Dead & Company Summer Recap

Dead & Company is hitting the road against later this month. Their Fall Fun Run kicks off on Halloween night and will feature six shows in three cities. If you don’t live in New York, Uniondale, or Hampton, you’re not out of luck. All six shows will be webcast on nugs.tv. Every webcast is available to pre-order right now, so make your plans and get ready for six spectacular nights with Bobby, John, Oteil, Jeff, Bill, and Mickey.

Once you’ve marked the dates on your calendar and pre-ordered the webcast, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to get ready for the band to take the stage. We’ve assembled a free YouTube playlist featuring 32 tour openers from the Dead & Company summer tour. Watch them all together and you’ll be primed and ready for October 31st.

There’s plenty of highlights in these shows from breathtaking venues to mind-blowing jams. This playlist recaps the full summer tour experience. You’ll travel with the band from Mountain View California to Dallas, Texas. You’ll make stops in legendary locations like The Patriots’ Gilette Stadium and The Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field. Then there’s The Gorge which is one of the most awe-inspiring stages in the world. This playlist is full of variety including “Shakedown Street,” “Bertha,” “Feel Like a Stranger,” “Here Comes Sunshine,” and tons more. Give it a watch and you’ll be primed and ready for Halloween.

The Peach 2019 Recap

Peach Fest 2019 was easily one of our favorite weekends of the summer. The festival was filled with fantastic performances. Don’t worry if you couldn’t tune in for every minute of the show, we’ve got you covered with a full list of on-demand shows from this weekend. Subscribe to nugs.net to take performances from Peach Fest 2019 and over 15,000 live shows with you wherever you go.

Thursday


Aqueous

Billy Strings

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Set 1)

The String Cheese Incident

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Set 2)

Friday


Larkin Poe

The Infamous Stringdusters

Blues Traveler

moe.

The String Cheese Incident (Set 1)

The String Cheese Incident (Set 2)

Saturday


Star Kitchen

Lettuce

Greensky Bluegrass

Trey Anastasio Band

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

Sunday

Yonder Mountain String Band

Inaugural Peach Guitar Pull

The Marcus King Band

Warren Haynes & Grace Potter


More Audio From The Peach

Dopapod

BIG Something

The String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks 2019 Recap

Night One


The String Cheese Incident kicked off their 2019 Red Rocks run in style with the help of Cory Wong. After his opening performance, Wong and several members of his band joined SCI for “Freedom Jazz Dance” during the first set. Following set break, Cheese returned to the stage with Cory Wong and co. Together they performed a rousing take on “I Wish,” which you can watch below.

Cory Wong: Full Performance

Set I Opener: Little Hands

Set II Opener: I Wish

Night Two:


The second night at Red Rocks was filled with tributes, anniversaries, and Keller Williams. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their collaborative album “Breath,” Keller and Cheese played the album front to back. The special set was an absolute delight. During the third set, a horns section known as Horns Bruceby joined during “Jellyfish” and stayed for the remainder of the set. Later, the band paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 by playing space-themed jams including tracks from Close Encounters, Star Wars, Star Trek, and more.

Set I Opener: Stupid Questions

Set II Opener: Love Is All Around

Set III Opener: All We Got

Night Three


Sunday opened with a special set featuring bluegrass legend Del McCoury, celebrating his 80th birthday. After Cheese took the stage, the band took time to bring Del up and sang “Happy Birthday” with the packed crowd. After the celebration, Del and members of his band stayed on stage for several tunes. The second set opener featured a specially choreographed dance from Denver’s own Celtic Steps, River Dancers that accompanied “Rivertrance.”

Set I Opener: Chatter

Set II Opener: Rivertrance (with Denver’s own Celtic Steps, River Dancing)


Purchase Audio From All Three Nights

Festival Highlights

We’re celebrating festival season by looking back at some of our favorite festival performances including Dead & Company at LOCKN’, Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza Paris, Pearl Jam at Voodoo Fest, Widespread Panic at Bonnaroo, and more from your favorite artists.


