Words and Images: Tim Hara

The crowd buzzed with anticipation as they waited for Mike Gordon to take the stage at the packed Park West in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago this past Friday night. Rumors swirled that Gordon’s Phish band mate, Trey Anastasio, would be making a guest appearance since he was in town the day before to do an interview for a local radio station. Unfortunately for Phish fans, Trey would never show. However, the crowd didn’t mind as Mike Gordon and company treated fans to a night of great music accompanied by guitarist Scott Murawski, Craig Myers on percussion, Tom Cleary on keyboards, and drummer Todd Isler.

Throughout the two sets, Gordon and his band played a wide array of songs from old and new originals to covers. In the first set, the night kicked off with Another Door from Gordon’s most recent album, The Green Sparrow. Later in the set, the band played solid versions of Mike’s new original Can’t Stand Still and Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator). Things really got going when Gordon and friends delighted fans with a rocking version of Soulfood Man from from 2003’s Inside In. The set closed with Dig Further Down, another Sparrow tune.

While it seemed as though Gordon and his band needed the first set to get comfortable and loosen up, the real magic came in the set that followed. They opened with the new, short and sweet Phish song, Sugar Shack, which was penned by Mike. Next came an inspired guest sit-in by Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville. The crowd roared and frantically snapped photos as keyboardist Tom Cleary and Neville sat side-by-side dueling during Hey Now Baby. After Neville left, the band surprised the audience again with a cover of Radiohead’s 15 Step. The highlight of the show came with a huge set-closing jam out of Traveled Too Far, another Sparrow song. The night ended with another sing along when the band encored with The Beatles’ She Said, She Said. READ ON for more of Tim’s thoughts and photos…

It was clear to fans that this was much more than a side project. Mike Gordon was far from the center of attention as he frequently stepped back to let his band mates take the lead. Everyone on stage was having a great time as they joked around and exchanged ear-to-ear grins with each other. Several times during the show Mike would pick up and noodle with his Korg Kaossilator, even letting fans in the front row play with it a bit. Percussionist Craig Myers plucked away at his African string instrument, the Kora, adding a very unique sound on a few songs.

One couldn’t help but think that the improvisation sounded Phishy at times, especially with Murawski playing the signature Languedoc guitar next to the big, fat notes coming from Gordon’s Modulus bass. However, Mike Gordon and his band were undoubtedly making their mark as they nailed their compositions and teared through jams with a sound that was polished and tight.

Mike Gordon currently has five more dates on his already lengthy tour, which ends in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont on October 4th at Higher Ground.

Mike Gordon Band
September 25, 2009
Park West
Chicago, IL

Set One: Another Door, Walls Of Time, Spiral, Can’t Stand Still, Time (The Revelator), The Field, Morphing Again, Soulfood Man, Dig Further Down

Set Two: Sugar Shack, What Things Seem, Sound*, Hey Now Baby*, 15 Step, River Niger, Radar Blip, Traveled Too Far
Encore: Rhymes, She Said, She Said

Show Notes: * with Ivan Neville on keys and vocals

HT Staff

Hidden Track was started in October of 2006 and features a team of dedicated contributors from across the country. This article was written by one of the newest members of our team or was a collaboration by more than one contributor. Want to contribute to Hidden Track? Send us a pitch to scott at glidemagazine dot com.

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