Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for 2019-12-27 - The Roxy - Los Angeles, CA

3rd in the series of LA Slaps. Thanks to @Phokus for the execution.

Los Angels, city of Angels, we meet again. I’m not lying when I say it’s been too long. So I headed out solo from overcast and dark Phoenix and was so happy when I landed in Cali, I stepped off the plane and was greeted by sunny skys and a mellow 65 degrees. If’ you’ve never flown into Burbank, there are no jet ways so you deplane onto the tarmac and feel a little important, I mean its not a PJ but instagram doesn’t have to know. Since I was going to be doing a 4-show/5-night run I checked a bag. Hey, it's free and on SWA you get two, so why not? For the first time ever the airline lost my bag, well didn’t lose it but just decided not to put it on the plane so my bag was chilling in Phoenix. Some frustrations aside, I was informed that the bag was delivered while I was having my face melted. So I’m only slightly annoyed.

But you came here to read about the show, not read about me bellyaching about lost undies and, yes dude, the ringer is full of my dirty laundry, the whites, because the ringer cannot seem empty. Nothing is fucked dude.

Photo credit Jon Rose

Ok, Big Lebowski references for the most part done let's talk about the show. I normally don’t do the VIP meet and greet but this time I got hooked up by a fellow nerd with the promise that I send him the VIP print. Which, can we pause real quick, is absolutely killer. Known Associates pays tribute to the 10 year anniversary of the band and is signed by all 6 members of Spafford. Wait there are only 4 ppl in the band right? Well, we get the man the myth the legend Chuck Johnson’s signature on there as well as Mr. Rose's. Absolutley stunning. But wait, there is more. The great Joey Feldman had a print as well, specific to the 2 nights in Hollywood. “Ballet” is so stunning. Simple, elegant and beautiful. I’ve been a fan of Joey’s ever since his first Spafford print 2 years ago and he was teasing this print on social media all week so when I found out that it was indeed a Spafford print I was over the moon. Check Joey out, this dude is amazing.

Photo stolen from Spafford Instagram

VIP meet an greet is so much fun. I think that there were 7-8 of us at the sound check and we had the run of the place. Met some friends and made some new ones while the band offered us 30 min of fresh new jams to stint our collective 6 weeks of withdrawals. A super intimate performance was followed by some Q&A and despite my best efforts no one wanted to tell me if I would have an Aliens in store for me in a few nights in San Francisco. I think I got personally scolded by Brian for that one, but he had a point, they have never leaked a set list so I don’t see them doing it anytime soon. But hey, it never hurts to ask. Also wanted to give a huge shout out to Jeff and his incredible new ink! He and his special lady friend flew out from Indianapolis to rage and I was super stoked to meet him. If you see this guy at a show give him a high-five he’s definitely killing it.

Before I get into the music just let me say this, the Roxy is AMAZING. Intimate room, I’d guess somewhere around 300 capacity, efficient bartenders and an awesome staff. Their security was so chill nice and friendly that I made like 6 new friends. I never realized how much security can make a show (I take that back, I have been to a certain venue in Phoenix that is kinda rough), these dudes were so nice and accommodating and I don’t think they got annoyed at anyone all night. Plus it’s the Roxy, pretty sure there can be a post made about the history there but that’s for another time. If you get a chance, go. I’d have to say that the Roxy is in my top 5 venues. I’ll let you know about tomorrows show but it’s such a cool place and I defiantly will try and catch a show here again.

Ok, music I got you. Bear with me I started this day after show and have been trying to get to words on paper quicker for you. Now I find myself in a hotel room in cold and rainy San Francisco with a mixlr feed in my ears and a frosty beverage. So lets talk about night one. First off, Jeeeasus Fucking Christ. A God dam heater. Now I’m one for casual cursing but right out the door with All my Friends. Such a great song to get the night rolling. A nice easy segue to get everyone’s feet moving. I may have been more enthusiastic than most but I’m not concerned. As a way to kick off a tour after 6 weeks off, they segue into Bee Jam. All-in-all a solid 20 minutes of Jams to put us in the right mind set for the evening.

A brief pause a lot of shouting and then whats this? “You begin…” floats from Brian and I’m stoked for Be Strange! Having been at its debut a few months prior I’m soooo happy that this is making the permanent rotation. When it debuted it took me a minute to process how epic that Red Rocks show was. Be Strange has started to get a little longer, there are some jams happening and some more room for some more. I think Brian does an amazing job on this one. Gonna give him the gold star for set one based on this one.

After the first break in playing, Brian says what’s up to the crowd and Jordan greets us with the bass line to All In! This song absolutely destroys the place! At this point I’m jumping around and can’t contain myself! I’m pretty sure that I black out at some point due to pure bliss...well, we might as well drive and Spafford is the vehicle that will get us there. This song has the place literally burning to the ground, tempo changes and then the back and forth between Red and Brian with Jordan and Nick keeping everyone on track. Love it Dudes!