Dead & Company: LOCKN’ 2018

It’s always a treat to catch Dead & Company on the road, but this festival appearance was extra special. The Show opens with an incredible “Playin’ in the Band” that is later reprised with a tease during “Loser.” The band returned from set-break with a new addition, Branford Marsalis on Saxophone. Marsalis stuck around for the entire second set adding some wonderfully smooth flair to the set.


The Allman Brothers: Peach Festival ’14

One of The Allman Brothers Band’s final shows, this one is filled with stellar covers and guests. The show opens with a great cover of The Spencer Davis Group’s “Don’t Want You No More.” After “Midnight Rider” the band covered “Done Somebody Wrong” by Elmore James. Later, Taj Mahal joined for a cover of “Statesboro Blues” by Blind Willie McTell immediately followed by Ron Holloway joining for “Soulshine.” After that number, the band played Willie Cobbs “You don’t Love Me.” The final cover of the night was “Good Morning, School Girl” with guests Gábor Presser & Chris Karlic. After the Sonny Boy Williamson’s cover, Peter Levin joined the band for “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” 


Widespread Panic: Jazz Fest ’08

The opening “Walk on the Flood” form this Jazz Fest 2008 show is a great gem for Panic fans. Phish fans will love this Panic show featuring Page McConnell on “Love Tractor” and “Fixin’ to Die.” Wild Magnolias also join for a rousing take on “Drums” > ”Big Chief.”


Billy Strings: Blue Ox Music Festival ’19

This Billy Strings show is filled with some mesmerizing covers. The first cover of the show is a great take on “Southern Flavor,” by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys which was immediately followed by the Jerry Garcia & David Grisman song “Dreadful Wind and Rain.” Cory Walker joined for a lengthy cover of The String Cheese Incident’s “Black Clouds.” Next, the band covered “10 Degrees & Getting Colder” by Gordon Lightfoot before closing out the show with “Turmoil & Tinfoil.”


Greensky Bluegrass: Camp Greensky ’19

Greensky Bluegrass’ Camp Greensky returned to Wellston, Michigan last month for its second year. The band was in peak performance all weekend as the headlined each night of the three-day festival. To commemorate the festival’s second year, Greensky debuted a duo of “two” themed covers. The first was Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston’s “It Takes Two” and was followed by Eddie Money’s iconic “Two Tickets To Paradise.” 





Dead and Company Recap June 24 – July 2

Photo: Katie Friesema

Dead & Company has been all over the country this week. The band’s been truckin’ along to Bristow, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Dallas since June 26th. The highlight of the Bristow show came at the halfway point when the band closed out the first set with a killer version of “Throwing Stones.” John Mayer’s solo on the song is incredible. Two night’s later Charlotte got one of our favorite setlist arrangements of the tour featuring “Truckin’,” “Cassidy,” and a fantastic “Estimated Prophet” that led into “Eyes of the World” The next night saw the band heading down to Georgia for a night in Atlanta. The show featured a breathtakingly beautiful version of “Standing on the Moon.” Last night Dead & Company headed deep into the heart of Dallas, Texas. A couple of Texas-themed songs made their way into the setlist with “El Paso” and “Deep Elem Blues,” a reference to the famous Dallas neighborhood. The highlight of the night came near the end of the first set with a show-stealing version of “Sugaree” that is already becoming a fan-favorite.

Listen to every show from Dead & Company’s summer tour on nugs.net


Check out video from our recent webcasts

Bristow 6/26: Shakedown Street

Bristow 6/26: Here Comes Sunshine

Charlotte 6/28: Truckin’

Charlotte 6/28: Deal

Atlanta 6/29: Scarlet Begonias

Atlanta 6/29: The Other One

Dallas 7/2: Bertha

Dallas 7/2: Shakedown Street

Watch more Dead & Company videos on our YouTube channel

Dead and Company Recap June 7 – 23

We’re deep into Dead & Company’s summer tour and so far it’s been a treat to experience. Since The Hollywood Bowl we’ve seen some incredible setlist variations, a handful of new debuts, and the return of “Spanish Jam”! After playing in the heart of Los Angeles, the band ventured off the grid for two nights at one of America’s most scenic venues: The Gorge Amphitheatre. The first night featured a touching tribute to Jerry Garcia and the recently passed Dr. John. Night one at The Gorge also included the Dead & Company debut of “It Must Have Been Roses.”

