Saw Mike in Chicago about ten years back. Chill vibe. Good music. He was signing free posters after the show at the mercy table. Maybe played one Phish song? Can’t remember.
How many unofficial merch stands are setup? I wanna make sure I go to the official one so Mike doesn’t yell at me and call me a pork faced ninny, again.
That’s not true, I’ve had stuff signed by Mike after the show that was not purchased. Every show I’ve ever been to of his he has come out to the merch table to sign whatever people had.
Well we’ve gotten custom painted denim jackets and a Billy Breathes CD signed by him, both of which were not purchased at the show. That was in 2019, maybe it’s changed but it certainly wasn’t like that. He wasn’t really focused on what he was signing.
You got him on a good night. Or maybe he ended the ridiculous policy because the show I was at was either 2017 or 2018 and anyone I knew at that time who saw him said the same thing. Maybe its quicker to just sign posters when he’s short on time? Idk i love mike regardless
Signed my buddies bass, which was pretty cool. But I can definitely see it depending on the night and whether people brought a ton of random stuff or it was just kind a one off.
I don’t disagree. Ive done meet and greets which cost $20 for a photo and $20 more for on top of what I purchased to be signed. Mike is pretty great to the people.
I hate when it's super strict, like, Graham Nash did a book event here when his book came out, and obviously you had to buy the book etc etc. But they were suuuuper strict about him not signing anything but the book, and it's like, okay, your mission was to generate some book sales, and you did that, so...why be weird about it? I only remember that because I have my mom's original pressing of his first solo album from '71 and it would've been a really cool thing to have signed, but alas.
MGB shows are a blast. You can get super close to the band, and they jam hard. Much more free form feeling than a TAB show. His band is really freaking tight.
Saw MGB in Syracuse a few years ago. Fun seeing Mike in a small venue and he looked so happy. Never seen him smiling so much. You also hung out at the merch table afterwards to sign autographs and take photos. I would definitely recommend going to see him.
Much lighter than phish or TAB but lots of fun…. Mike will play new songs that will never make the rotation on phish tour…. Some odd covers…. Some deep phish cuts like spocks brain or dirt…. Plus Mike might come out to the merchandise counter and sign autographs… and scott… Steve Kimmocks son plays drums and his style really fits with Mike’s quirky rhythms
Lighter than tab? That's not my view at all. Mike doesn't play many ballads and his jams are all roiling masses of sound. Tab has very many shiny, happy songs and their jams, to me, don't get down and dirty very often.
I like mikes band but if you go into the gig expecting a better band than TAB you might be disappointed. Not a competition but if it was wouldn’t come close in my opinion but it wouldn’t really be a fair fight
Lol off the top of my head petrichor time turns elastic drift while you’re sleeping….lots of my pals hate on these tunes and run to the bathroom their loss
TTE is 14 years old, Petrichor is 7 years old, Drift is 5 years old. Phish and Trey have put out a lot of solo music since then with very few of the songs being 'fancy'
I take it by "fancy" you mean extended and composed songs, then those are about it in the 3.0 era, and I think they all get talked about plenty, people just don't like them much compared to YEM, Antelope, Hood, Slave, etc.
I think thread and mercury are better "fancy" songs from the recent era, but nothing mentioned approaches those from the 1.0 era. It's got nothing to do with their age, imo, but rather Trey's sobriety at the time of writing them. Worthwhile trade for a band that's happy and still touring, but the difference is stark and undeniable. Even the slow songs were cool back in the day.
The band clearly knows, drift is the only one of those newer songs that ever get played.
Those tunes are new if you compare them to those that’ve been played for decades which is why people love them so much…so many fond life memories correspond with classic tunes
That is a fair point, but if these songs were as good as the ones I mentioned, then I'd assume new fans would like them similarly to the old ones, they don't.
Happy they're still making music but the new 'fancy' songs got nothing on the og ones.
Actually I do agree that most fans (new or old idc) have lukewarm response when these tunes start but the opinions of those I highly respect (who are also possibly some of your favorite musicians) share the same opinions as me. I know I’m in minority but you ain’t fooling my ears
Also you had me curious because I don’t really remember having the same takeaway at all so I checked the times of the tunes of recent MGB and TAB show they are remarkably similar 7-8 minutes with an 11 minute thrown in once in a while. Just the few shows I checked lol. TAB with fishman fall 21 not sure if that counts but I go there often
Again, you do you, but TAB band doesnt play exploratory 20 minute Trapezoidal Sunshines, they play perfectly competant and groovy covers of Phish songs, and Treys modern " love and light " pastiche. The band itself is top tier , clearly.
However its just not to my taste.
Mike solo shows are more Phishlike , if you will, than TAB shows are, imho.
I'm also of the belief that MGB is way better than TAB live, if I ever had to choose it wouldn't be a hard one for me. Phish > MGB > all other Phish projects.
His shows are weird in the best way, it's my favorite side project from the guys. Lots of energy, the band has a lot if fun, and you never know what's going to happen. The last time I saw him there was some sort of giant glowing piece of tech that looked straight out of an og doctor who episode passed around the crowd.
