finger Blues” for the first time ever (longtime Denver resident Rateliff also worked closely with Swift on his first two albums with The Night Sweats). The performance upped the emotional quotient of a show that had already rocked quite hard, proving that The Black Keys can hit you in the head just as well as the heart.

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Recap: Pearl Jam in California, May 2022

NOW STREAMING: Pearl Jam at Pinkpop Festival on June 18, 2022.

by Jonathan Cohen

Pearl Jam fans have spent the past 30+ years expecting the unexpected from the Seattle group, but there’s one thing that’s nearly never been in doubt: which members of the band would take the stage that night.

Indeed, Pearl Jam has only played a single show without one of its core five members — September 23, 2002 at the House of Blues in Chicago, when guitarist Stone Gossard was absent due to a prior commitment with Conservation International. It’s a remarkable streak that came to an end on May 12 in Oakland, CA, when drummer Matt Cameron tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss the gig.

Enter touring member Josh Klinghoffer, whose Pearl Jam fandom runs so deep that he owns the kit former drummer Jack Irons used in the band in the mid-1990s, and Richard Stuverud, a longtime collaborator of Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament who was once in consideration to fill the PJ drum seat. On 24 hours’ notice, they divided and conquered a set list and were ready for a Pearl Jam first: a show without Matt Cameron.

“Matt Cameron is a true artist and he’s a force of nature. However, even his superhero status could not prevent him from testing positive,” Eddie Vedder joked two songs into the set, which opened strong with a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” From there, we get to hear Klinghoffer and Stuverud put their own unique stamp on the Pearl Jam catalog, with some fascinating results.

Stuverud played “Even Flow” much more slowly than Cameron, its tempo in line with the 1992-era live versions with then-new drummer Dave Abbruzzese. On the other hand, “Jeremy” is almost too slow, sounding like a different song entirely. Klinghoffer gives “Why Go” a loose feel that sounds like really old Pearl Jam — a deviation from Cameron’s ultra-precise, ultra-powerful attack. With Klinghoffer on drums, “Corduroy” has steady propulsion with just the right bit of swing.

Things only got more interesting the next night at the same venue, with Klinghoffer pulling off “Once” very nicely and infusing the punky rarity “Brain of J” with the reckless abandon so crucial to its studio version from 1998’s “Yield.” Stuverud was excellent on drums on “W.M.A.,” which was played for the first time in six years as a full song and not just as a tag at the end of another. “Dissident” sounded great, too, in its new lower key, despite a couple flubbed transitions, while Klinghoffer deftly navigated the measured tension and release of the classic “Immortality” and didn’t hurry “Rearviewmirror.”

In what surely must have been a dream come true, Mill Valley high school student Kai Neukermans played drums on “Mind Your Manners,” after having been brought to Vedder’s attention by his similarly aged daughter Olivia. The song’s furious pace was no trouble at all for the young musician, who plays in a band called The Alive.

When you’re down a drummer, why not dust off a rarity that doesn’t have drums on it? Enter “Bee Girl,” only the ninth performance of the non-album cut since 2014.

These first two Oakland shows already would have gone down in Pearl Jam lore for their lack of Cameron and for the band’s innovative solution to the problem, but the May 16 performance in Fresno, CA, offered an even bigger surprise. For just the second time since he left the band in 1991, original drummer Dave Krusen joined Pearl Jam on stage — the only other being when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group in 2017 and played a solitary song with them.

“That first record seems to be a record that affected so many people,” Vedder says of Ten. “It’s such a nice thing. Our friend that was playing drums at that time, the amount of shows he got to play with us was fairly limited. This week, we’ll get to make up for that.”

Hearing an astonishing nine songs from Ten, all played by the man whose parts are immortalized on the album, is a revelation. Krusen either practiced a lot in a short period of time or possesses incredible muscle memory — maybe both. His command of the material is truly impressive after such a long time away from it, both on uncommon gems like a slow-burning take on “Garden” or familiar early ‘90s favorites like “State of Love and Trust,” which has a delightful garage-y flair here.

As easy as it could have been for Krusen to steal the show in Fresno, Klinghoffer isn’t to be upstaged on a lead vocal duet with Vedder on Prince’s “Purple Rain,” performed here for the first time ever by Pearl Jam (Vedder and Klinghoffer previously tried the song with The Earthlings a few months back). Momentarily taking the spotlight off his drumstick-wielding mates, guitarist Mike McCready goes to town on a solo cover of Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption,” while guitarist Stone Gossard takes a rare mic turn on the outtake “Don’t Gimme No Lip,” only its 14th time ever played live.

In addition, Stuverud’s presence is felt on “Quick Escape,” one of the heaviest new songs from Pearl Jam’s latest release, 2020’s Gigaton, and he has the bash-and-pop flavor of Keith Moon on the penultimate song of the evening, The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

“Thanks for this tonight. Thank you. I won’t forget this one,” Vedder said after the show-closing “Yellow Ledbetter.”

Sadly, Pearl Jam had another bout of bad luck post-Fresno, when Ament himself tested positive for COVID. The final two shows were canceled, leaving the three without Cameron as true outliers in the Pearl Jam live catalog. As Vedder said at Oakland night one, drummers are like engines, and for these unusual shows, it was a treat to experience how these different engines powered Pearl Jam’s music.

LISTEN NOW: Stream soundboard audio from Pearl Jam’s full tour.


Jonathan Cohen is a veteran journalist and talent booker known for his work at Billboard, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Variety and Spin. He is also the author of the 2011 New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, “Pearl Jam 20.”

Interview With Pixies Drummer David Lovering

Photo by Michael Barrett.

by Jonathan Cohen

nugs.net is streaming nine newly added, full-length concerts from alternative rock icons Pixies, including recordings from the band’s unexpected, massively anticipated 2004–2005 reunion tour — its first shows since their 1992 split. All shows feature the band’s original lineup of guitarist/vocalist Black Francis (real name: Charles Thompson), guitarist Joey Santiago, bassist Kim Deal, and drummer David Lovering.

Pixies’ reunion was initially pegged to an appearance at the 2004 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA, but the quartet understandably needed a little time to warm up before playing in the desert in front of 50,000 people at sunset. Hence, a run of small club dates in out-of-the-way locales was scheduled beforehand, opening April 13, 2004, at the 650-capacity Fine Line in Minneapolis. At that show, the group’s weird, loud, profoundly influential sound crackles through the speakers from the first seconds of “Bone Machine” to the last screeching guitar notes of the Deal-sung “Into the White” that closed the 27-song set, as screaming fans lose their minds.

Beyond the triumphant Coachella performance, the live Pixies collection also features a sold-out, four-night June 2004 run at London’s Brixton Academy plus several gigs from the following year, including a set at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Two rare 1991 shows from France (Lyon, May 27) and Bordeaux (June 1) offer an equally fascinating peek into the fierce live incarnation of a band that would be broken up less than a year later.

nugs.net spoke with Lovering about the early run of 2004 reunion dates, including that infamous Coachella set. Pixies are touring extensively this year, beginning June 22 in Rouen, France and wrapping Dec. 17 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Jonathan Cohen: Take me back in time to early 2004. How long did the band rehearse before the Minneapolis show?