Following a weekend stop in Noblesville, Indiana, Dead & Co. headed to Chicago for two nights at the legendary Wrigley Field. It was a rainy weekend in the windy city, but a little precipitation couldn’t keep the band down. The energy at Wrigley was incredible and it bled into the performance. Wrigley night one featured the fantastic debut of “To Lay Me Down.” The next night featured the welcomed return of “Spanish Jam,” entering the setlist for the first time since 2017. Three days later, Dead & Co. once again dipped into their archives, this time playing “In The Midnight Hour” at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This was the first time the band had played the Wilson Pickett cover in three years.

Since playing Saratoga, Dead & Company has been all over the Northeast. Last week, the band played Camden, New Jersey; Foxborough, Massachusetts; and New York, New York. Last night’s show at Citi Field in New York featured the return of another Grateful Dead classic, but it wasn’t a song. The special guest on this show was Wolf, the famous Guitar owned and used by Jerry Garcia dating back to 1973. John Mayer played last night’s show with Wolf and the performance was breathtaking. Dead & Company will be back on stage Wednesday, June 25th in Bristow, Virginia.

Listen to every show from Dead & Company’s summer tour on nugs.net


Check out video from our recent webcasts

The Gorge 6/7: Feel Like A Stranger

The Gorge 6/7: Here Comes Sunshine

Wrigley Field 6/14: The Other One > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Wrigley Field 6/14: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

Wrigley Field 6/15: Terrapin Station

Wrigley Field 6/15: Spanish Jam > Scarlet Begonias

Citi Field 6/24: St. Stephen

Citi Field 6/24: Lady With A Fan > Terrapin Station

Watch more Dead & Company videos on our YouTube channel

Dead & Company Tour Recap: Shoreline & Hollywood Bowl

Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019 is here and what a week it’s been! We’ve gotten powerful performances of our favorite songs, a debut of the Grateful Dead’s “High Time”, and so many more special moments from week one. As always we captured every moment in our live webcasts. Before you tune in tomorrow for Dead & Company live at The Gorge, watch some of our favorite moments from the last week’s California shows below:

Order Upcoming Dead & Company Webcasts

Catch every moment from this summer’s tour including the first four shows when your purchase the Unlimited Devotion Pass on nugs.tv! Select the 19 Show package when ordering the webcast and you’ll get access to every Dead & Co. show of the summer.


Shoreline Amphitheatre:

Playin’ In The Band

Scarlett Begonia’s > Fire On The Mountain

Bertha > Good Lovin’

China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider


Hollywood Bowl

Cold Rain And Snow

Iko, Iko

Estimated Prophet

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 7 Days

We’re just 7 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff. The tour starts next Friday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. To celebrate the start of tour we’re looking back at Dead & Company’s last outing. This January, the band journeyed to Mexico for their Playing in the Sand three day musical experience. These shows took place at the beachfront paradise of Riviera Maya and the experience can only be described as magical. Take a look at our videos from Playing in the Sand 2019 below:

Day 1


Shakedown Street

China Cat Sunflower

Day 2


Deal

Day 3


Sugar Magnolia

Scarlett Begonias

Check out last week’s Dead & Company blog feature for more highlights and videos!

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 14 Days

We’re just 14 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff. To prepare for the tour, we’re looking back at the best moments from last year’s run. This show comes from the Dead & Co. two night stop at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. During the first set, the band welcomed their first guest of the tour, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The Wisconsin native sat in for the back half of the second set which included “Black Muddy River,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Bird Song.” Vernon previously recorded a studio version of “Black Muddy River” with his old band DeYarmond Edison and Bruce Hornsby for The National’s 2016 “Day of the Dead” charity compilation.

