After an incredibly fun Brendan Bayliss birthday party UM show it was now time for what would be not only the highlight of my weekend, but one of my favorite Spafford show to date! These guys have a reputation of taking late night shows to another level and tonight would be no exception. This was my first time at the newly renovated HI-FI Indy and it’s a cool venue. Limited to around 400 people, and with a bar stretching down the left side of the dance floor, we had plenty of room to boogie while never being far from a cold drink! Good acoustics too, for a room this size.

The set opened with Funkadelic and WOW(!) what a way to welcome the crowd. Tight, smooth, and funky as ever, this one built a soulful jam into a long seamless transition into Broken Wing.

A newer song of theirs with great vocals and a foundation for incredible jams, Broken Wing is quickly becoming a fan favorite and it’s easy to see why. A somewhat chill jam gave way to Brian taking the lead with bright, soaring riffs that made the room feel 10x bigger than it was.

Next up was My Road (My Road). For a song that when released felt somewhat tame, My road (My Road) has turned into a perennial monster! Every member in the band seems to have their hands around various parts of the song. Red’s crooning, Cam’s surgical syncopation, Jordan’s funky backdrop, and Brian’s playful trips across the fret board all took turns leading the way during an extended jam that dropped flawlessly back into the end of the song.

There was a noticeable reaction from the crowd as the opening notes of Leave The Light On rang out. Always popular, “LTLO” is the song that started my love affair with this band and it has yet to ever disappoint. Brian, Cam, and Jordan were happy to lay the foundation as Red showed off his light fingers on the keys through the first of two jams. The second jam picked up the pace as Brian and Red both seemed to drive forward at the same time ending with another perfect drop back into the closing lyrics.

Spafford’s upbeat rendition of the Gary Jules tune Mad World then started a run of three straight songs I had been hoping to hear going into the weekend. A common cover of theirs that I had yet to see live this one had the crowd getting down!

The set ended with what is probably my current favorite Spafford song, The Postman. The chill, melodic opening almost lulls you until the sudden tempo change clues you in to the song’s true sinister nature. One of the sickest breakdowns in Spafford’s catalog (imo) leads to the less than complex chorus, but fancy words just aren’t needed in the audible odyssey that is The Postman! Seamlessly ranging from a funky groove, to shredding riffs, to piano scales, to electronic dance elements and back, this song is as fun as it gets. It was clear I’m not the only one who felt this way as the crowd absolutely got DOWN from beginning to end during this one. As the song ended and the band exited the stage I couldn’t help but wonder, what encore could possibly top what we had just heard?

It didn’t take long for the band to come back out with the answer in the form of the opening notes of The Reprise. THE. REPRISE! All shred. All the time. With an infectious riff that you can’t help but rock out to this is one of the absolute best ways to close out a set. I don’t care who you are, the sheer elation on Brian’s face while crushing this song will make your inner air guitar rock god come out at some point. Mine did for the majority of the encore! What a way to end an incredibly fun weekend of music from start to finish. Time to go buy more concert tickets!

After an easy drive from St. Louis to Indianapolis it was time for night 2, and the first of two Spafford shows of the day! Finally a beautiful Midwest summer night! Between the cooler weather, it being Brendan Bayliss’ (Umphrey's McGee) birthday, and knowing a lot of us had the Spafford late night after this show, there was an added energy throughout the crowd. Tonight was primed to be a dance party!

The set opened with what felt like a fairly standard When It Falls. I’ve now seen this song 2 of the 4 times it has been played live and the potential in each section of this song is immense! I’m REALLY excited for where this song could go once they stretch it out!

Next up was a rousing rendition of the always popular Ain’t That Wrong. High energy right from the start and then settling into a groove that emphasized the fun in funky, this jam seemed to build from your toes until the entire crowd was getting down as one. To me one of the easiest measures of a great jam is when you think it has reached it’s peak only for the band to take it to another level, and this version did exactly that!