David Lovering: Gosh, if I remember, I don’t think it was very long. I think we might have rehearsed for maybe two days, possibly? The Fine Line in Minneapolis was the first real test. If I recall, it was like riding a bike. It really was. There was nothing new I had to learn. It was all stuff that was nostalgic. This is what I grew up with and learned how to play. It was very easy, I think, for all of us. We just went over the stuff enough and trusted that the Fine Line would get us back in order.

That’s pretty remarkable after not having played together in 12 years!

Yeah! It’s funny now, because for this world tour coming up, we’re going to meet in France. We’ll do one rehearsal at the venue the day before the show, and it’s probably going to last four hours. Then we’ll say, yeah, we know it. We know it [laughs]. And then we’ll just show up the next day and start playing. That’s the way it is now.

Had you yourself played any Pixies songs on your own between the original breakup and the reunion?

Never, never. No. I mean, I pretty much gave up the drums for a period of time. I was resigned to the fact that the Pixies were a love that I had and something so special to me, but one that wasn’t going to happen again. I finally gave up drums and became a magician, believe it or not. It’s only a couple of letters off from ‘musician’ [laughs]. I really didn’t pick up the drums again until I knew we were re-forming, and that’s when I started playing. I bought a Roland electronic kit because I lived in a place where I couldn’t play drums, and an electronic kit was much more conducive for that environment. For two months, I started playing again.

What were those first few shows back like pre-Coachella?

I can say that it was the same feeling from rehearsals to actually doing the first gig. At the Fine Line, we were apprehensive and a little nervous. We hadn’t done it in a long time in front of an audience. But being out there, nothing had changed. The only thing that changed was, it was a different climate for us. In our absence, I know our popularity grew. At that first show, we were just kind of going balls out, if you’ll excuse the word. We all got blisters! We were sweating! But we were enjoying it. It was a small, intimate environment where you can feed off the crowd. We had a blast. That set us up for Coachella, but Coachella was another world in itself. When we went out there, it was a sea of kids who may not have been born when we were initially a band. But they knew the words and they were singing along. It was surreal. I had the chills playing. I’d never experienced that before. It was something else.

I was there at Coachella, and I remember you coming out from behind your drum kit to take photos of the crowd and the other band members.

Yes, I did. That was just something to behold.

The best part is that Radiohead went on right after Pixies. What a one-two punch!

Thom Yorke has said that he didn’t want to follow us [laughs]. He was a fan.

I remember talking to Charles around that time, and he told me the size of the Coachella crowd was almost lost on him because he could only really see out so far from the stage. Did you feel the same?

I did. At large festivals or shows like that, other than the first few rows that you can see, it’s hard to feel that intimacy. With Coachella, with everyone singing and holding up their lighters and phones, it gave the show a sense of unity.

How did the band evolve as a live entity during the time away? Or was Pixies in 2004 the same as it was in 1992?

I think it was the same as ’92. We knew how to play our instruments. It was really just, we came back to do what we did. It’s only in more recent history, from 2004 until now, when we’ve really been honing our craft, I think.

Were there songs you found a renewed love of playing? Or songs that were never or rarely played live in the original era?

I have no problem playing these songs. I love touring. I could play them forever. I don’t get sick of them at all. Nothing stood out in the gap that came to me later, but I know that we started playing “Here Comes Your Man,” which we never played back in the day. That was a pop song that was forbidden. We couldn’t play it. But once 2004 hit, we had the freedom and the right to do it, and we’ve been playing it ever since. I had to learn that song.

I know you had some personal challenges during that first tour as well.

My dad was dying. It was interesting, because in 2004, he did travel to England to see us, and that was a thrill. He had seen the Pixies years before, and for him to see us again on a different level, that was a treat for him. It was kind of heavy and did play a part in the experience. I remember him telling me that he was in the balcony with my mom — this older couple up there with all these young kids in Brixton. A conversation struck up and my mom said, oh yeah, that’s my son up there, and fans went wild. He hadn’t seen fans react like that before.

It’s hard to believe it has been almost 30 years since Pixies originally broke up.

At the seven-year mark of us having gotten back together in 2011, that was a longer period of time of us playing together than when we were initially a band. That was crazy. And to think now it’s 2022? It’s even more crazy.


New audio from nine 2004–2005 Pixies concerts is now streaming on nugs.net. Stream this latest drop and our entire catalog of live Pixies recordings.


Jonathan Cohen is a veteran journalist and talent booker known for his work at Billboard, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Variety, and Spin. He is also the author of the 2011 New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam 20.

10 Years In, The Nth Power Is Just Getting Started

The Nth Power. Photo by Cedric Pilard.

By B. Getz

LISTEN: Stream The Nth Power live concert recordings.

Impassioned purveyors of spiritualized dance music, The Nth Power makes a beeline straight for the soul. The torrid trio defies expectation and eschews industry norms, enjoying a profound emotional connection with fans that probes far deeper than surface levels.

“We want to be the biggest band on the planet, you know what I mean?” declares drummer Nikki Glaspie, co-founder of The Nth Power. “Who doesn’t want that for their band? But even more so, we want to make a positive difference in people’s lives.” 

Celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2022, The Nth Power is an anomaly in today’s musical landscape: a band whose mission is completely predicated on the healing power of music, and the concept of spreading love through song. Striving to be a genre-bending outfit, the unit thrives in the live setting, searing stages without sacrificing a modicum of integrity nor authenticity.

Infusing an amalgam of rooted elements — funk, soul, R&B, gospel, jazz and folklore — into their mellifluous elixir, The Nth Power’s infectious exploits have been described as “psychedelic church music wrapped up in heavy metal soul.” 

A decade into the game, this has proven to be an accurate assessment of sorts. Born as a quartet, swelling to a five-piece and eventually distilling to a tectonic trio, The Nth Power is on a prodigal path of righteousness, spreading joy, numbing pain, and making people dance their chaos away.

“The majority of our songwriting incorporates ideas that are both spiritual and timeless in equal measure,” says Nick Cassarino, guitarist/vocalist/co-founder of the ever-blossoming crew he leads with Glaspie and Nate Edgar (bass).  

Riding high on the heels of 2021’s critically acclaimed full-length LP Reverence, The Nth Power is experiencing a resurgence of sorts. Ably assisted by luminaries like Maceo Parker, Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville, Nick Daniels III, and late, great mentor Kofi Burbridge, Reverence was nearly four years in the making, and reflects a leveling up in their writing, a band stepping into their maturity.

“We learned so much from being around Kofi,” laments bassist Edgar, ruminating on the memories of the dearly-departed keyboardist/flutist, who passed away in 2019 after a long illness. “Kofi taught us about ‘oneness’ — in the music, and just with each other as a unit, as a family. He showed us a lot, and we loved hanging out with Kofi. We miss him every day.”

With ten years now in the rearview mirror, there’s quite a bit to look back on along The Nth Power’s fantastic voyage thus far. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride, not without its diversions and disappointment, trials and tribulations. Yet theirs is ultimately a thunder of triumph, a story told in music, art, community, family, and something bigger than the individuals making sounds onstage or those soaking them up in the audience.

