Mike Gordon @ Slowdown

In my younger years, my aunt Jolene was always talking about this band that she was infatuated with that went by the name of Phish. I had given them a few listens, but never enjoyed it because, in my shortsightedness, I couldn't see their sound for the genius that it was. But while I and the rest of mainstream America wrote Phish off as circus music, the truth was that they were making history. Finally, when I was about 18, another good friend of mine came along and was successful in converting me to the Phish fan base. By 2003, I was finally able to catch them live in Kansas City, which solidified Phish, in my eyes, as the greatest act I had ever personally witnessed. If only this had happened a few years earlier.

Read more on the evening after the jump!

Flash forward to August 31st, 2008, when I found myself at Slowdown in Omaha, NE. I was eagerly awaiting former Phish bassist Mike Gordon to take the stage. Gordon was touring in support of his new album, The Green Sparrow, his first solo effort since 2003. I was able to catch Gordon's act briefly at Rothbury this summer, which basically turned into a highly anticipated near Phish reunion with Trey Anastasio and Jon Fishman joining in. The Rothbury set was incredible, and I was hoping that it would be duplicated on Sunday night in Omaha. Filtering in a bit late, we were graced with the closing two tracks of the night's opener (I failed to catch their name). After a brief wait, Gordon and company took the stage, and quickly broke into a very intricate jam, expressing to the crowd that they were in for an amazing night of music.

The set continued in much the same way with a very jammy theme, until the band went totally acoustic and brought the already intimate venue just that much closer. Slowdown appeared to be the perfect setting for this, as the sound was exquisite. You could see the crowd holding on for every last note. Gordon soon explained that they only go acoustic every few weeks, making this even more of a treat for us. After running through a few tunes in this mellow style, they quickly got back to jamming, leading us into The Doobie Brothers classic, "Taking It to the Streets." Gordon would later explain that this was done in homage to The Doobies, who were playing just across the river in Council Bluffs, IA. Earlier in the day, the entire band, sans keyboardist Tom Cleary, all went to check out The Doobie Brothers. Turns out that Cleary is an avid fan, and was saddened to be truant for this event. So they presented him with a Doobies t-shirt, which he quickly donned and continued to wear for the remainder of the evening.

Soon after this, I retired to the car for a brief moment to drop off my photography equipment, and was quickly greeted by the sound of sirens and helicopters combing the area. Rounding the first corner, I could see the ghetto bird spotlighting the area where Septemberfest was located. Septemberfest is an annual event that resembles a carnival, but allegedly someone had a little too much fun and decided to celebrate by sending several rounds into the air from his handgun. This shortened the smoke break, but got me into the venue quicker to enjoy the remainder of the set and dance my ass off. Omaha is quite hood rich.

The audience had begun to get rowdy, with the psychedelic tunes sending everyone into a groove-induced trance. The set had reached the midnight mark, which - for those familiar with Slowdown - usually signals the end of the night's events. Not for Gordon and his cronies though. They jammed comfortably into Labor Day, keeping the crowd moving for another half hour or so. During this time, we were treated to a cover of C+C Music Factory’s hit "Things That Make You Go Hmmm." Coming back for a short encore, the band quickly ripped out an excellent cover of The Beatles' "She Said, She Said" leaving the evening on an excellent note.

In summary, Mike Gordon and his band continue to impress. I was pleased that we had attended; most of the crowd seemed to be of the same opinion. Gordon himself is such an amazing bassist and it is astounding to watch him effortlessly pump out line after line. His backing band is very complementary to his work as well, as each of them brings their own unique element to the table.

For a stellar Sunday night jam session provided by none other than Cactus himself, I give Mike Gordon 8/10 slices.

Best,
The Toastman