Next was a first for me! Tongue N' Groove by Steve Kimock Band is stellar. Only the 4th time that they played this and it’s amazing. I had @finegina tell me about how it was one of her favorites and now I know why. Absolutely beautiful from start to finish and gives us in the crowd a moment to slow down and sway back and forth while collecting out collective breaths. Remember when I mentioned that they hadn’t played a show in 6 weeks. You’d think they would be rusty. I’m here to tell you absolutely not. I can feel an epic run coming on. Put down your phone and go stream this right now. I’ll wait.

Closing out the first set was Shake you Loose! I happened to be standing by Chuck and saw him with a setlist in as he was tweeting the songs and almost asked to see the rest of it. I held back and I think Chuck could read my mind as he promised me a copy post show! Thanks again Chuck for all you do! First set came to a close and I was stoked to be hearing my favorite band again and looking forward to the rest of the night!

After a quick set break the gents jumped right into My Road (My Road) an original that is absolutely fantastic. Slow, fast, jam, improve this song has it all. Great intro to the second set with a solid 15 min jam. And then what is this? Sill haven’t heard a member of the band pronounce this one so I’m still kinda up in the air but Fünkenseven is up next. Still a newer song with only 5 appearances in the rotation, this is an ultimate Jam. Everyone gets to shine while Jordan keeps everyone in line with his steady bass lines. I though that Nick was going to hijack this song a few times but Jordan always brought him back. Little di I know that was this was going to be the start of one of the most epic segues in memory! After the crescendo Nick jumped into the beat for Weasel! Weasel is such a funky jam and it seemed like everyone was feeding off him and just jamming until, wait for it, Palisades! No way I can do the Palisades justice so I need you to go listen to that while I have a post coital smoke, yeah it was that good. Oh and to end the segues and close out set one, lets jump back into Weasel. Just ridiculous. And then it was over. I was informed that Legend was on the list but probably had to get cut due to strict noise curfew. So we waited, almost positive that there would be an encore.

The boys did hit the stage again and thanked us for hanging out and immediately dropped into Ain’t That Wrong! Not sure if the curfew had anything to do with it but this seemed fast hard and loud. Perhaps because of where we were (next door was a statue to Lemme, Guns and Roses lived a block away and Van Morrison lived in a hotel, the one I stayed at btw, just up the street. So perhaps they raged a little faster and harder. I don’t know…

I was absolutely blown away by this show. I’ve seen them a few times and it seemed that they were just itching to get on stage and throw down. I’d like to thank everyone, band, fans and crew for making it such an amazing evening. See you at the next one!

Sorry for the lack of action shots. If I stream I cannot take pictures (I've tried) so please go check out the bands page for some shots. I'm working with the photographer to get you some more imagery for the next reviews.

Less than one week brother! Epic review!

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for 2019-11-02 - The Orpheum - Flagstaff, AZ

All right Flagstaff! How have you been? It’s been over a year since I got to enjoy a show in your cold embrace! I was super excited to not only see a show in Flag again, but also to see all my northern Nerds that I hadn’t seen in a minute! Spafford has such a cool community around them and heading to a home town show is always a special event. You know that the band is going to bring it, hometown crowds rage just a little harder and it’s the last show on their Fall into Place Tour.

Lindsay McHenry @linmack.photo

First disclaimer, huge thanks- Lindsay McHenry (@linmack.photo) for allowing me to use your pictures. I didn’t take any so thank-you for graciously allowing me to use your images and Lizzy Morelli for running such a cool site and allowing me to borrow images!

Well we needed to get to Flagstaff and while I wish we had taken the bus, I was afraid that I would not have made it to the show if I was allowed to party all the way to the venue. I did see some pictures from the bus, looked like a lot of fun, I’ll have to make sure that I do it next time.
But good thing that I was driving! @FL-AF was still rolling with us, having met me in Santa Fe a few days prior showing the west how they do it in sunny FLA. Eventually we made it out of the valley having picked up a few more nerds on our way out of town. I wish I could say that the ride up was filled with non stop raging our way to the venue, nope, I think we all knew to enjoy the calm before the storm.

Obligatory first beer at Flag Brewing Company and then headed over to the Orpheum. Now I was told that it wasn’t that cold (low 40’s) but it was a little too cold for this Phoenician. Quick stop by will call for out tickets and to give the attendant there some slaps as he requested on the Spaffnerd Facebook page earlier that day, I was able to secure the newest work of Mr. Sean Tierney. “Autumn’s Keeper” a 4 color screen print looks absolutely stunning in person. I lifted this image off of Spaffords Facebook.

Spaffords Facebook

We setteled into our spot for the evening, right behind the sound board. The Orpheum is a big room and the sound from the ADA seats was amazing. Last night in Tucson ADA was right in front of Red, and while I am great full for the accommodations for my show buddy, I think all she got to see was the back of Reds Keys and his groin area. At the Orpheum we got to see everything from our seats behind the sound board.
I know that I stress checking out the opening bands when seeing Spafford and I really wanted to catch Stig. A self-described quartet power Trio these guys absolutely rocked it! Love me that sax!