The first set kicked off with “The Music Never Stopped” which was followed by “Easy Answers” and “Alabama Getaway.” Listen to the full set I opener below:

The band returned for their second set with their version of The Band classic “The Weight.” The entire second set was filled with highlight performances from an extended “Shakedown Street” to a superb version of Bob Dylan’s “Along Along the Watchtower.” Watch the set II opener below:

Check out last week’s Dead & Company blog feature for more highlights and videos!

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 21 Days

We’re just 21 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff. To prepare for the tour, we’re looking back at the best moments from last year’s run. Today we’re revisiting the Dead & Co. stop at The Gorge on June 29th, 2018. With sweeping views of the Columbia river, this show had a breathtaking backdrop to accompany an evening full of beautiful jams.

The first set got off to a great start with “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” which led into powerful versions of “Bertha” and “Tennessee Jed.” The next song was the Dead & Co. debut of “Mr. Charlie.” The early ’70s tune highlighted Jeff Chimenti on keyboard and John Mayer’s vocals and guitar. You can watch the entire “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” below:

The second set opened with a joyously extended version of “Playin in the Band,” that was later reprised to close out the set. This version was another great example of Dead & Co. wading the classic song into the exploratory. Check out our full video of the “Playin in the Band” set opener below:

Check out last week’s Dead & Company blog feature for more highlights and videos!

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 28 Days

We’re just 28 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff. To prepare for the tour, we’re looking back at the best moments from last year’s run. June 15th’s performance at New York’s Citi Field, home of the Mets, was one of the most popular stops of the 2018 tour. The entire show was filled with unique jams.

The show opens with a nearly 14 minute version of “Shakedown Street.” The extended jam showcases some of John Mayer’s stellar guitar work. You can watch to the entire opening performance of “Shakedown Street” right now on our YouTube channel:

This show really heats up in the second half. The second set got off to a jazzy start that led into John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” as the opening tune. Following the opener, Mayer got another chance to flex his guitar expertise on an extended guitar solo on “The Other One.” The set continued it’s journey into the exploratory with an extended performance of “Estimated Prophet.” You can watch all three jams below:

Check out last week’s Dead & Company blog feature for more highlights and videos!

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 35 Days

We’re just 35 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff! To prepare for the tour, we’re looking back at the best moments from last year’s run! Last July Dead & Co. played two spectacular nights at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO to close out the tour. These shows were a perfect cap on a great summer of music, especially the final night. The performance was magical, the crowd was fantastic, and the setlist was packed full of awesome jams.

The band opened the show with a hypnotizing version of “China Cat Sunflower.” The performance is a must watch. The crowd was having the time of their life while Dead & Co. was in peak jam mode. Watch the full set one opener:

Dead & Company returned for their final set of the 2018 Summer Tour with an absolutely mesmerizing “Scarlet Begonias” set opener that led into “Franklin’s Tower” and a breathtaking “Fire On The Mountain”. At the end of the night the band came back for two encores performing “Uncle John’s Band” and “Ripple” to the close out the tour. Watch the full set two opener:

Be sure to check out last week’s Dead and Co. blog feature for even more highlights and videos!

Throwback Thursday: Red Hot Chili Peppers in Egypt

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since we hosted the first ever concert webcast from the Egyptian Pyramids with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This show was a massive undertaking start to finish and the end result was spectacular. Over 3.6 million people tuned in to watch the Chili Peppers make history in front of last wonder of the ancient world. Beyond the massive production and historic setting, the best part of the show was simply how much fun it was. Start to finish, the energy was incredible. You could immediately tell this was a special show, one that would live on forever. The beauty of a webcast is that fans all over the world got to enjoy this legendary show in all its glory from the comfort of their couch. It didn’t matter where you were sitting, we were all at the Pyramids. One thing is for sure, we’ll be asking people “Where were you when the Chili Peppers played the Pyramids?” for a long time.

