December 30 has always been a major holiday for jambands. Nearly every major act took to the stage last night for their last standard show before busting out all the stops for tonight’s New Year’s Eve concerts. Let’s take a look at what went down last night across the country…

[Photo via Mule.net by Chris Rushin]

Gov’t Mule – Hammerstein Ballroom – NYC [via JRoxx]

Set 1: Blind Man In The Dark, Lola Leave Your Light On, Gameface, Towering Fool, She Said, She Said-> Tomorrow Never Knows, Spanish Moon *with Marc Quinones and Ivan Neville*, Into The Mystic *with Marc Quinones*, Kind Of Bird *with Marc Quinones*


Set 2
: Like Flies, I Think You Know What I Mean-> When The Levee Breaks, Time To Confess, Red Clay *dedicated to the memory of Freddie Hubbard with Jimmy Vivino, Jeff Young and Marc Quinones*, Drums *with Marc Quinones*, I’m A Ram, Mule *Who Do You Love Tease*
Encore: Come On Into My Kitchen Intro -> 32/20 Blues *with Jimmy Vivino and Jeff Young*

The Skinny - Most expected Ivan Neville of opening band Dumpstaphunk to sit in throughout the night, but it was Warren’s ABB band mate Marc Quinones who spent the most time on stage with the Mule. The Mule also enlisted Jimmy Vivino [Fab Faux, Max Weinberg 7] and Jeff Young [Jackson Browne, Steely Dan] to celebrate the life of Jazz Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who passed away on Monday in LA. Of course, Neville did make his way to the stage for a cover of Little Feat’s Spanish Moon.

READ ON for setlists and reports from Phil and Friends, RatDog, Umphrey’s McGee, the Disco Biscuits, Widespread Panic and more…

Umphrey’s McGee – Auditorium Theater – Chicago, IL

Set 1: Sweetness@ > August@, Wizard Burial Ground, Morning Song, Alex’s House^ > Rocker pt. II^, 40′s Theme*

Set 2: Made to Measure$^, Great American^* > Eleanor Rigby^* > Great American^*, Bright Lights*, Ocean Billy, Der Bluten Kat^ > “Jimmy Stewart” > Der Bluten Kat
Encore: Ringo^

^ – w/ Josh Redman on saxophone
* – w/ Stanley Jordan on guitar
$ – First Time Played

The Skinny: Umphrey’s opened the show with a rare Sweetness that featured guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger on acoustic guitars and segued into oldie-but-goodie August. Longtime UM friend sax star Josh Redman joined the band towards the end of the first set and for most of the second set and encore including the debut of Made to Measure from Mantis. Guitarist Stanley Jordan came out for the final song of the first set, 40′s Theme, and for a Great American sandwich that had a tasty Eleanor Rigby filling.

YouTube Preview Image

Umphrey’s Debuts Made to Measure

Jackie Greene, RatDog, Phil, Bobby and Jay plus Phil and Friends – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA

Jackie Setlist: Hollywood, Cell Block #9, The Rusty Nail, Uphill Mountain, Gone Wanderin’, So Hard To Find My Way, The Lord Mistreats Me, I Don’t Live In A Dream, I’m So Gone, Mexican Girl

RatDog Setlist: Jam> Shakedown Street> Easy Answers> She Belongs To Me> Money For Gasoline, Lazy River Road> Jack Straw> She Says> Liberty, @Friend Of The Devil, @The Weight, Two Djinn> Stuff> Dear Prudence> Touch Of Grey

@=acoustic

Phil, Bobby and Jay Setlist: Peggy-O, Black Throated Wind, Dark Star(instrumental only, played thru end of what is verse 1)> Easy To Slip

Bobby acoustic and all vocals
(at end of set, Bobby says, “work in progress”)

Phil Lesh and Friends (Lesh, Greene, Molo, Molitz, Sless) Setlist
: Bertha, Direwolf, Birdsong> Althea, New Speedway Boogie> Jam> Lady With A Fan> Terrapin Station> Jam> China Cat Sunflower> Born Cross-Eyed>
St Stephen> Satisfaction, Donor Rap/Intros
Encore: Viola Lee Blues

The Skinny: Deadheads at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium sure got their monies worth last night with four sets of music. Phil busted out a rare cover of the Stones’ Satisfaction to close his set before ending the marathon with Viola Lee.

The Disco Biscuits – Nokia Theatre – NYC, NY

Set I: Morph Dusseldorf, Triumph> And The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night1> Run Like Hell2> Confrontation3
Set II: M.E.M.P.H.I.S.> Spacebirdmatingcall> Basis For A Day> Cyclone> Basis For A Day
Encore: King Of The World

1 inverted
2 middle section only
3 ending only

The Skinny: The Biscuits returned to the Nokia after a night off with a setlist full of old classics.

Widespread Panic – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO [via PanicStream]

Set 1: Fishwater, Walkin > Wonderin’, You Should Be Glad, Blight > Climb To Safety, Gimme > Lil Kin > Action Man (64 mins)

Set 2 : B of D > Time Zones > Genesis, Flicker > Pigeons* > Maggot Brain > Other One Jam > Drums > JAM > Maggot Brain > Pigeons, Christmas Katie > Radio Child > Imitation Leather Shoes (113 mins)
Encore:  Tickle The Truth Into Submission > Cream Puff War (13 mins)

The Skinny: Widespread Panic kicked off their first New Year’s run outside of Georgia with a scorcher that featured a nearly two-hour long second set. Pigeons > Maggot Brain > Other One Jam > Drums > JAM > Maggot Brain > Pigeons is the stuff legends are made of.

Scott Bernstein

Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for Relix Magazine and curates YEMblog.com.

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