Lindsay McHenry @linmack.photo

Dirtbath kicked off the evening clocking in at right around 25 minute mark. I am amazed that this is one of the few repeats that I have gotten this run and couldn’t be happier with it. Its such a fun jam that bobs and weaves, zigs and zags, not really letting you know what you’re getting next. And I can say that this song has really grown on me since I first heard it in April of this year. Give it a spin and let me know what you think!
Up next was a song with some of my favorite lyrics. Eternity keeps us going and starts the evenings sing along. I remember writing in a previous review that the lyrics really resonated with me and it couldn’t be truer this evening. Hanging out in Flagstaff with all my friends, “Here to stay, We all belong now”, Jordan belts and all I can muster is to belt out some Yeah, Yeah Yeahs!

Ohh, what’s that? One of my all time favorite songs? Easiest to introduce new nerds to us? And, I’ll ruin it for the sake of the review now, or first Jammwich? I know its referred to as a Sandwich, but I like Jammwich better. Electric Taco Stand takes a whole different turn than what I’m used to, and then I remember that Jordan got a new bass today and is taking it for it’s first walk. Not sure if the bass has been given a name but it is a new custom 5 string by Solstice Guitars.
Ahh there is! The opening notes to Palisades! Wait, isn’t it normally Weasel >Palisades> Weasel? Switching it up, I like it. I love the guitar work on this one, absolutely brilliant and allows you to catch your breath for just a second while not losing any of the vibe that the previous songs have built. And then to complete the Jammwich, back into ETS and everybody was jumping around and just feeling the vibe of the evening! “As the times go Byyyyyyyy”
Short tuning break and then it’s Radio! One of the slower songs with a steady build, Brian serenades us with every instrument taking a few moments to shine. That last part could be entirely made up and that’s just how I’m hearing it, but this is my review so I’m going to go with that.

Brian welcomes out Drew Hall for the first sit in of the evening. Drew is local to northern Arizona plays with a few different bands, is a solo artist as well as a teacher he plays with northern AZ’s The Cheektones. This is of interest as I was able to confirm with my Prescott correspondent @SonrisaSmiles that Brian had performed with The Cheektones prior to Spafford, so a little local connection there! And once Drew steps on stage they jump right into the Allman Brothers classic, Whipping Post! Go get lost in this song/jam!

Set two kicked off with Fünkenseven, a new original that wasn’t even a month old as it is being played at this show! A funky jam that gets us back into our dancing rhythm and I can’t wait to see how they start to stretch this jam out as they get to perform it more and more!
All In for the win! This version saw Ryan Stigman from the opener join the band on stage. This is now the 3rd time that I have seen Spafford with a Sax and the first time for All In to get the treatment. This version absolutely kills it. Stig seems to take over the jam and leads the band down an entirely different path that I have ever heard this song go down. And not to be outdone Nick unleashes some Untzes on us as well. Listen to this jam, this song earned the gold star of the night from me!

Next up was Hollywood! One song that for an original Spafford tune I have not heard nearly enough. According to Spaffnerds I have only heard this one a mere six times. I really get into this and try my best to whistle along but give up in favor of miss singing the lyrics. Still one of my favorites.
I thought Hollywood always ended abruptly, but not this time, what are they jamming, that’s defiantly some Virtual Bean Dip. This song made it’s debut during my first Spafford show and might be one of my most listened to songs of theirs ever! Go give this a spin and keep a post jam cigarette at the ready. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you finish. Speaking of finishing, that Jammwich that started out as Hollywood> VBD has now just dropped into In The Eyes of Thieves. But a really short version of Thieves. Look and you shall find. Jordan put in the nugs notes that this was to finish the Thieves that they didn’t finish the night before in Tucson!

The Remedy brought the show to the end of it’s second set. Another song from the old guard, this was one of the first songs where I really appreciated how many turns a Spafford song can take. Vocals, jamming where it seems like the guitar is taking the lead, then the piano and back. Slowing things down to picking the tempo right back up and dropping back into lyrics.

Lindsay McHenry @linmack.photo

Right as I was thinking that the Band would stick to old staples they busted out the first song of the encore for its 3rd time ever, Ginger Stardust. This is a new Jam and I’m not sure what they have in store for it but I am excited as I think they can take this in a lot of directions and for it only being the 3rd time played it sounds like an old staple. Now I had heard rumors of the closer and I was floored when they dropped into Rusted Roots Send Me On My Way! Such a perfect funky way to end the evening!

Flagstaff it was a blast to see you again! Thanks to @FL-AF @AZCOUG and @phokus for doing an impressive run with me, all the nerds I got to hang with and meet on this run! Also @persevere for agreeing to the AZ run on a bad leg with me as a helicopter parent. Lindsay McHenry for taking pictures and allowing me to use them and Lizzy Morelli for allowing me to lift them off your website. If I forgot to thank you, make sure I do it on the next review. Wait also @damian and @Johnny-Love for all they do for this site!
Hope to see you all at the next Show!

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for 2019-10-31 - The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ

Halloween found me in Phoenix at The Van Buren. Still in a haze from the Meow Wolf show I was excited to see what the boys had in store for us. I am not normally one to dress up as I lack creativity in that department, but this time my decision was made for me since this was the Raven’s ball and all.

For the first show in a long time there was no official meet up or pre-show drinks as it was Halloween and most people were enjoying the holiday with their families before they set out for the evening. I got the message that we needed to be at the venue for pictures at 8pm. And we made it with mere moments to spare. Pictured is the group photo of the Fun Cult aka Fun Club. Membership required, PM me and I will give you the contact information of the powers in charge, if they are accepting new members. It’s a lot of FUN!!!