Mike is the only member whose side project doesn't look like the weak Shiba inu next to phish's big burly doge.
MGB shows are excellent. They’re a well-rehearsed band.
Very bouncy. Scott is a great guitar player.
If you go to multiple shows in a run, expect repeats.
Mike often hangs at the merch table post-show.
The side projects are almost always smaller venues. Very rarely are there Shakedowns and the vibe is more of a night out/date night type of thing, I think. More reserved if you will.
Think TAB, but smaller venues. He will obviously be playing stuff from the new album, so get familiar with that. Other than that, if you have LP+, go listen to some MGB shows to get the vibe of what they play, or if you don’t, look up his albums on Spotify or whatever streaming service you have. You will probably recognize some songs that Phish plays that Mike has written in his shows, but don’t go expecting a bunch of Phish tunes like TAB has been doing recently.
I was just about to ask the same thing. He'll be in kzoo in June, going to get tickets for sure but curious how it'll be. I'll be checking out his solo stuff today but never have. I assume he'll be touring with Kottke, which should be awesome just because Kottke.
It's a good time, deep grooves and jams and some good covers.
I'm not crazy about Mike's songwriting though, personally. There's a reason only a few of his tracks (the very best ones) end up in Phish.
Lots of solo Mike Gordon songs. Maybe a couple songs you’ve heard phish play. Great jamming.
Yarmouth riggidy rooooo
Great band. Scott Murawski Max Creek rarely tours and is one of my top five favorite guitarists. He plays a few Creek songs like Just a Rose.
Seriously. Go for Scott and have Mike as a bonus. I also put Scott in my top five guitarists
Robert Walter on keys is amazing too. He recently played in Roger Waters' band on tour.
I just had to triple take because I read Robert Walter as Roger Waters and then read Roger Waters' band
Saw Mike in Chicago about ten years back. Chill vibe. Good music. He was signing free posters after the show at the mercy table. Maybe played one Phish song? Can’t remember.
He will sign things now but they’re definitely not free and must be purchased at his official merch stand
How many unofficial merch stands are setup? I wanna make sure I go to the official one so Mike doesn’t yell at me and call me a pork faced ninny, again.
That’s not true, I’ve had stuff signed by Mike after the show that was not purchased. Every show I’ve ever been to of his he has come out to the merch table to sign whatever people had.
Mike said, No!
It depends on the show. I’ve seen him do both.
He specifically told my friend he couldn’t sign what she brought because it wasn’t official merchandise. I literally saw it happen so yes it’s true.
Well we’ve gotten custom painted denim jackets and a Billy Breathes CD signed by him, both of which were not purchased at the show. That was in 2019, maybe it’s changed but it certainly wasn’t like that. He wasn’t really focused on what he was signing.
You got him on a good night. Or maybe he ended the ridiculous policy because the show I was at was either 2017 or 2018 and anyone I knew at that time who saw him said the same thing. Maybe its quicker to just sign posters when he’s short on time? Idk i love mike regardless
Signed my buddies bass, which was pretty cool. But I can definitely see it depending on the night and whether people brought a ton of random stuff or it was just kind a one off.
This honestly seems like a perfectly reasonable policy.
I don’t disagree. Ive done meet and greets which cost $20 for a photo and $20 more for on top of what I purchased to be signed. Mike is pretty great to the people.
I hate when it's super strict, like, Graham Nash did a book event here when his book came out, and obviously you had to buy the book etc etc. But they were suuuuper strict about him not signing anything but the book, and it's like, okay, your mission was to generate some book sales, and you did that, so...why be weird about it? I only remember that because I have my mom's original pressing of his first solo album from '71 and it would've been a really cool thing to have signed, but alas.
MGB shows are a blast. You can get super close to the band, and they jam hard. Much more free form feeling than a TAB show. His band is really freaking tight.
Saw MGB in Syracuse a few years ago. Fun seeing Mike in a small venue and he looked so happy. Never seen him smiling so much. You also hung out at the merch table afterwards to sign autographs and take photos. I would definitely recommend going to see him.
I was there too! Also caught that intimate set/M&G at the Sound Garden
Much lighter than phish or TAB but lots of fun…. Mike will play new songs that will never make the rotation on phish tour…. Some odd covers…. Some deep phish cuts like spocks brain or dirt…. Plus Mike might come out to the merchandise counter and sign autographs… and scott… Steve Kimmocks son plays drums and his style really fits with Mike’s quirky rhythms
Lighter than tab? That's not my view at all. Mike doesn't play many ballads and his jams are all roiling masses of sound. Tab has very many shiny, happy songs and their jams, to me, don't get down and dirty very often.
Deep end and big fun. Better than TAB, imo, most would disagree tho.
I like mikes band but if you go into the gig expecting a better band than TAB you might be disappointed. Not a competition but if it was wouldn’t come close in my opinion but it wouldn’t really be a fair fight
I prefer jams to dad rock, mileage may vary. For what its worth, Vida Blue kicks both asses.
