These words rang true last night (lyrics from Younger than today) as Susan and I were enjoying Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. We both love Ben’s deep lyrics which was one of the reasons that we chose By My Side as our wedding song. I put in a request to see if he would be able to play this at Radio City since our anniversary is only 2 weeks away, but unfortunately the played it the night before.

Ben did an amazing solo where he stepped away from the mic, the entire crowd became silent and he used the power of his voice to fill RCMH! It was truely incredible! The show ended with a fantasic rendition of Masters of War (Bob Dylan) and Like a King / I’ll Rise.

For more information on the show check out http://www.benharper.net/?section=tour-dates&page=tour-archive&id=2480#setlist

-Allen

On the way back from a business trip, I stopped over in Colorado to meet up with some friends. Michael flew out from NJ to meet Ken and I and we headed to Red Rocks to see moe. play. Leftover Salmon was the opening act.

The first time that I was at this venue was in September 2005 when Ken, Ania, Susan, and I saw Robert Randolph and the Family Band along with Santana. Red Rocks is truly an amazing venue that is well worth the trip, even to see a band that you remotely like. Sandwiched between huge rocks, the outdoor music mecca is surreal. Last night, the weather was amazing and the light from the full moon added to the ambiance.

Overall the show was OK, but I was not a huge fan of the set list. I guess that can happen after you have been to 26 shows by the same band. The show started off with one of the best “Plane Crash” versions that I have heard. But once they hit Macintyre Range it seemed like they lost the rest of the crowd. Those that still remained in the audience appeared to be sucked back in when moe. busted out “Wind it up” to end the set. Perhaps one of the reasons the crowd appeared lost is the location of the show??? Although moe., appears to have gained popularity around the nation, they are still primarily known on the East Coast. I often heard people saying, “what tune is this?” I even had a guy ask me what song “Havah Negilah” was. You certainly would not find this in NY or NJ. Check out the set list

Anyway, I will still continue to see moe. for many years to come.

-Allen

This morning at 4am, I concluded a few days of mayhem, partying, and hippie dancing. A graduation present to myself. My favorite band moe. came to New York City for a 5 night run at a new club, Highline Ballroom located on 16th Street between 9th and 10th Ave. The run began on Wednesday, May 2nd and concluded on Sunday, May 6th. I was able to make every night with the exception of Saturday with Michael (who went to the Saturday show as well). The sets were unbelievable and the energy was intense. These have to be some of the best shows that I have seen. PERIOD. Thursday night, they brought Fishbone out on stage for the encore which was totally unexpected. The shows can be downloaded on Archive.org and from etree. I will post a few more details about the shows as I get to posting the pictures.

I brought my camera with me as moe. has recently changed their photography policy back to allow for still shots. I will hopefully be posting the pictures that I took during this run within the next week or two. I have about 500 shots to pour through.

Sunday night marked my 25th moe. show. Hopefully I have many more to come.

-Allen

You never know what you are going to see when you walk through the streets of New York. On my way to the office this morning, I heard music blasting and I knew something was happening. I decided to see what the deal was and I saw Jack Ingram playing on the corner of 49th and 6th outside the Fox building for the Fox and Friends show. I actually had my camera with me today. There were a few challenges while shooting, like plants in the way, security, people, etc. Check out the pictures here. The guys in the band were really friendly and took pictures with a few people. I talked to Pete (the drummer) for a few minutes before I had to head off to work. Really cool guys and a pretty good sound to start the morning!

-Allen

On Monday, Michael, Susan, and I went to the Iridium Jazz Club in NYC to see Les Paul and His Trio.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we got there.  The Iridium is a tiny jazz club in the basement of a building between 50th and 51st on Broadway.  When Les took the stage he brought a certain energy that lit up the room.  The man is 91 years old and he rocked the place.  Although the show was just under 1.5 hours, it was one of the best shows that I have seen in a while and a great experience.  More photos are posted in the photos section at http://www.susanandallen.com/photos/2007/2007-01-15-LesPaulTrio/

-Allen