To take a look back, here are a couple of our favorite photos from the trip:

Creating a stage design worthy of standing with the Pyramids is a tall order, but they delivered that and more

It takes some big-time satellite power to beam a show to 3.6 million screens

It all comes together for the big show

Bonus picture of the show’s setlist

Check out over 270 live Red Hot Chili Peppers shows on nugs.net!

SweetWater 420 Fest Recap

This weekend the musical world came together for the 15th annual SweetWater 420 Fest in Atlanta, Georgia and it was one to remember. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were jam-packed with amazing performances from some of our favorite artists like Widespread Panic, Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers, Turkuaz, and more! April 20th may have come and gone, but these shows will live on for a long time.

Friday

Billy Strings Mesmerizes the Crowd

The festival kicked off Friday with a full day of incredible performances, including this show from Billy Strings. The psychedelic infused bluegrass that defines Billy Strings was the perfect match for the 420 Fest atmosphere. Featured in the set is a dreamy cover of The Grateful Dead’s “China Doll” and a nice “Playin’ in the Band” tease after “And Your Bird Can Sing.”

You can listen to the full show on nugs.net or watch our webcast below:

Saturday

BIG Something Brings BIG Thrills

BIG Something was a crowd favorite this weekend. They hit the stage Saturday afternoon and took the audience on a musical journey. To cap off the show, they brought down the house with a fantastic cover Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf.” Start to finish, this is a 420 Fest must-listen.

You can listen to the full show on nugs.net or watch our webcast below:

Sunday

(Photo: Dave Vann)

Jason Isbell joins Widespread Panic to Cover ZZ Top

Panic fans were in for a special treat Sunday evening when Jason Isbell sat in for a mesmerizing Easter Sunday cover of “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” Sunday’s performance hits its climax with an incredible “Bowlegged Woman,” followed by “Night” and a three song encore.

You can listen to the full show on nugs.net or watch our webcast below:


Check Out More 420 Fest Webcasts on Our YouTube Channel!

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 42 Days

We’re just 42 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff! 42 is of course famous for being baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s jersey number. It’s only fitting then that we revisit Dead & Company’s 2018 stop at LA’s Dodger Stadium, the team Robinson called home.

The band opened the show with “Playin’ in the Band”, a first-time opener for the summer tour. The unique take on the Grateful Dead classic slowly unfolded over 11 captivating minutes. Check out this cut from our webcast of “Playin’ in the Band” in its entirety below:

Dead & Company returned for their second set at a packed Dodger Stadium with a fantastic “Sugar Magnolia.” Check out our video of the jam below:

Countdown to Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019: 50 Days

We’re just 50 days away from the Dead & Company Summer Tour kickoff! To celebrate we’ll be sharing some of our favorite moments from last year’s tour. The band opened their 2018 summer tour on the east coast, including a two-night stop in Camden, New Jersey. They opened the show with “Jack Straw”, “Cold Rain and Snow”, and “Deep Elem Blues”. Later in the set the band played a 10-minute “Cassidy” followed by a reprise of “Jack Straw” to close out the first set. You can watch the entire “Jack Straw” set opening performance below:

The band launched into their second set with a cover of The Crickets’ “Not Fade Away” followed by an impressive extended jam on “Dark Star” totaling over 20 minutes. The jam-filled night in Camden continued with “Black Muddy River,” “Drums,” and “Space” all appearing in the second set. You can watch the set opening “Not Fade Away” performance below:

Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Tour Recap

Last weekend Bob Weir and Wolf Bros wrapped their second tour together. The legendary Grateful Dead guitarist has been touring with Don Was and Jay Lane since this past fall. For those that have never seen or listened to a Bob Weir and Wolf Bros show, they play a mixture of Grateful Dead classics, Bob Weir solo material, and some awesome covers. These shows are a fantastic listen for Grateful Dead fans new and old. Every show from the tour is now available for download or streaming with a nugs.net subscription. Below we’ve got a recap of some of the best tour highlights:

February 28th: Ithaca, NY – The State Theatre

The trio kicked off their tour in Ithaca, New York by dusting off a pair of rarities. This was the first night Bobby had played “Bombs Away” and “The Winners” in nearly 5 years. The rest of the show was filled with Grateful Dead hits like “Peggy-O”, “Let It Grow”, and “Scarlet Begonias”. There were also a pair of great Bob Dylan covers toward the end of the show with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.

