For those who caught Furthur on their 2011 spring tour know that Phil Lesh & Bob Weir have lots of tricks up their sleeves and know how to bring down the house, from bringing in surprise guests like Warren Haynes and Elvis Costello to the super-sized screen with psychedelic projections at Radio City Music Hall. Starting off their summer tour at the always good time All Good Festival, the band heads up to the northeast for 8 shows including Gathering of the Vibes before heading down to the Carolinas. Furthur will then have three more shows in the South. Furthur tickets are still on sale for most shows and All Good Festival and Gathering of the Vibes are both expecting to sell out so now is a good time to buy tickets. Here are shots from Furthur's show on March 13, 2011 at the Best Buy Theater in New York City when Warren Haynes sat in with the band.
Click on photos for large view:
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
RIP Big Man - Clarence Clemons
Clarence "Big Man" Clemons passed away on Saturday, June 18th after suffering from a major stroke a week earlier.
As anyone who's ever attended a Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band concert knows, Clarence Clemons was more than a sideman - he was the soul, the anchor of the band. He brought roots rock authenticity to the mostly white, blue collar ensemble.
Perhaps nothing can be written that better describes the relationship between Clarence Clemons and Springsteen than the iconic cover for 1975"s "Born To Run", the album that brought Springsteen to the masses. A ruffled, grinning Springsteen is seen leaning on a large shoulder, revealed on the back cover to be the behatted, tenor sax blowing Clarence Clemons. As Springsteen has said, Clemons was a presence, a brother and a muse.
The Big Band in the sky just got much better. Those of us fortunate enough to have seen Clarence Clemons perform over the years have wonderful memories of The Big Man on stage - The big hats, flowing robes or colorful suites. But, more than anything, it was the sound of that sax, wailing during the rockers, bringing Rosie out tonight, taking Jungleland to a soulful, perfect end.