Glaspie, Cassarino, and Edgar can trace their humble roots back to fertile Crescent City soil. The Nth Power famously first coalesced at the Maple Leaf Bar, way uptown in New Orleans, in May 2012 during one of the marathon all nighters that go down at Jazz Fest after dark. The well-worn origin story tells that the founding members were booked to perform in something of an all-star crew behind Jennifer Hartswick, the trumpet player and vocalist best known from Trey Anastasio Band. 

420 Fest, Atlanta, Georgia. May 1, 2022 featuring Jennifer Hartswick. Photo by Adam Berta.

An electrifying frontman and guitarist, Cassarino had been working with Hartswick since their days in the Green Mountain State; the jazz-schooled guitarist a contributor to various incarnations of her solo band. Cassarino has always wielded a bit of punk rock energy with his mojo; he’d also rocked with golden-era emcee Big Daddy Kane, as part of live hip-hop ensemble The Lifted Crew.

Glaspie is a veteran of several iconic bands over the past two decades; in the early 2000s she first hit the jam scene with funk-sax hero Sam Kinninger. Soon the powerhouse was drafted to drive the beats for Beyonce’s all-female backing band Suga Mama for five years. In the dizzying tailwind of numerous world tours with the R&B superstar, Glaspie jetted down to the Bayou to power the slammin’ grooves of Dumpstaphunk, Ivan Neville’s greasy New Orleans institution. 

Glaspie’s connection with Hartswick also dated back nearly a decade; when the drummer first approached the then-fledgling trumpet star on her home turf in Vermont, she inquired where to find some cannabis. Glaspie scored no smoke but made an important new friend, one who would call her for a gig that would swiftly change her career trajectory and her life. 

A multi-hued stylist on the bass guitar, Edgar is a virtuoso steeped in the fertile 90s/early 00s jam scene of the Northeast, most notably logging time with Groovechild and seminal American reggae band John Brown’s Body. Rather serendipitously, Edgar got the call from Glaspie and dropped everything to decamp to New Orleans and shred tunes for the Hartswick late-night performance at the Maple Leaf. 

On that fateful first night the three musicians were also joined by Nigel Hall, a talented keyboardist/vocalist and Lettuce/Soulive affiliate who’d recently relocated to New Orleans. In a matter of moments, the group would gel together mightily, and quickly prove adept at pushing grooves deep into the night, as is custom down there at that time of year. 

Yet as early as soundcheck before the gig, there was a certain spark in the air, an undeniable electricity between these seasoned players. Almost immediately, the four musicians realized there was something more profound within their midst. 

“We sorta knew that there was something there, almost right away. This was a connection that felt different. It felt powerful,” reflects Edgar, remembering the band’s somewhat spontaneous inception. “It felt like… us.”

Drummer Nikki Glaspie. One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans. April 28, 2018. Photo by Marc Millman.

Glaspie too felt the pull of something spectacular, and she left the bold-font bookings of Dumpstaphunk behind to start over at square one with a new vision called The Nth Power. She was willing to forgo sure-shot opportunities and a measure of security in this business to build something brand new, because she believed in it — and it was the band’s to grow from the ground up.

“You only get one life… at least that we know of. And we don’t actually get a lot of time in this life. The time that we spend here…is extremely valuable,” said Glaspie. “Each of us knew, like, right away that we had to do this.”

With that magical onstage alchemy established, The Nth Power was born to the world. 

When they first announced embarkation, the band was swiftly branded a “supergroup” side project, something they themselves may have initially considered. However it didn’t take long for the inspired group to refocus their attention wholly on this newly-divine endeavor.  

“Earth Wind & Power” tribute set. April 28, 2016. Photo by Marc Millman.
L to R: Courtney Smith, Kofi Burbridge, Oteil Burbridge, Farnell Newton, Nick Cassarino, Nikki Glaspie, James Casey, Natalie Cressman, Ian Neville, Weedie Braimah

In its infancy, The Nth Power channeled the grown and sexy vibes, wielding a fiery passion for funky R&B, touching on everything from Frankie Beverly & Maze to Earth Wind & Fire and Steely Dan to disco-era Four Tops. All of the classics were interpreted with an effortless swagger native to this assembly and their captivating sonic brew. 

The first handful of original Nth joints set a blueprint for what this band’s early sound would reveal: spirituality, sensuality, and unpredictability. Cassarino immediately stepped up with intricate, intimate songs, soon markedly enhanced by the cosmic contributions of his new bandmates. The squadron stopped at nothing to learn them inside and out, each adding their own specialized sauce to the stew. 

Weedie Braimah was the next to join the fold, hopping onboard in 2013. The renowned djembefola and percussionist proved a mighty addition; Braimah propelled the band’s ample musical and geographical wingspan to expand even wider. Vintage R&B jams were electro-charged with undercurrents powered by ancient African rhythms and drum languages. The Nth Power revealed oscillating, layered multi-part vocal harmonies, embedding them within their songs alongside funky jazz chords and uplifting invocations.  

Thanks to Braimah, a 100-plus generation ancestral djembe master, The Nth Power began to incorporate polyrhythmic elements to their gospelized gumbo, stunning elitist purists and hooking wide-eared funkateers alike. Some of the band’s ambitious, nascent explorations can be heard on their debut EP Basic Minimum Skills Test, released independently in 2013.

“We’re not building rockets over here, so it’s OK to veer off the usual path. Extending solos and going wherever feels natural in the moment onstage. Each composition has certain sections where we can flex in terms of improvisation. But, for the most part, we try to convey a complete idea and tell a whole story through a song,” Cassarino explains.

When tensions flared within and Hall departed in 2015, The Nth Power added keyboardist Courtney Smith to the fold, plucked from Braimah’s St. Louis-based contingent Kreative Pandemonium. With this change of personnel, their original songs and improvisational styles took a turn for the folkloric, incorporating more traditional and international influences to the recalescent tunes. 

Braimah left the group the following year rather amicably; he sought to pursue The Hands of Time, his own international all-star band curated in the folkloric tradition. Keys wiz Smith stayed on a while longer; The Nth Power continued to push the envelope on debut full length LP Abundance, released in 2016. This quartet configuration took ample advantage of Smith’s prominent church influence, as well as his sturdy R&B chops and elastic vocal range. 

The Nth Power trucked onward and upward with their patented brand of gospelized funk and throwback soul, while occasionally traversing toward the quiet storm of the 80s. This stylistic cross-section is best heard on vibrant live record Live to Be Free, released in 2017.  

Regardless of who is onstage alongside Glaspie, Edgar, and Cassarino — and these days it’s often just the power trio alone — The Nth Power still brings its stirring spirituality to the stage. The band’s aspirational medicine music continues to offer an opportunity for fans to receive something more profound than just a beat to boogie to.

“Throughout our time as a band, the intention has always been to put a focus on the healing power of music,” Edgar concurs. The Nth Power’s impassioned live shows are often so gripping that audience members regularly break out in tears. 

“We want to make music for people to dance to. Because not everybody wants to come to a show and start crying,” Cassarino admits. “I love it when people cry, because it means we’ve touched them deeply. But we also want them to have fun, too.” 

In addition to the rather unavoidable emotional quotient pulsating through their performances, the energy and messages within reveal an optional pathway for one to connect – or reconnect- with something bigger than ourselves, whatever that may mean to the individual. The Nth Power’s music is reverberating with such connection, yet devoid of any religious-type dogma, preaching, or judgements. 