Credit Jay Stevens, Stevens Design

Just to be upfront with this review, I had not planned to write it but I reached out to one of the evening's sit-in performers for a few words and ended up getting some cool insight so I decided to pen something. Also huge thanks to Jay Stevens of Stevens Design and Photography for letting me use a few images from the evening as I had entirely forgotten to take any pictures.

Alright, so Fun Cult picture over with it was time to enjoy some of the costumes and grab a drink as we made our way inside, all while scooping the Jon Rose's “The Raven’s Ball”. Jon continues to blow me away with all his prints and it is always a treat to see a new print in person.

We settled into the main room of The Van Buren and I immediately noticed that there was way more gear on stage than I have ever seen. Looks like at least one extra guitar set up, monitor what have you, and a percussion kit just off of Nick's right. As I’m taking in the scene in front of me, I am also taking in the crowd. There were so many cool costumes, I was really impressed. Lumberg, Guy Fieri and Jacob Daffner costumes all won the evening. And I don’t mean Jacob’s costume, I meant Robbie who dressed up as Jacob. If you didn't see it please go back through the Album on the Facebook fan page.

Credit Jay Stevens, Stevens Design

Monster Mash on the house speakers and the boys walk out decked out in their Ravens Ball attire. I must say I was impressed that they kept those outfits on all night especially the masks! Brian introduces the first piece of the evening, a Vocal Warm Up that they do sometimes backstage and encourages us to try and keep up. Guitar accompanied by what I can best describe as Skat that gets progressively faster, where the crowd repeats what they just heard. I think Brian said we did an alright job with the Vocal Warm Up. For the first song of the night, first of many firsts, Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight floats over us. Closing your eyes you wouldn’t have been able to tell if it was Red or Phil himself up there singing. The whole song, right up to Mike Tyson's favorite part had an eerie vibe to it and I think Spafford nailed that cover. And once Tyson's part kicked in, I believe 75% of the audience was playing air drums.

After I put my air drum sticks away, Brian dropped into Backdoor Funk. A member of the older guard, Backdoor Funk is one of those songs that Spafford continues to shred anew every time that they play it. Great songwriting, excellent vocals and in this rendition some chunky bass lines as well as piano.

The Evil was up next and I can’t remember ever hearing this live. A quick look at my witnessed songs confirms that I have in fact never seen this and that it has only been played 3 times total, including tonight. I think that if this got the Backdoor Funk treatment, this song could become a song that they could stretch out to a 20 min jam. Brian does give us a little taste of what that could sound like in the future but then reigns it in just as I’m starting to get lost in the groove. And as he lets us down, he brings up the evening's first guest, Jayson Johnson. Ain’t That Wrong is what the band jumps into and it’s fun to see the back-and-forth between Jayson and Brian on stage. I did a little digging as to who Jayson is and the best description I was given is that he is the only other guitarist in Phoenix that can come close to shredding as hard a Brian does. Jayson plays with a few local acts here in Phoenix, The Uncommon Good and one of my favorite singer songwriters, Shawn Johnson. But back to the music, these two absolutely shred! It’s a fun back-and-forth and at one point I’m not sure who is having more fun, Brian or everyone else present.

Credit Jay Stevens, Stevens Design

Now remember I mentioned a percussion kit earlier in the review? Well, Brian brings out and introduces us to Arturo Sosa. Then they drop right into the Funky Meters' classic, Fire on the Bayou! Second cover of the night and also the first time they have played this particular song. Having the additional percussionist really gives this song another layer.

Well, some internet sleuthing and all I came up with was a Facebook profile for an Arturo Sosa and I decided to reach out to him and get some background information on him. I sent him a message asking if I could share a brief bio and how he met Spafford. Here is what he said about meeting them: “ Yes. Spafford used to rehearse right in front of my rehearsal studio. I’d listen to them as they jammed on. I quickly became interested in meeting the guys. I persisted they let me play with them and little by little I established a relationship with them.” On the boys and his career: “Love the guys. Such BadAss musicians and souls… As a percussionist, this is the music I love to play most on. All this funk, rock, Latin, ect… blends they do, ask for percussion. I play with various bands. I’m a drummer in some bands, and a percussionist in other bands. I love my passion for what I do best. I love to play and perform always. I’ve toured as a percussionist, and I’ve toured as a drummer. But to play percussion for Spafford , is a total different story. The vibe the music, the whole crew makes this experience go to a different level. It’s a great team. Hopefully I’ll see you ln the next Spafford show. Hopefully I play them.” Thanks Arturo for the response always interesting to hear how musicians meet each other and start jamming together.

Credit Jay Stevens, Stevens Design

Still listed on the setlist on Spaffnerds as part of Fire on the Bayou we start to notice the drums and percussion taking things over, and that is in fact the case. Red, Brian, Jordan and Jayson leave the stage and we are treated to some Drums! Nick and Arturo have themselves a drum solo, or is it a duo? Anyways it gets funky and there is not a single stationary body in the house. Arturo and Nick go back and forth and jam out together just getting down!