March 5th: Detroit, MI – The Fillmore

The next week the band played a special show in Don Was’ hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Playing at The Fillmore on March 5th, the trio were joined by another Detroit native- saxophonist David McMurray. He sat in on five songs throughout the night including “Bird Song”, “Eyes of the World”, and a cover of The Temptations’ “Shakey Ground”.

March 8th: Philadelphia, PA – The Metropolitan Opera House

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead guitarist and vocalist, Tom Hamilton, joined the band in Philly for a rousing Friday night. Hamilton joined the band for 4 songs including a reprise of “Man Smart, Woman Smarter”. The King Radio song made its way into the setlist twice on International Women’s Day. The band opened their second set with the tune and then later brought it back for the reprise with Tom Hamilton toward the end of the show. Our webcast of the set-opening cover is available to watch on YouTube.

March 11th: New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club

Arguably the most special night of the tour was the surprise one-night show at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. The trio announced the show only a day in advance with tickets being distributed via a lottery system. The intimate venue only holds 200 people, notably smaller than the large theaters the band typically plays. To ensure the maximum amount of people got to watch the show, the band rotated audiences between sets. To help out eager fans who weren’t lucky enough to score one of the 400 lotteried tickets, we offered free webcasts of both sets on nugs.tv, YouTube, and Facebook. The setting wasn’t the only unique part of the show- longtime RatDog Saxophonist Kenny Brooks joined the trio for four songs throughout the night. It was a fitting jazz flare for a show at a historic jazz club. You can watch our webcast of the full show right now:

March 13: Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre

Following the last-minute show in New York, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros made it to New Jersey- and they weren’t done bringing out surprise guests. Sasha Dobson, of Puss N Boots fame, joined the band for the final two songs of the night. Together they performed “Easy Answers” and covered Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. “Knockin” was the second Dylan cover of the show, earlier in the second set the trio performed their version of “All Along the Watchtower”.

March 26th: Miami Beach, FL –  The Fillmore

Phish fans are in for a pleasant surprise when listening to the second set of the band’s stop at the Fillmore in Miami. Page McConnell sat in with the band at the opening of their second set. The quartet performed two Grateful Dead tunes: “Hell in a Bucket” and “Scarlet Begonias”. To close out the show, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros played a “U.S. Blues” encore.

March 30th: North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center

This band closed out the tour this past weekend in South Carolina with a pair of new debuts. First, the trio played their take on Bob Dylan’s 1965 track “Desolation Row”. At the end of the night, the band played the Grateful Dead hit “Black Muddy River” for the first time as the show’s sole encore. The only Bob Weir solo piece in Saturday night’s show was “Lay My Lily Down”. To close out the first set, the band played the Jerry Garcia classic “Deal”. This was the perfect setlist to close out the run.