“There’s Spirit swirling all around us, and as a band, we’re in touch with that,” Glaspie says. “We all believe in different things, but we all believe in something that’s more important than the physical realm. And it’s in the music.”

In addition to a catalog of scintillating original music, the group’s smattering of heavenly tributes to the likes of Earth Wind & Fire, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Steely Dan, Nirvana, and Marvin Gaye have raised the bar considerably for concerts of this kind. (The Nth Power’s 2018 Nirvana tribute show is now streaming on nugs.net.) Most often performed in New Orleans during Jazz Fest, or at assorted summer camping festivals around the country, The Nth Power’s trademark tribute sets have leveled up what’s possible in this capacity. 

Each concert is performed by a custom-curated ensemble of some of the finest players in the game. The faithful fashion in which they inhabit the legendary artists they’re covering — and the spirit of their songs — enables the band to reimagine iconic songbooks with a verve and panache that belies their relative youth. 

A prime example of this peerless tribute prowess can be heard on their live release Rebel Music: A Tribute to the Message of Bob Marley, an invigorating gallop through a smattering of Nesta’s most inspired cuts. 

In April 2022 The Nth Power unveiled a different look, taking the hallowed Amphitheater Stage at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park on a joyride through the annals of jam-rock history as part of the unprecedented The Nth Power Ball. In May, the group is bringing back the famed Earth, Wind & Power set with a new lineup for Jazz Fest 2022.

Yet the current day focus of The Nth Power is the core trio of OGs: Glapsie, Cassarino, and Edgar; a rock-solid musical family who’ve persevered through adversity without condition nor reservation. Each player continues to elevate their game with each emotionally-resonant chapter of their story. 

Brooklyn Bowl, New York, NY. Dec. 4, 2014. Photo by Marc Millman.
L to R: Nigel Hall, Nick Cassarino, Nikki Glaspie, Nate Edgar, Weedie Braimah 

A living, breathing organism, The Nth Power has taken numerous shapes and iterations over their unique evolution as a band. They’ve added and subtracted players, mounted all-star ensembles, performed and reunited in various lineups and incarnations. The extended musical family has become something of a collective. 

“It’s interesting to see how the band has shifted, evolved. We’ve taken all these different ebbs, flows and turns through our career,” notes Edgar. 

In recent years, Glapsie, Cassarino and Edgar have found their way back to working with Hall and Braimah, reuniting as The Original Nth Power for select engagements and unearthing several long-shelved classics from the early days.

“We’re like a family,” the bassist continues. “And you might have an estranged bro or something, but they’re gonna hopefully come back sometime, you know what I mean? And we get to hang out again and play music again.”

The Nth Power loves you. They tell you so all the time, the message is in the music. Ten years in, it still feels like they’ve only just begun. Thank you for the light.

B.Getz is a music-culture reporter and podcaster hailing from the Philly area who’s called northern California home for nearly a decade. Senior Correspondent at Live For Live Music, longtime contributor to JamBase, formerly with Everfest/Fest300, and host of The Upful LIFE Podcast — check out all things B.Getz at www.UpfulLife.com 

Bruce Springsteen Live at Madison Square Garden, May 16, 1988

LISTEN NOW: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – May 16, 1988

In Dreams You’re Mine All Of The Time

by Erik Flannigan

The Tunnel of Love tour again? That’s surely a sentiment some are expressing with this month’s release of New York 5/16/88, the outstanding opening night performance from the final, five-show stand on the US leg of the 1988 tour.

On the surface the POV is understandable, as most shows on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour shared the same narrative arc and core songs. However beautifully realized it was, the argument goes, how distinctive is one Tunnel show from another?

It’s curious that 1988 comes in for such carping when one of Bruce’s most-beloved tours, in support of Darkness on the Edge of Town ten years earlier, followed a similar formula, largely sticking to a consistent group of songs for the core set, augmented by select cover versions and rarities that made a particular show extra special.

Both tours showcased a trove of material not found on Springsteen’s studio albums. In 1988, that included originals “Be True,” “Seeds,” “Part Man, Part Monkey,” “Light of Day,” and “I’m a Coward,” the latter a (nearly) complete rewrite of Geno Washington’s “Geno Is a Coward.” Bruce played those five songs across the US tour. But as the Express rolled on, cover songs—most entirely new to Springsteen setlists—began to appear, seemingly out of nowhere. But behind the scenes, their origin was part of the 1988 journey all along.

While the ’88 main set stayed consistent over the tour’s first two months, Bruce and the band operated as a virtual jukebox during their afternoon soundchecks,, test-driving dozens of cover songs. Eventually, some graduated from these private rehearsals to the main set.

These pre-show performances were explorations of the music Bruce and the band—and importantly, the horn section—grew up on or newly admired. Long soundchecks, like those that took place in Atlanta, Tacoma, and New York, were practically mini-concerts played for their own enjoyment.

On opening night at Madison Square Garden, cover songs born in soundchecks ultimately tip the show from good to great. Now released in brilliant, multi-track audio with one very special bonus track, in the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel, MSG Night One “goes to 11.”

John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” is the first cover of the night, newly added to the set two shows prior in Minneapolis. Gritty guitar and horns combine to give “Boom Boom” swagger, and its inclusion feels topical given the subject matter (“take you in my arms, I’m in love with you”). Bruce tosses in a long, bonus “make loooove” to eliminate any ambiguity.

Preview of “Boom Boom” – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at MSG in 1998

Between “Boom Boom” and the first set’s other cover, Edwin Starr’s depressingly still-appropriate “War ” we are treated to a number of terrific performances. “Adam Raised a Cain,” reborn in 1988, offers a weighty lead vocal, including a fresh exchange with Nils towards the end. Bruce’s guitar work at the top of “Adam” and later in the solo are fiery, and the horns raise the drama to arena level. “Two Faces” is thoughtfully rendered and thematically resonant, as is “Cover Me”: Bruce dips into lyrics from the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” declaring “I need a little shelter now,” “It’s just a kiss away,” and his own revealing improvisation, “I can’t see no sunshine.” Not surprisingly given the circumstances we get an especially earnest “Brilliant Disguise,” too.

The cracking first set ends with another epic “Born in the U.S.A.,” played at a seemingly pacier tempo and loaded with emotive guitar soloing, synthesizer pitch-wheel bending, and a nifty bit of Max Weinberg cymbal pinging between channels as Bruce’s voice rises to sing, “I’ve got a picture of him in her arms.”

The second set keeps pace with the first, and while there are no surprises per se (those are still to come), the band is playing at their 1988 peak. For highlights, first among equals is “Walk Like a Man,” making its second full-band appearance in the Archive series and sounding more vivid and widescreen than the version captured in Detroit in March. The arrangement features what might be the best work by the Horns of Love of the entire tour. While everyone in the band is playing brilliantly, Garry Tallent’s bass gives the song a lush bed on which the other instrumentation flourishes. It’s a stunner.

The encores on the 1988 tour were consistently strong, and the addition of “Have Love, Will Travel” by The Sonics delightfully balances the Memphis soul of “Raise Your Hand” and “Sweet Soul Music” with Northwest garage rock. “Have Love” is another song that graduated from the encore to the main set, and for the night’s most special moment, Bruce played that hand again. 