Eventually, Red, Jordan and Brian walk back on stage while the drums are starting to cool off and the band segues into Salamander Song. Salamander Song is another member of the old guard and lets everyone shine, even the crowd, as long as they get their heys correct. I really like this song when I get to hear it in Arizona, it seems like they are playing just a little bit harder and jamming out just a little bit more as they are dancing the whole way home! What a great way to close out a solid first set of music!

After a quick break the boys re take the stage and drop Chris Isaac’s Wicked Games on us! Another first time cover dropping on the hometown crowd who has been waiting since New Years for a show! I must have looked perplexed because @persevere looked over at me and sang me the chorus letting me know what song I was hearing. I really hope that this is not a song that never gets played again- I think this has great jamming potential!

So a few new covers into the show, I wonder if we will get any new originals and little did I know I wouldn’t have to wait any longer. The Waltz made its debut on Halloween! Now I don’t know my music theory but if someone could confirm that this is in ¾ time. I’m also picking up some different themes in this one, a few bars reminded me of the Vocal Warm Up as well. Lets keep an eye on this and watch this song develop!
Brian stepped up to the Mic and did the first song dedication that I can ever remember hearing. Thanking the band's (and my) dentist they laid into another first time cover, but not the last, with Bill Withers' World Keeps Going Round. Not a tune I’m familiar with but seemed like a good mellow break leading up to our next song.
Estimated Prophet brought up the Noodles John Reuter to the stage. For those of you that don’t know the Noodles, they are a tradition here in Phoenix. Playing every Sunday they provide church for the Dead Heads of the Valley. John does an amazing job channeling his inner Jerry, so much so that you would think that it is Jerry up there jamming with Spafford. Estimated Prophet was the longest jam of the evening but wait, what’s that, that now sounds like Weasel, could it be? Yes, that is definitely Weasel. I really liked having the two guitars up there for this one gave it another layer as well as another tempo, this seemed a little more relaxed perhaps even a little slower or piano.

Be Strange to close out the second set! I was lucky to catch this song's debut at Red Rocks this summer and really enjoy its Reggae vibe! The gents fall into that familiar groove and I notice those around me gently swaying to the beat while others attempt to sing along. And with that the second set draws to a close. We all know that they are coming back with a fire closer but I don’t even want to guess what it is going to be as I can never get that guessing game right.

Brian takes the stage with the boys again and lets us know that they have two more songs for us and that he hopes to see us at the next two shows, Tucson and Flagstaff! Are you kidding, I’m not missing any home state shows! With that out of the way they drop into Doghouse>Part II. These are really new songs/ segue, both having just debuted less than a month ago in Nashville. Again, I really like the tempo changes in these songs, at points I feel like Brian is trying to assault us with the Raven. Part II is a phenomenal Jam that whips the crowd into a frenzy! What a great show! Not that Spafford has ever disappointed but this show was amazing. New covers and a new debut, catering to the local nerds! And it was completely different from the last few shows.

I would like to thank Jay Stevens for letting me use his images, please go check his stuff out! You might even recognize a few pics! Arturo Sosa, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Ford Oliver, thanks for your stellar recording! And all the nerds that made this night special and FUN!!

Credit Jay Stevens, Stevens Design

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for 2019-10-26 - Ogden Theater - Denver, CO

All right Night Two, lets do this!!! Second night of Spafford in sunny Denver! I woke sometime around noon to one of the prettiest days I have ever spent in Denver, 70+ degrees not a cloud in the sky and news reports of up to a foot of fresh Pow Pow predicted in the next 48 hours. Record scratch, what? Snow? No way. But this is Denver so anything is possible.

I started out the day with what can be described as the most Denver place ever, craft beer and coffee inside a bike shop. Denver Bike and Coffee Company. (Phoenix has a similar institution but I digress). Then I took a stroll trough Denver to meet up for a late lunch with some resident nerds. I try and look up new places whenever I travel, recently I hit up Avante, solid choice, but this trip I decided to hit up Pizzability with my friends since we had been sharing their Facebook page for the last month. Cool spot, great food, and awesome staff. We were planning on doing a little bar hopping but ended up just having afternoon beers on their patio. Check them out next time you’re up there!

Sooo getting amped for the show. I had put up a last minute meet up for pre-show over at Sanchos for a drink just in case anyone needed somewhere to meet pre show. The previous day I had helped nerds find tickets of find homes for their tickets so Saturday preshow was all about getting my mind straight. I showed up and found the evenings tapers sipping drinks at the bar. And I did this one right! Last meet up I did (Los Angeles) I picked a bar that was closed when I had asked people to show up! Ooopps, but this time I got it right, so I’m not gonna brag but I’m getting better at adulting! Look Ma, no Hands!

I had met up with the tapers for the evening and got to walk in and watch them set up their mics and prepare the stream that those playing from home would be enjoying.

Eminence Front from The Who kicked off the evening! Clocking in at just over 30 minutes it set the tone for the evening. I think everyone was feeling this, and now re-listening to it I can finally understand the lyrics, I don’t want to list the things I thought that they were singing during the chorus man Slippy, Slappy Samsonite…I was waayyy off. Also just wanted to say that Jordan proves that he has been rehearsing his ass off lately. He sounds so dialed in and focused! Jordan, come to the front and get your gold star bud!