I love Jordan’s bass line during All In, especially as it leads through Red and Brian’s almost Allman Brother’s-esqe dueling scales, and ultimately to one of the best breakdowns Spafford has in their catalog. Brian’s shredding through the first sections of this song gave way to Red leading a mellow jam (and perfectly timed breather) before Brian came back in to hammer this one home. It just amazes me that these guys get tighter and tighter every time I see them.

The set ended with more fireworks as Brian crushed more soaring riffs through America. This one was fairly straight forward, but that is NEVER a bad thing with this song. As technical as ever, the band has been absolutely on point throughout these sets. As they ended the set Brian said “See some of you tonight” and my anticipation for the coming late night could not have been higher!

I have to admit I had been looking forward to this weekend for a looong time. Umphrey's McGee and Spafford are hands down my two favorite bands, and to have them together for 3 total shows over 2 nights in the Midwest is as good as it gets for me. The smiles and hugs from friends as we entered the Chesterfield Amphitheater were almost in jeopardy as we waited out a run of fairly significant thunderstorms that seemed to come out of nowhere and last up until just minutes before the guys took the stage. Tonight was going to be a hot one. Mid 90’s and high humidity made for less than ideal dancing conditions, especially in the pit, but none of that mattered now. Spafford was taking the stage and life was good!

I'd be lying if I said this was the first time it felt like the positive energy of the arriving crowd seemed to push away the clouds and the band opening with People seemed to echo that sentiment perfectly! Red explaining that “love's the common binding of people like me and you” was the perfect backdrop as the crowd filled in and any remaining anxiety from the weather melted away. This song just never gets old.

Next up was The Remedy which showcased some really fun back and forth between Brian and Red as they took turns filling in while the other took control. This jam flowed along beautifully with each member building on the other leading to Brian's familiar tone absolutely soaring across the venue. You could see it in their faces, they're ready to play this weekend... and the crowd knew it too.

Backdoor Funk came next and I recall thinking Brian almost looked sleepy as he strummed a simple riff that would be the foundation to the entire jam. Pardon my sports metaphor here, but like any superstar late in the game Brian seemed to just want the ball in this one, and the rest of the band was happy to oblige. He single handedly took that riff through some intricate plucking, and into a flat out shredding crescendo that was to be my favorite jam of the set. Brian’s arsenal was on full display for this one!

The set ended with a short but suh-weeeeet Electric Taco Stand that was much more of a sprint than the marathons Spafford is known for. The band knew their time was coming to an end and just put the pedal to the metal on this one as they all melted into one big sound from start to finish. It’s not often that Umphrey’s is about to take the stage and I’m thinking about a show the next day, but this set had me hungry for more!

Nothing fancy... Just an image of each stage that I want to do simple IKI over but don't have photoshop and can't get the shaded/shadowed font on printrunner's site.

@Cody ... I've been meaning to finish up a trio of Summercamp IKI's but haven't had the time. Think you can help a brotha out?

Been following the growth of this amazing site, and this amazing community, for a while now. So yeah... I’m ALL IN!

@PhishTacos44 Are you searching for the all black snap back or the flexfit?

Hey all! I don't see a standing ISO thread so rather than just put what i'm looking for I figured i'd start a thread so we can all share what merch we may be looking for or have to trade!

So to start... I'm SUPER ISO a few pins needed to complete my collection. If anyone knows where I can find a purple variant Spafford cloud pin, or any versions of the coyote/cactus pins i'd be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL! Have cash/paypal/possible trades available!

@myanruth Where are you with data so far? I should have some time on my hands tomorrow and could use my Nugs subscription to pull data from what's on there... It'd basically only be 2017 but it's a start.

@EmotionalFescue Never done it myself, but it does seem like it could be fun to play around with some things! I just have my hand in way too many other cookie jars at the moment to take on another hobby haha. Good luck and hope to hear what ya end up with!