“I’m gonna do a song now that’s a favorite song of mine,” he says. “I don’t sing it as good as the guy that originally sang it, but I like it a lot, and this is my night in the big room. I just love this song.”

What follows is a majestic, reverent, and perfectly arranged rendition of Roy Oribson’s “Crying.” Optimized for his vocal range, the performance features Springsteen singing with stunning control. What Orbison brings the song in soaring, operatic notes, Bruce makes up for with power and conviction. What a treat to add it to the master song list of the Live Archive series.

It’s no surprise that Bruce was feeling triumphant at the end of the night, and his band commemorates the moment in the most Big Apple way possible, playing an instrumental “New York, New York” for his walk-off music.

“New York, New York” was the last song of the 5/16/88 show, but it isn’t the final track on this release. We’re gifted a glimpse into those legendary soundtracks with the inclusion of “In Dreams,” recorded pre-show.

Bruce’s Orbison bonafides were well established even before participating in the television tribute special A Black and White Night, shot in September 1987. He had explored The Big O’s music in soundchecks for weeks leading up to New York City. The only E Street Band performances of “Crying” appeared during this MSG run, but “In Dreams” never even made it to the show. 

The Archive has been fortunate to feature two other songs from 1988 soundchecks, “For You Love” from 5/23 and “Reason to Believe” from 3/28. But “In Dreams,” perhaps the most mystical song in the Orbison canon, feels most like we’ve snuck into the venue early and heard something only intended for the musicians on stage. What a treat. When “In Dreams” finishes, Bruce offers a self-review of their performance that I won’t spoil, but you’re sure to smile as I did. 

The first night at Madison Square Garden in 1988 is an outstanding Tunnel of Love performance and, better still, a previously unheard and worthy homage to one of the biggest musical influences in Springsteen’s career.

LISTEN NOW: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – May 16, 1988

‘I Miss You Already’: Pearl Jam’s ‘Smile,’ Then And Now

by Jonathan Cohen

There’s an old adage that being in a band is one of the closest experiences to being married — not only must you learn to navigate around each member’s individual personality quirks in oftentimes sub-optimal conditions, but you have to do so while attempting to be at your creative peak. It’s no wonder bands break up, lose members, gain members, reform, and break up again on a daily basis.

Although Pearl Jam went through four drummers in its first seven-plus years of existence, the Seattle band’s lineup has been stable since drummer Matt Cameron joined in 1998. At its core, Pearl Jam is built on the personal and creative alchemy of guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, who met in Seattle and 1983 and have more or less been playing music together ever since: first in the proto-grunge combo Green River, then Mother Love Bone and, finally, Pearl Jam, which formed in October 1990.

It was Gossard and Ament who found solace in another after Mother Love Bone frontman Andy Wood died of a drug overdose, and began writing the material that would eventually be released on Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten” and the all-star one-off self-titled LP from Temple Of The Dog. It was also Gossard and Ament who invited an unknown vocalist from San Diego named Eddie Vedder to come jam in Seattle after the pair were astonished by vocals he’d recorded atop three of their demo tape instrumentals. The rest, as they say, was rock’n’roll history.

Gossard and Ament’s long-lasting partnership remains central to Pearl Jam in 2021, on the heels of the band’s first performances in more than three years. At Pearl Jam’s third set at the Ohana Festival on Oct. 2, it was on full display during a performance of “Smile” from the 1996 album “No Code.” As Vedder remarked from the stage, “They have been hanging out and collaborating and being great friends — they never went to lover status — but they’ve been together for almost 38 years. Let it be known that loyalty could get you far.”

The audio from that show debuts today on nugs.net; Pearl Jam’s one and only complete performance of “No Code” from Moline, Ill., in October 2014 is also now available on SVOD.

“Smile” is notable in the Pearl Jam catalog for the fact that Gossard and Ament switch instruments when performing it live. Ament wrote the music for the track in the mid-‘90s, and Vedder later added lyrics inspired by a note that Dennis Flemion of Chicago band The Frogs had left tucked inside one of his notebooks. The refrain “I miss you already / I miss you always” is one of the most poignant on “No Code,” and only serves to reinforce the importance of love and friendship, be it in a band or in a relationship.

As Ament told me for the 2011 book “Pearl Jam 20,” he brought the kernel of “Smile” to the “No Code” sessions alongside a handful of other ideas he thought were far more interesting. But as often happens in Pearl Jam, Ament was pleasantly surprised when his bandmates gravitated toward his “two-parter Neil Young nod of the cap” and pushed for its inclusion on the album.

For whatever reason, “Smile” was the last song from “No Code” to be performed live on the 1996 tour in support of the album (“I’m Open” wasn’t debuted on stage until 2006), and to date it has been played the fifth-fewest times (86) of the record’s 13 tracks. But that scarcity makes it an enduring fan favorite. Live, “Smile” is grittier and a bit faster than its recorded counterpart, and includes a repeated, truncated version of the main riff to replace the fadeout on the album. On stage, Ament gets the opportunity for a whammy bar-enhanced guitar solo, and Vedder’s harmonica playing is also a highlight, as it is rarely seen during Pearl Jam shows and conjures an almost campfire vibe.

At Ohana, “Smile” was not actually on the printed setlist and was instead called as a perfect audible between a cover of Brandi Carlile’s “Again Today” (with guest vocals from Carlile herself) and “Porch,” which closed the main set. It’s another potent reminder of the camaraderie from which Pearl Jam was born and continues to power the band past its 30th anniversary.

Start a trial to listen to the Ohana audio and watch the Moline, IL “No Code” show.

Mind-Blowing Summer Bluegrass

Our No Bummer Summer highlights continue this week with four of our favorite summer concerts from Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Billy Strings. Read all about these shows, give them a listen in the nugs.net app, then get ready to see them on the road this summer!

Greensky Bluegrass

Camp Greensky Music Festival, Wellston, MI – June 8, 2019

We can’t wait to return to Camp Greensky in 2022. Greensky Bluegrass’ home festival is a bluegrass mecca that takes place in Wellston, Michigan each year, AKA the most beautiful place in the world to host a summer bluegrass festival. If you’re itching for a taste of Camp Greensky, put on this classic performance from 2019’s festival. Towards the end of the first set, Lindsey Lou lends her vocals to “In Control.” Later, Lyle Brewer joins on Guitar for “Wings for Wheels”, and a wildly fun jam on “Kerosene.”

The Infamous Stringdusters

Red Rocks, Morrison, CO – August 4, 2018

It’s common knowledge Bluegrass is best enjoyed outdoors and in the summer. With that in mind, an August Infamous Stringdusters concert at Red Rocks might just be heaven on earth. The Dusters are in peak form during this 2018 string-filled performance. Check out their cover of Grateful Dead’s “Tennessee Jed” about halfway through the set and enjoy the full spectrum of jamgrass. One thing’s for sure, we can’t wait to get back to Red Rocks this summer for even more bluegrass.