Leave the Light On was up next, crowd fave and a source of controversy this evening. I was making random observations to the tapers who still seemed happy to be putting up with me. First one was that Brian DID NOT HAVE THE RAVEN, rather a solid-body Gibson. Secondly and this was funny, Jordan messed up his doot doos! I don’t think that has ever happened. The band played through it and Jordan told us in song he would redo the part that he messed up, which he did, so he was forgiven.

So I had just seen my second-most seen song and then I get my favorite song to introduce people to Spafford to, ETS as the kids say. Electric Taco Stand for the win! I will never tire of this song! This version is about 2x the length of the first time I heard it and it never fails to remind me why and how I fell in love with this band in the first place. It’s such an approachable song and a great first song that I use to introduce my non-Jam Band friends to Spafford. The lyrics give way to a solid jam before bringing everything back to “as the TIMESSS GO BYYY”.

I was looking over the shoulder of the tapers when I noticed one of them posting on Facebook that they just recognized the opening licks to Fire Water Burn by the Bloodhound Gang. The covers that these guys choose never seems to amaze me. I wonder if one of you had responded to that text asking for that song. Seemed like most of the crowd knew the lyrics as well and every one around me started singing, giving some special emphasis on the MF’s. What a great way to close out a first set!

I was so elated after these first three sets I honestly did not know how they would be able to take top their performance. Wait, what’s that? Is something dripping off of Jordan’s Bass? That’s definitely All In! Again this is one of those jams that shows off everyone’s talent and lets the band go different places each time they play it. Fast or slow, I’m really digging these tempo changes.

Seven follows up and it takes me a minute to remember that this is not a new song. It’s been around for quite a while but compared to some of the other heavy hitters heard earlier in the set doesn’t get on the rotation much.

Next up was a song new to me! I always love these, having no idea where a jam is going to go it’s always exciting to get new to me music dropped on me. And yes, I know it has been played since the beginning of this month, but I have a weird thing about listening to shows I wasn’t at. I regret not going so I have to wait until this tour is over to go back and listen to songs from the Fall Into Place Tour, don’t judge. Doghouse transitions into another new to me song, Part II. I love how this song starts out so aggressively. Brian’s licks that he plays sound super aggressive, more so than anything I have heard them do before. But then they dial it back into a super mellow jam. I’m excited to see this segue develop.

The final cover of the evening followed next, not only a cover but a new cover! War of Man by Neil Young! Off of the 1992 release Harvest Moon. I’m going to be honest that I am not that familiar with his catalogue so I can’t compare this version to others, I just know that the boys took this on a 25-minute jam that I don’t think it has ever been on before.

Right as they close War of Man, Brian drops us into Weasell, that forgotten space in the back of your mind! Weasel always gets me moving and this version was no different and had me shaking my proverbial rear end all the way to the end of the set.
After a quick encore break, Brian thanked us for spending two nights with him before they busted out All My Friends! What a great quick song that lets Red explore the range of his rig! I’m not sure but that really sounds like a Leslie speaker, gonna have to ask him.
I was half expecting them to drop back into All In or something similar but nope, they drop into another song that made it’s debut this month Funkenseven And before you ask this is not a German word, looks like someone had some fun adding Umlauts to the word funky. Ohh good segue, because yeah this song is funky. It’s really cool to hear a new jam and this one will surly develop into a crowd favorite!

And with that my Epic two nights in Denver were over. Such a fun weekend, it was great to meet new nerds, reconnect with ones I hadn’t seen in a while, and boogie with some of my fellow Phoenicians who made the trip up. I left the Ogden floating away at the two nights of music and friends I had just enjoyed and looked forward to my favorite show, the next one.

I’m so bad at guessing stuff but I’d be down! Guessing sets songs would be better than fantasy sports. Ohh fantasy setlist. Draft your songs or something like that.

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2019-10-29 - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, NM

Meow Wolf Baby!

Santa Fe what an amazing 24 hours I just spent inside you! Meow Wolf was so much better than I could have hoped for, from the show to the Venue the people this show reminded me of why I fell in love with this band so many years ago. The intimacy of this venue and seeing a lot of familiar faces gave this show a feel of a Spafford show circa 2015 Last Exit Live.

VIP

So, for this show I decided to do VIP. I had seen a lot of pictures on Spafford's Instagram lately and thought that I should do VIP for at least one show this year. Plus poster, sound check, and a brief Q&A and we got first stab at merch. The really cool thing that was rumored was that Meow Wolf would open its Installation Exhibit “House of Eternal Return”. It is an Art Installation that spans a huge warehouse and has a 2 story Victorian House inside and I think I read 70 unique rooms to explore. There is a story line and you can solve the mystery of what happened to the Family that lived there. I only mention this because I had just thought it was a collection of art installations.