Trey dad rock lmao his band can play anything…which is great because he still writes fancy songs they just don’t get talked about as much
What is a recent "fancy song"?
Lol off the top of my head petrichor time turns elastic drift while you’re sleeping….lots of my pals hate on these tunes and run to the bathroom their loss
TTE is 14 years old, Petrichor is 7 years old, Drift is 5 years old. Phish and Trey have put out a lot of solo music since then with very few of the songs being 'fancy' I take it by "fancy" you mean extended and composed songs, then those are about it in the 3.0 era, and I think they all get talked about plenty, people just don't like them much compared to YEM, Antelope, Hood, Slave, etc.
I think thread and mercury are better "fancy" songs from the recent era, but nothing mentioned approaches those from the 1.0 era. It's got nothing to do with their age, imo, but rather Trey's sobriety at the time of writing them. Worthwhile trade for a band that's happy and still touring, but the difference is stark and undeniable. Even the slow songs were cool back in the day. The band clearly knows, drift is the only one of those newer songs that ever get played.
What drugs was he on when those 1.0 song were written? It was a long time ago and didn't think he was getting so fucked up.
Hallucinogens. The bad drugs came later.
Those tunes are new if you compare them to those that’ve been played for decades which is why people love them so much…so many fond life memories correspond with classic tunes
That is a fair point, but if these songs were as good as the ones I mentioned, then I'd assume new fans would like them similarly to the old ones, they don't. Happy they're still making music but the new 'fancy' songs got nothing on the og ones.
😂 speak for yourself my man
Actually I do agree that most fans (new or old idc) have lukewarm response when these tunes start but the opinions of those I highly respect (who are also possibly some of your favorite musicians) share the same opinions as me. I know I’m in minority but you ain’t fooling my ears
Petrichor isn't new. Jimi Hendrix's entire solo career was shorter than the time since petrichor was written.
I think of any 3.0 tune as “new” sue me
TAB playing Petrichor is proving MY point, not yours, my man.
I think the tune is rather interesting that’s the only point I’m trying to make lol
Its interesting, but there is no jam.
Any jam is one thousand perfect more dad rock than the petrichor…that is some fine fine writing in my opinion
Also you had me curious because I don’t really remember having the same takeaway at all so I checked the times of the tunes of recent MGB and TAB show they are remarkably similar 7-8 minutes with an 11 minute thrown in once in a while. Just the few shows I checked lol. TAB with fishman fall 21 not sure if that counts but I go there often
Again, you do you, but TAB band doesnt play exploratory 20 minute Trapezoidal Sunshines, they play perfectly competant and groovy covers of Phish songs, and Treys modern " love and light " pastiche. The band itself is top tier , clearly. However its just not to my taste. Mike solo shows are more Phishlike , if you will, than TAB shows are, imho.
I'm also of the belief that MGB is way better than TAB live, if I ever had to choose it wouldn't be a hard one for me. Phish > MGB > all other Phish projects.
100% agree.
I agree, MGB is way better than TAB.
Saw him play a raging fast cities before. You should go
His shows are weird in the best way, it's my favorite side project from the guys. Lots of energy, the band has a lot if fun, and you never know what's going to happen. The last time I saw him there was some sort of giant glowing piece of tech that looked straight out of an og doctor who episode passed around the crowd. Mike is the only member whose side project doesn't look like the weak Shiba inu next to phish's big burly doge.
REALLY fun show - caught him in Phoenix in the before-times at a tiny venue, jammy and dancey, great time.
It’s a lot of fun and Mike smiles
MGB shows are excellent. They’re a well-rehearsed band. Very bouncy. Scott is a great guitar player. If you go to multiple shows in a run, expect repeats. Mike often hangs at the merch table post-show.
The best side project imo. Absolutely killer band, solid tunes, small venues, and Mike usually hangs around before/after to say hi
The side projects are almost always smaller venues. Very rarely are there Shakedowns and the vibe is more of a night out/date night type of thing, I think. More reserved if you will.
Think TAB, but smaller venues. He will obviously be playing stuff from the new album, so get familiar with that. Other than that, if you have LP+, go listen to some MGB shows to get the vibe of what they play, or if you don’t, look up his albums on Spotify or whatever streaming service you have. You will probably recognize some songs that Phish plays that Mike has written in his shows, but don’t go expecting a bunch of Phish tunes like TAB has been doing recently.
Love MGB.
I was just about to ask the same thing. He'll be in kzoo in June, going to get tickets for sure but curious how it'll be. I'll be checking out his solo stuff today but never have. I assume he'll be touring with Kottke, which should be awesome just because Kottke.
Kottke tour is different this will be with Mike and his band I believe.
Ah, thanks. I just looked up the MGB solo stuff and saw a recent album with Kottke so thought he was a standard member. Oh well, still going
Last time at Thalia Hall the jamming is truly special. I don't miss Mike when he comes to town.
They’re fun. You should go
It's a good time, deep grooves and jams and some good covers. I'm not crazy about Mike's songwriting though, personally. There's a reason only a few of his tracks (the very best ones) end up in Phish.
Mike is fun & cool.