Yonder Mountain String Band

Summer Camp, Chillicothe, IL – May 25, 2018

Summer Camp Music Festival returns this August with a massive lineup of the biggest names in jam, bluegrass, electronica, and more. Even though it’s not happening in May this year, we can still enjoy audio from Summer Camps past, like this classic 2018 performance from Yonder Mountain String Band. There are some great guests on this one including Al Schnier on guitar for “Damn Your Eyes.” Later, Keller Williams provides enough cowbell on “Don’t Fear The Reaper” to satisfy even Christopher Walken.

Billy Strings

Blue Ox Music Festival, Eau Claire, WI – June 15, 2019

Billy. Strings. What more is there to say about the ascendent king of bluegrass? No one commands a guitar quite like Billy and every time he takes the stage it’s a mind blowing unique experience. As Billy gets back on the road this summer, listen to audio from his 2019 performance at Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It’s a wild and mesmerizing ride at one of the most fun bluegrass festivals in America. Banjoist Cory Walker joins Billy for a show highlight version of “Black Clouds.” One listen and you’ll understand why you need to see Billy live this summer.

Interview With Snarky Puppy Crew Members, Matthew Recchia and Felicity Hall

This week we’ve got four new shows from Snarky Puppy streaming in the nugs.net app. This month’s releases feature 2018 and 2019 performances from The Boulder Theater; The Belly Up; Bitef Art Cafe in Belgrade, Serbia; and O2 Apollo in Manchester, United Kingdom. Alongside the new shows, we talked to Snarky Puppy’s live sound engineer and stage manager, Matthew Recchia, and Assistant Tour Manager, Felicity Hall. Read the full interview below and then check out their favorite tracks from the new shows streaming now in the nugs.net app!

Matthew Recchia

nugs.net: Being a sound engineer for a band as large as Snarky Puppy is no easy task. Was there a big learning curve working with a band of upwards of 19 members, all of whom have varying solos in an improvisational setting?

MR: Absolutely! The first few tours I joined with the band were filled with endless learning experiences. More often than not in the early days, it was deciding how to fit 40+ channels onto 32-channel consoles while keeping the band happy in the process! That, and learning to use whatever equipment and microphones were on hand to the best of my ability. This was before we carried a microphone package and had to rely heavily on the venue’s stock of gear.

nugs.net: Snarky Puppy tours extensively through many varying rooms across the world which of course adds challenges to your job. What venue stands out as a favorite space to mix a live Snarky Puppy show in & why?

MR: I have been fortunate to see some incredible venues through touring with this band. Picking a favorite seems impossible! If I have to pick one- I’m always happy to see the SFJazz Center in San Francisco on our touring schedule. They have a fantastic crew to work with, a well-treated room with excellent acoustics and plenty of PA, and because we usually play multiple nights- only one load in! 

nugs.net: What four words describe life on the road with Snarky Puppy?

MR: Bandwiches, Horns, Espresso, Doors

Felicity Hall

nugs.net: Being involved in the logistics with a 19+ piece band sounds similar to maintaining a circus. How have you been able to maintain organization with such a large team? 

FH: I’ve joined the Snarky crew relatively recently, and I’ve been amazed at how smoothly the whole thing runs. The crew know their individual roles inside out, and the logistics of touring are made much easier when you’ve got such a dedicated and knowledgeable crew. Because the band have been together for so long, everybody is pretty responsible when it comes to being where they need to be and when. Since I’ve started touring I’ve also developed a deeply personal relationship with spreadsheets. Lots of them. Allll the time.

nugs.net: Snarky Puppy tours extensively throughout the world. What challenges do you face while touring through various countries, languages & cultures?  

FH: Every culture has its own unique problems and difficulties, and some things which one person considers completely normal are a totally alien concept to others. Learning how to understand different cultures when you’re only in a country for a day or two is a skill that comes with time, and each show you do in another country you learn a bit more about that country and have slightly more of an idea what to expect the next time. But of course, there’s always something that happens everywhere you go that throws a curveball into the works! 

nugs.net: What four words describe life on the road with Snarky Puppy? 

FH: Challenging, evolving, exciting and unique.

Our Favorite Summer Jams

Over the past year, jam bands have been resilient, finding new and creative ways to reach fans craving the music they love. Now, live music is roaring back and the fans are excitedly returning to their favorite venues for summer concerts. We’re continuing our ‘No Bummer Summer’ series this week with five of our favorite summer concerts that will have you ready to return to the lot and catch your favorite jam bands.

Umphrey’s McGee

Lakefront Green, Chicago, IL – August 8, 2019

A homecoming show makes for a great performance from any band, but it’s not often you get to see a band play a hometown site as scenic as Umphrey’s McGee’s 2019 performance at Chicago’s Lakefront Green. It was a special show, played right next to Lake Michigan during the height of a beautiful Chicago summer. The band took time throughout the show to interact with fans and share memories of living in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The show kicks off with the band’s debut performance of “Punchable Face”. The ode’s to Chicago are present throughout the show through its end with a Chicago themed performance of “Gulf Stream ” to close out the encore. 

Dead & Company

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL – June 15, 2019

Speaking of Chicago, nothing says summer quite like an outing to the windy city’s Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. This performance from Dead & Company is among their best. It’s loose, fun, and played to a packed crowd in one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in America. It gets off to a great start early with Bob Weir leading the band through a version of “Sugar Magnolia ” with a mesmerizing guitar solo from John Mayer. The first set continues with hits including “High Time” (first performed by Dead & Company earlier in the summer), “Friend of the Devil,” and “Mama Tried.” The second set features some incredible jams during “Sugar Magnolia” and a remarkable performance of “Franklin’s Tower” led by John Mayer. The hot summer night show ends with fantastic encore versions of “Ripple” and “One More Saturday Night.” 

Goose

The Peach Music Festival, Scranton, PA – July 27, 2019

Goose’s 2019 performance is fast approaching mythical status. A perfect festival concert that propelled the Connecticut jammers to jam-band stardom. There’s a reason the world has Goose fever, and it’s all present in this tight 8-song set. Goose staples like “Madhauvan,” “Time To Flee,” and “Arcadia,” are joined by Grateful Dead’s “Mississippi Half Step” and Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is.” Pay attention during “Wysteria Lane” for some Magic School Bus teases too. The show is closed out with style during the fan-favorite anthem “Hot Tea.” It’s a 90-minute primer to all things Goose and it’s the perfect soundtrack as we get ready for Peach Festival 2021 in just a few short weeks.

Widespread Panic

Trondossa Music Festival, North Charleston, SC – May 6, 2018

This 2018 performance is Widespread Panic at their most Widespread Panic, in the best way possible. Playing at Trondossa, their home music festival in South Carolina, the boys put together the ultimate performance for new fans and old heads alike. From the opening “Porch Song” to the closing “Conrad The Caterpillar,” this one is heaters start to finish. As the first set comes to a close, the band is joined by none other than Sturgill Simpson on guitar for J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” and The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Give this show a listen and get back in that Panic spirit because the band is back together in two weeks for the first time since March 2020! 

The Disco Biscuits

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO – May 30, 2021

Bisco Inferno’s 2021 return was a thrilling experience. The Disco Biscuits’ famous yearly performances at Red Rocks were extra special this year and the band came ready to play to the mystified audience. The weekend’s finale performance was filled with rare tracks that are sure to blow the minds of Biscuits fans. The show includes only the band’s 11th ever cover of Guns N’ Roses “November Rain,” which features a tease of Genesis’ “That’s All.” Adding to the list of rare covers, The Disco Biscuits covered Grateful Dead’s “I Know You Rider” for the first time in over five years to close out the final set. This show was a clear indication, it’s going to be a No Bummer Summer indeed.