nugs.net archives: The String Cheese Incident – 10/30/99

The String Cheese Incident – 10/30/99

It is our pleasure to bring to you, handpicked from the archives, one of the classic shows from Colorado’s own: The String Cheese Incident. With a catalog of 535 shows here at nugs.net, you can enjoy countless hours of the cheesiest jams possible. This show proved to stand out from the rest and is a great example of String Cheese showing off their skills and original style. This “Incident” features sit-in performances and some of the best covers this band can muster. After reviewing numerous shows from this run in 1999, we were immediately impressed with this show and its entire set list and had to include it as a featured “from the archive” for y’all.
Opening with a great rendition of “Miss Brown’s Teahouse,” the show keeps going with classic String Cheese songs from their early catalog. 1999 proved to hold some real gems from this band and you can find plenty of them performed in this very show. This show includes some rarities and even Keller Williams sitting in on bass guitar for Keith Mosley on “Suntan.” Any SCI fan can find something to like within this first set of incredible live music. “Suntan” gives way to the classic Steve Miller cover, “The Joker,” but String Cheese makes it their own, adding reggae/island influences to this version.
Set two does not disappoint, opening with an 18 minute performance of “The Chicken” with great solos and flowing jam structures. This version of “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is one the best covers from SCI and is a must-check-out for any diehard SCI fan—it is full of improvisation and danceable riffs that we keep coming back to listen to. “Vacate” includes another sit-in from Keller Williams; he feels like another member of the band during the time period when this show was performed, and even today. This song is a perfect example of Keller Williams and String Cheese meshing together as a cohesive unit. After countless sit-ins with one another, this show still stands out as a topnotch performance. Obviously, whenever Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” is covered, everyone feels like dancing—and this cover is no exception. The encore “Footprints” is a jazz-fusion jam, which is highlighted in this high-quality version. String Cheese continues to go full force with Aerosmith’s ‘70s rock anthem “Walk This Way”; but again they change it up and add their own country-western-bluegrass style.
18 years later, The String Cheese Incident continues to mesmerize audiences with their spectacular live shows. They have even influenced the next generation of jam artists out there today and have pioneered this industry. You can truly hear the change and growth throughout all of SCI’s extensive collection of live shows on nugs.netThe String Cheese Incident has remained in the top echelon of live music because they deliver these amazing performances every time. Sift through the shows yourself—as there’s plenty more worth experiencing—but do check this show out.

nugs.net archive: Panic Halloween ’10

Widespread Panic –New Orleans, 10/30/10

We are kicking off our new blog by diving into the archives to surface some of our favorite high-quality downloads available on nug.net.  With 895 downloads in the archives, it’s hard to choose just one show that encapsulates what Widespread Panic does. Widespread Panic has been a heavy hitter in the Jam community for 30 years and are the heart of southern improvisational music. After narrowing down the many choices of killer shows, we found one that has all the right goods to bring to you. Holiday shows are always a special time with Widespread Panic but nothing comes close to their Halloween runs , which seem to be filled with a never ending supply of sit-ins, covers and rockin’ setlists.

New Orleans, 10/30/10 and the days surrounding it, exemplify what Widespread Panic does best. With great song selections from their own catalog and even a sit-in from Dr. John, the Night Tripper himself; only in New Orleans. This show has it all, with covers of Talking Heads “Papa Legba,” JJ Cale’s, “Ride Me High” and a blazing “Spanish Moon” originally by Little Feat, that is jammed out to extensive proportions.

The show also features Jimmy Herring on lead guitar. While Jimmy was still fairly new to the band after the passing of original guitarist, Michael Houser, Herring took to Panic like a fish in water and he shows his masterful guitar work throughout this entire performance and so does each member of the band, making this show a classic on nugs.net.

Stand out original songs include: a first set, “Dirty Side Down,” a newer song from that performance that has since become a classic. It’s very interesting to hear the development of these songs throughout the years and we can hear these changes within the hundreds of shows in the archives. “Henry Parsons Died” shows jazz flavored solos and incredible bass playing from Dave Schools. The second set opens with an always welcome, “Climb To Safety” as the band says, “climb aboard!” Into “Chilly Water.”

Dr. John enters the stage and plays a great rendition of “Right Place, Wrong Time” that has raw energy and those voodoo vibes that only he can bring. They continue with, “Dream Warrior.” Here Widespread shows what they do best while playing with the jazz/blues legend. The 12 minute “Arlene” is relentless and anytime Panic plays this song watch out, you’re going somewhere! The spectacular show closes with a Grateful Dead staple, “Creampuff War.”

It really doesn’t get much better than this and I am positive there will be many more shows from Widespread Panic in the upcoming posts.

Be sure to check out this recording of Halloween 2010 and so many more on nugs.net.  This soundboard recorded professionally mixed show is available for purchase as downloadable mp3, lossless, and CD shipped to your door.  It’s also available on demand.    Rock ON!

-Jam Band Purist