Leading up to sound check I got to meet a bunch of local New Mexico nerds. They were happy to be treated to a show since it had been a few years since Spafford had performed in the Land of Enchantment. VIP was an intimate performance of about 25 or so minutes that saw the band dive in and out of songs, shortening them up so that we could get more tracks. Q&A followed and we were asked to write questions on a sheet of paper that the VIP host then posed to the crowd as they sat on the edge of the stage. Turns out the band stated that Grand Rapids was their favorite show so far on tour while Red didn’t want to commit and ended up stating Denver night 1 to be his favorite. Also found out that they don’t have a favorite between red or green sauce almost in unison they answered ‘Christmas’ to the question about their preference. Good call Gents.

Before the doors for GA opened I was able to secure Brian Bojo’s latest work for the band. This is a beauty of a print and one that went really fast.

While we waited for the show to start the venue did open the attraction and wow was I impressed. If you go make sure to arm yourself with 3D glasses for the full experience. It is trippy to say the least and can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not ready for it. The venue is part of the exhibit and I had a great time exploring while the crowd trickled in. The venue holds around 300 people and I would say there was perhaps 200 there. Large contingents of AZ peeps, locals and those who didn’t get stranded in Colorado due to the weather.

Spafford takes the stage and launches right into a 30-minute Bee Jam which welcomes you to gently sway while you are looking pretty much everywhere but the stage. I think it was about now that I went up to the balcony and put on a FB live stream. I think it’s still up on FB if you care to look for it. Mind's Unchained was up next and this tune never fails to amaze me. Perfect jam wrapped up at the beginning and the end with the musings of our own Chuck Johnson.

Plans starts to float out of the Raven and I know that the dance party is just starting. And judging by those around me everybody was feeling this Jam. Again the room was electric and had high energy vibes, little to no chomping and it had a real intimate feeling that you can only get in a small room. I know that I have been saying that we needed to enjoy the smaller rooms because we wouldn’t be getting them for much longer (probably around ’16 or ’17) and now I think the last dozen or so times I have seen them it has been primarily in venues with at least 1000+ capacity.

Comfortable comes next before we get the sole cover of the night, Down Under by Men at Work. Comfortable gets the crowd in the grove then Down Under gets the building shaking. I always feel that Spafford gets people going with this song because I feel that they step up the tempo quite a bit, but what do I know I’m just here to get down.

Thanks Rob for the Photo!

Set 2 started with Lovesick Melody and again Jordan's Bass seems to be taking things to another level. Give this one a spin I really enjoy how the Gents have mastered switching up the tempos on this song which leads right into Soil. Since making its debut almost two years ago it is in heavy rotation making an appearance about once a week when they are on tour.

Windmill to keep the dance party going! ‘A simple song it has no cost, through this riff my trouble's lost' and 'You’ve got me dreaming again’ were probably the two lyrics that I was belting out the most.

Slip and Squander keep the evening rolling. Red serenades us before the band jams out again. The boys take a quick tuning break before the synth intro of America washes over us. Well, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was in the moment but that’s the benefit of writing this post show with an Archive recording to jog the old memory. But just as the band is gently letting us down and catch our collective breath, that funky bass line walks us straight into The Reprise. I need someone to give this a listen for me and compare it to other versions as I thought they threw a new ending at us.

Speaking of funky bass lines, Shake You Loose to close the second set! The evening so far has been absolutely stellar! One cover and a lot of older songs to treat New Mexico to their first show in as I had over heard in the crowd ‘way to F$@&ing long’.

After a quick break Spafford returns to the stage and jumps right into Galisteo Way! Cool to see this song hit the century mark! Now at the Q&A Brian did mention that Jordan now has two songs where he gets to drop and F-bomb and Brian only has one. Wonder if there was some last minute set-list doctoring? Brian is urging us to dance and sing along and there is not a stationary person in the venue. Thank you Spafford for one hell of a show! New Mexico, I will see you soon.

That however was not the end of the evening folks…. Perhaps you had seen posts on Facebook about a pre- and post-show down the street? Pherkad, a quartet from Albuquerque, were set up down the street at Leaf and Hive. These guys also jam. It was a lot of fun to get to see them again as I had missed them the last time they were in AZ. Give them a listen check them out. They have to be pretty legit if everyone from Spafford makes the walk over, right?

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2019-10-25 - Ogden Theater - Denver, CO

October 25th, 2019 was finally here! I hadn’t seen Spafford in four months and I was really jonsing for my own dose of the electro funk therapy. My wait was over and I was going to get to see the gents in their home away from home: Denver, Colorado. Beautiful weather greeted me as I stepped off the train from Denver International. I strolled around Union Station and killed time taking in the sites until it was time to check into the Air BnB for the evening. I briefly thought I’d go back through some of the sets of the past few shows and see if I could take a stab at a set list. I quickly realized that would be a waste of time as anytime I’ve tried to guess a set list they've far exceeded my expectations-- see the Red Rocks set from last year, who saw that coming?

If you get a chance the Ogden is an amazing venue! Listed at 1,600 capacity which I thought was a bit generous, but I did not go up to the balcony. Great sound, super efficient staff, and an impressive layout. I found myself just to the left of the soundboard for most of the night and had plenty of room to get down.