Get Ready For A Rocking No Bummer Summer on nugs.net

Live music is finally back and as bands return to the road, we’re officially declaring it a No Bummer Summer. What makes a ‘No Bummer Summer’? High temps, hard rock, mesmerizing jams, blazing bluegrass, and crowds of fans singing along to name a few. To get fans in the #NoBummerSummer mindset, we’ve put together lists featuring our favorite summer shows streaming in the nugs.net app starting with Rock n’ Roll. These legendary shows from Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, Pearl Jam, Metallica, The White Stripes, and Stone Temple Pilots will have you amped up and ready to rock the moment summer hits.

Joan Jett And The Blackhearts

HellFest, Clisson, FR – June 22, 2018

As music lovers everywhere get ready for summer shows, we’re highlighting our favorite summer concerts streaming in the nugs.net app. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, fronted by one of the greatest performers and icons in rock ‘n’ roll history, are providing fans across the globe with a virtual front row seat to their unparalleled live show. The band is streaming their epic 2018 performance at Hellfest, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe held annually in Clisson France, exclusively on nugs.net. Available now as audio and video on-demand in the nugs.net app, the epic concert features a career-spanning set filled with monster hits and fan favorites, including “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” and more.

Pearl Jam

Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA – July 13th, 1998

Standing in the crowd at a Pearl Jam concert in the summer of 1998 was one of the most exhilarating experiences of a lifetime. You can feel that rush for yourself with this classic performance from Los Angeles’ Great Western Forum. It’s filled with hits from ‘Yield’, ‘No Code’, ‘Vitalogy’, ‘Vs’, and ‘Ten’ including everything from “Alive” to “Wishlist.” After 10 minutes with this show, you’ll be transported right back to ‘98 with your CD player and your shoulder-length hair. With two encores and a “Baba O’Riley” finale, this is a must-listen.

Metallica

Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI – July 1st, 1994

Enter a sprawling 1994 summer mosh pit with this vintage Metallica performance. Part of the ‘Summer Shit’ tour, this concert is a rager from start to finish. The sound of metal clashing from Lars’ drum kit will light a fire in your soul as James’ voice belts out to the mystified audience in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Light up this show and scream along to legendary Metallica tracks including “Master of Puppets,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Fade To Black,” and a wild five-song encore. Unleash your wild summer spirit with this legendary show.

The White Stripes

Snowden Grove Amphitheater, Southaven, MS – July 31st, 2007

The raw kinetic energy of any given White Stripes show is unmatched, but the band’s final show was truly something to behold. Playing to a roaring crowd in Southaven, Mississippi outside Memphis, The White Stripes laid down a definitive performance for the ages under a hot July Delta sun. It’s a bold, intense performance, and most importantly it’s LOUD. Just listen to the extent that Jack White leans into “Wasting My Time” and you’ll understand why this is one of the greatest rock performances of all time. It’s impossible to listen to this show and not be hyped for the next big summer rock concert. It won’t be long until we’re standing in a packed amphitheater braving 90-degree weather again.

Stone Temple Pilots

Harris Park, London, ON – July 23rd, 2011

“Flies in the vaseline we are” – Get stuck in this high octane performance from Stone Temple Pilots featuring original vocalist Scott Weiland. The London, Ontario concert from summer 2011 is the perfect music to open your sunroof, roll down the windows, or put the top down as you ride around through town. The show includes a perfect live performance of their mega-hit, “Plush,” with the screaming crowd singing along. You’ll be singing along too.

Get ready for wild summer concerts to return with these shows and tons more legendary rock performances in the nugs.net app.

Interview with Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy

It’s the second Wednesday of the month and that means new concerts from Snarky Puppy are now streaming on nugs.net. Alongside this month’s releases, we spoke to Justin Stanton, a man who wears many hats with Snarky Puppy. Read the full interview below and check out Justin Stanton’s Picks, a free playlist in the nugs.net app featuring his favorite tracks from this month’s releases.

nugs.net: Your name is synonymous with the term multi-faceted musician. From keys to horns to composition you clearly have a wide range of talents. Has your approach to each instrument changed at all during your time with the very vast lineup that is Snarky Puppy? 

Justin Stanton: Playing in Snarky Puppy has most certainly rearranged my priorities as a musician. Before, I had always considered trumpet my primary instrument and piano a secondary instrument. My first gigs with the band in 2006 were on trumpet when I subbed for Jay. Some months later, Mike asked if I would be interested in playing keys in the band. I tried to politely decline, saying I didn’t think I was anywhere near the level needed to play the gig. In true Mike League fashion, he said, “You’ll be fine!” For a few years, I was the only keyboard player on most of the shows. I definitely wasn’t ready for the responsibility at the time, but I’m glad I was given the opportunity and I’m glad I took it. Of course, the band has evolved so much since those days, and so many great keyboardists have played (and still play) in the band. I’ve learned tons of lessons – musically and personally – from each one of them, and I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way, too. There were a lot of growing pains along the way overcoming insecurities about my musical worth. Rather than comparing myself to my fellow musicians against the yardstick of what made them great, I had to find within myself what was unique about what I had to offer and develop that. I think most musicians would consider themselves multi-faceted. I am enjoying this stage in my development, but I’m excited about how things will evolve as new opportunities present themselves.

nugs.net: When you get back on the road, do you plan to switch up your touring rig? Are there any new pieces of equipment you have been experimenting with during the year off you’ve had?

JS: For years now, there has been a strong preference toward an “analog” sound in the band. We’ve had the good fortune to play a lot of really great instruments not only in the studio but onstage as well. Depending on who else is on keys when we tour, I might be playing Fender Rhodes, Sequential Prophet 6, Minimoog, Mellotron, Clavinet, Nord Stage, or Korg Kronos. Right before the pandemic began, I traveled to Lisbon to visit my girlfriend before a Snarky Puppy tour. Of course, the tour got canceled – along with all of my subsequent obligations in the US. I ended up staying in Lisbon, and I had only packed a suitcase with some clothes. In order to continue working from Lisbon, I had to completely rethink my setup since all of my gear was in New York. So, over the past year, I’ve taken a deep dive into VSTs. It’s been a great learning process, and I’ve found some really powerful instruments. I’m really excited to incorporate them into the fabric of the music going forward because it allows a greater degree of control and accuracy of achieving the sounds from the records. There is an aspect of excitement that stems from the spontaneity of dialing up sounds on the fly on an analog instrument that doesn’t have the capabilities of presets, but I think there’s room in the music for both worlds to exist, so I’m looking forward weaving the new sounds into the mix.

nugs.net: How has the inability to tour affected your ability to compose? Have you felt more or less inspired to write? 

JS: Inspiration comes and goes like it always does, but being at home with a constant setup has provided a consistency and grounding that makes the work of composing much easier. It’s not impossible to write on the road, but conditions are inconsistent, and the tools for writing are usually makeshift. Whereas on tour I might find an empty dressing room to tuck away with my laptop and two-octave MIDI controller, all I have to do at home is walk into my room where everything is set up exactly as I left it. I have a nice Yamaha U3 upright piano that’s inspiring to play, a Soyuz microphone to record trumpet and vocals, and an 88-key controller that’s programmed to work seamlessly with my software instruments. It’s not a high-end recording setup by any means, but the consistency and dedicated space make sitting down to work on music a joy. 

nugs.net: What four words describe life on the road with Snarky Puppy?

JS: Eat. Music. Sleep. Repeat.

Interview With Bill Laurance of Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy is back with another nugs.net streaming release. Four new shows join the 60+ concerts added to the nugs.net streaming library in March. The band’s keyboardist, Bill Laurance, has picked four of his favorite tracks from this month’s releases and compiled them into a playlist that’s free for anyone to listen to in the nugs.net app and desktop player. We talked to Laurance about Snarky Puppy, collaboration, and more:

nugs.net: How has joining Snarky Puppy and the Ground Up Music Family affected your approach to compositional collaboration? 

Bill Laurance: Collaboration is an essential part of the creative process and Snarky Puppy and the GroundUP family hold this at the heart of everything they do. I’ve been fortunate to witness over the years how an openness to collaboration can lead to some of the most unique and unexpected results, gifting the music with a wider and often fresher perspective. 

nugs.net: You have had musical collaborations within a wide range of the arts from dance to film to sound production and more. Has your work with these various mediums shaped the way you approach improvisation within the live setting?  

BL: Most definitely. Collaborating with filmmakers and choreographers provides a fresh perspective on how to tell a story. These days when I’m improvising on stage, I try to think about the story. About the characters and what they might do or what they might say. Writing for dance and film can make you think again about the narrative in the music and I try to represent this when I’m improvising live on stage.

nugs.net: One of the tracks you highlighted in the latest nugs.net x Snarky Puppy playlist is Lingus from 5/5/17 with Jacob Collier as the special guest. Could you tell us about how the sit-in with Jacob came about?

BL: We first met Jacob for the 2nd family dinner album in New Orleans with Snarky Puppy. He’s such a unique and special talent. I like to think that he understands harmony like Neo understands the Matrix. He also lives in London and so we invited him to come and sit in for the show at London’s Brixton Academy. He’s one of those rare musicians who seems to have no limits so watching him play is always going to be something special. 

nugs.net: What are four words that describe life on the road with Snarky Puppy?

BL: Family, lobby calls, always stretching, sleep when you’re dead. (sorry more than four…) 

Head to the nugs.net app or desktop player and check out the Bill Laurance’s Picks playlist in the free shows section and explore our full library of Snarky Puppy concerts.

Interview With Michael League of Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy’s full nugs.net catalog is now streaming for the first time ever. In addition to their existing library, new shows from the genre-bending band will be added to the nugs.net catalog on the second Wednesday of every month. We talked to bassist & founder of Snarky Puppy, Michael League about the band, live music, and more:

nugs.net: You’re a formative member of Snarky Puppy, and continue to compose and produce the vast catalog that Snarky Puppy has created. How does the rotating cast of the Snarky Puppy ensemble change your approach to those original compositions within a live setting?

Michael League: We really don’t even try to make the live versions of the songs resemble the studio recordings unless that’s the most effective way to express the song while on tour. It’s about creating the best possible result in the environment in which we are, rather than trying to recreate something that we made in a vastly different environment. And really, the individual players and personalities on stage constantly push the songs in new directions, which for me is the main allure of touring. I love to see the songs grow.

nugs.net: Snarky Puppy’s music transcends the border of the United States, as the live catalog proves. Has the constant international touring affected the live sounds of your performances? Does the culture of the country you are performing in ever lead to live improv inspired by the location?

ML: Absolutely. We named one of our records “Culcha Vulcha” for this reason. Whenever we travel, we try our best in the little time we have to mix and mingle with the great musicians of whatever city we’re in. We’ve spent many late nights and early mornings in places like Brazil, Perú, Turkey, etc. hanging with, listening to, playing with, and taking lessons from the masters of the music from those musical cultures. It’s inevitable that certain things will slip into the music.

nugs.net: Something that stands out to us from the latest batch of Snarky shows on nugs.net is the incredible cast of special guests. It’s an incredible display of cross-cultural commonality. How does Snarky Puppy go about finding each special guest and how do you know each artist will work well with your compositions in a live space? 

ML: Most of the guests that join us for live shows are already friends of ours or at least friends of friends. But sometimes we’ll just contact someone we love and respect out of the blue to see if they’d like to join us for a song. The truth is that the music world is very small, so you’re never really more than one degree of separation from a person you respect.

nugs.net: What four words describe life on the road with Snarky Puppy?

A: Family. Food. Growth. Love.

Head to the nugs.net app or desktop player and check out our full library of exciting shows from Snarky Puppy! You can also check out two free playlists curated by Michael League in the free shows section, no subscription required.

Jimmy Buffett ‘Lounging at the Lagoon’ in Pensacola, February 2013 Concert

Jimmy Buffet Pensacola concert. Photo: Ben Twingley / Pensacola News Journal

The first show of Jimmy Buffett’s Nothin’ But Time 2021 Virtual Tour airs Saturday, March 6th on nugs.net  featuring the penultimate date of the 2012/13 Lounging at the Lagoon tour. The “Lounging” tour took Jimmy all over the country from San Francisco to Camden, New Jersey. As the tour came to a close, Jimmy pulled out all the stops for this Mardi Gras week Jimmy Buffet concert with 25 songs full of coastal fun. 

Taking place on February 5th, 2013 at the Pensacola Bay Center near the Floribama Shore, the show includes rare appearances of “Frank and Lola,” “Floridays,” and more. A highlight of the show, Nadirah Shakoor shines on a reworked “Queen” version of the “King of Something Hot’ to close out the first half of the show. 

Midway through the performance, the band goes acoustic for three songs including Will Kimbrough’s “Piece of Work,” “Pencil Thin Mustache,” and Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s “Southern Cross.” After Eddie Vedder was suddenly no longer able to attend New Orleans’ Jazz Fest in 2012, Jimmy was called in sub-in alongside Mac McAnally and Sonny Landreth. The all-acoustic Jazz Fest set was so much fun that it became a nightly feature of the 2012/13 tour dubbed “The Beach Band”. With Mardi Gras in the air, John Lovell brings a special jazz trumpet flare to “Pencil Thin.”  

The show is punctuated with an anthemic and beachy take on Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.” The cover was a staple of the Lounging at the Lagoon tour, only played once outside of 2012/2013 with beautiful horns and Nadirah Shakoor supporting on vocals. 

Two encores round out the night. The first catches Mac McAnally taking on “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” before Jimmy Returns to vocals for “Fins.” The second encore is truly something special with a rare tour appearance of “When The Coast is Clear.”  It’s a wild and fun Mardi Gras week show from down in the Gulf. Pour your margarita and get ready because we’ve got Nothin’ But Time this Saturday night. 

If you can’t make the livestream or want to re-live the experience, this Jimmy Buffet concert and every show from the Nothin’ But Time Virtual Tour will be added to the nugs.net streaming video library for subscribers. For more info and to start a free trial, head to nugs.net/buffett.