Alright, so I took my own advice and got to the show early. Excited to secure my next Jon Rose. And he did not disappoint! Somehow We Make It. Three-color wood block edition of 50. Now I’m not going to get too hung up on it but there was a variant of this print and only a few were produced. I thought I’d be able to get one seeing as I had showed up early. Nope, all gone, next time get VIP.

(Image taken from Spafford FB Page)

Hanging out and chatting with nerds getting really excited for the next two nights of Spafford at the Ogden. Two nights is always a blast be cause you know that they will be bringing that hot fire! Well, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Night 1 Set 1 was utter insanity. No vocals, just jams (well there were a few moments I’ll elaborate on later) and possibly some foreshadowing to next week’s holiday and defiantly some reminiscing.

Opening the set was the ominous tones of Halloween Theme before they segued into what Nugs (and by extension the band) called Themes Jam 1. Overall the evening would give us 6 of these seques in the first set. I thought to myself that was interesting, had I heard that before? Yeah, in 2014, the only other time it was ever played. Hmmm, is there something to this?

Next up the Legend of Zelda Theme! What a rarity! Only played once before! Thanks Spaffnerds.com! After the Legend wrapped up the boys took us on another funky 20+ minutes of improv! I’m not going to do any sort of descriptions justice so do yourself a favor and pull up this recording! All I can say is that I danced my ass off in anticipation of another possible dusting off of a rare song.

My questions were answered a short 20-minute jam later when Red started into Celine Dione’s My Heart Will Go On! Last played at my second ever Spafford show in Flagstaff in 2014. Slowly it dawns on me that they boys are taking songs from Halloweens past and tossing them into their Jams! Brian takes over for Red and while I expected one of them to step up to a mic and sing perhaps the chorus, what really happened blew me away! The crowd started singing, and from what I could make out, they nailed the lyrics. I got goosebumps from all the feels. Spafford was connecting with their fans and it’s one of those cool concert experiences when the fans and band share a moment. Never thought I’d be raving about a Celine Dion song but there is a first for everything I guess. (BTW I went back and looked it up for you. 1:20 mark of the Nugs recording you can hear the crowd singing!)

Another Jam brought us to one of my favorites of the night! The Ghostbusters theme from the 2016 Halloween show! Sped up a little it really got the crowd going and asses shaking. I think that Spafford just jammed to let us catch our breath before they threw another cover on us to get us going!

Another Jam and then they segued seamlessly into The Lion Sleeps Tonight, resurrected from The Parish at the House of Blues in NOLA 2 years ago! They alter between Lion Sleeps, a Jam, then back into the Halloween Theme to wrap up the first set for us. Really cool and unique. I can’t state how cool this was, I just need you to go give it a spin on Nugs or here on the show page with the site's built-in media player.

Set one started with that funky bassline announcing My Road (My Road) and I need to ask you all, has anyone else noticed the evolution in Jordan's bass playing? He seems to be ever evolving. From some heavy plucking around NYE to this new silky smooth playing. Again I don’t know much, this was just a side-note by me.

Low followed up next, originally by Cracker. According to Spaffnerds.com this was another song that was last played at a Halloween show in Flagstaff last year. This song had every one around me singing off key and I could tell that everyone around me was having the time of their lives!

Dirtbath! Now if I had to make a list of songs that would make an appearance on a two-night run this would definitely be on that list. Debuted a mere 8 months ago this gem has seen a setlist quite often. This is one that I just can’t describe. Such an epic jam, tempo changes bobbing and then weaving worthy of multiple re-listens! Just when you are getting lost in the cries of the Raven, Jordan and Nick pick things up and the jam turns a corner.

Remember I said that some of us had started to sing off key? Well, for Lonely it was not only off Key but a bunch of us singing LOUDLY off key! An original and one of my current favorites. It think it also really showcases their writing (nice work Chuck). Uptempo and fun to dance to, Lonley had those around me really getting down!

Gold Glittered Hat was one that I had hoped to catch this weekend. Less than a month since its debut I was curious to see if Spafford would take this out for an extended jam as I believe it has the potential to turn into a new staple jam. I say that because it think that they are still holding back on this one, can’t wait to hear what they do with it moving forward.

Ok, this last one was a complete surprise! Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If I thought I was loud and off key before, multiply that by 10! When Brian played those opening licks I was floored! The perfect cover to end the night!

Ain’t That Wrong brought the evening to a close. A member of the old guard, this uptempo jam got the last of my energy out. Toward the end of this song I had to touch my face and make sure it was still there and hadn’t melted completely. This song is what I hope Gold Glittered Hat can evolve into, plenty of room for jams and the ability to alternate tempos or in this case whip us into a frenzy before dropping us back into the final chorus, setting us back on solid ground with Brian telling us he will see us tomorrow.

Night 1 in the books. Can’t wait to rage with you everyone Night 2.

One last thing, did you guys see that Jambase released a list of the top 20 fan sites in the last 20 years? In case you haven't, here it is. @damian has done such a great job with this site. Please spread the word if you haven't already. I know that a lot of others do a lot of behind the scenes work on this page so I just wanted to take a second to say thanks for all you do!

Thanks for the write up! Sounds hotter than a Tied meatstick.

@Doughnuts still up in the emporium as of 6/26/2019 https://emporium.spafford.net/