Memories.
The dudes behind the annual Jam in the 'Dam festival have just posted a video capsule showing some highlights from the 2006 fest. Man, this took me back. The fact that I went with a music festival in Amsterdam as the anchor for a two-week run through Europe seems pretty intelligent in hindsight. It was a great spot to end the trip on. It was my four favorite bands playing in a small club in Amsterdam. It was a no-brainer, as I like to say...
For everyone else's sake, I wish the lineup for the 2007 festival was as strong as the 2006 lineup. To be 100%, completely honest here -- it just isn't. The main anchor of this year's festival is actually Dark Star Orchestra, a band that uses the songs and setlists of the Grateful Dead as the music that they play live. Do they write originals? Maybe...but they certainly don't play them. They cover the Grateful Dead.
Said another way...THEY ARE A GRATEFUL DEAD COVER BAND.
They're up there as one of the most unexciting things happening in music these days if you ask me. And I've never actually even listened to them. Talk about blissfully ignorant, huh?
Rounding out the lineup, you've got Keller Williams -- who's played Jam in the 'Dam before and still continues to do the same if-you've-seen-it-once guitar and electronic looping -- Galactic -- who's NOLA funk got excluded from last year's fest after being originally announced -- and Yonder Mountain String Band -- the newgrass jamband that seemingly doesn't fully mix well with the rest of the lineup (except for Keller's forays into the bluegrass realm).
Am I missing something here?
I feel close to this festival -- I feel invested -- and I feel that we had this great festival that was pushing the limits and they've gone and taken a giant-ass 25-year step backwards. I feel that there are plenty of jamband fans that are willing to move on PAST the Grateful Dead as opposed to constantly living with their memories of "better times" when Jerry was alive and whatnot. Do we really need another festival dedicated to *his* memory? Is this homage-worthy or not? I'm curious as to your thoughts. Drop some knowledge in the comments...
Justin, I've been a fan of this blog for a while, pretty much because you talk about pretty much all the music I listen to. And once again, I completely agree. I was really gung-ho about going this year, after not being able to organize the jaunt out there last year... I was crushed to see this completely lackluster lineup. Other than Yonder, I wouldn't pay money to see any of these artists in my own city (NYC) let alone travel across the atlantic to see them.
But after speaking to an industry friend (who was working with some organizers of this) of mine, it seems that this decision was mostly economics. None of these bands are expensive, and Darkstar apparently draws all the old 'heads out of the woodwork and gets good crowds. To illustrate, this year, Darkstar played 2 nights at Nokia Theatre here in times Square over the summer and completely sold out. In addition, they've got another night coming up before December (I believe). In contrast, Umphrey's played at Nokia one night this year, and I don't think completely sold out (or, if it did, it did late in the game).
In addition to Darkstar, for some reason, drawing in crowds, you've got Keller who is pretty cheap to move around (him, guitar, pedals, a few other things), and two 2nd-tier jambands who don't go for as much money as an Umphrey's (who just keep getting bigger) or B/R duo (same).
At least that's my take on why this year blows: in short, it's the bottom line.
I agree, DSO is a odd decision and I wouldn't pay $20 to see DSO across the street, let alone travel to Europe to see them.
Galactic will put on a good show, but I am getting kind of bored with them.
I am a huge Keller fan and I think he will put on a great show. He has toured and played alot with Yonder so I am sure they will do well together at Jam In The Dam.
The last 4 times I have seen Yonder they have been on fire. They might be newgrass, but they gets the fans dancing and having fun.
So I like 2 of the 4 bands alot, 1 band so so, and 1 band not at all.
I would be surprised if many people would travel for this but I could be wrong.
As to the comment above, if the decision was economics, in terms of inexpensive bands, then will the ticket price lower?
COMMENT DELETED
DSO, good band but frankly Phil & Friends is easier to get to and do it right.
Keller... does get a little tiring after awhile.
Galactic... not bad, but not a big draw as far as crowds go
Yonder... Nothing wrong with this pick. Very solid.
All in all, if I were to go the reason would be Europe, this would just be a perk. Then again, I wasn't too huge on last year's JITD lineup, either, not the way I was excited about Vegoose 2005 or Summer Camp 2006 anyways.
yeah justin that's pretty weak man, your definitely entitled to your opinion but you're stating dso sucks and you've never actually seen them?
dso is an extremely talented band that does a great job recreating the dead.
i guess if they aren't kraftwork you just aren't happy are you.
post some more pictures of your feet while you're at it
johnny utah: your comment was moderated as I'm really not sure I'm any of the things that you mentioned. Calling me names will not get you included in this discussion -- it's that simple. If you have something to add to the discussion at hand, that's one thing and certainly not deserving of comment moderation. If you want to quote some lines from Point Break, that's cool, too...
Joe: I never said DSO sucks. Go back and re-read the post if you think I did.
touchy touchy... gee, you make a comment about the dead thats not absolutely positive and you get jumped on. no matter how good they are DSO is a cover band. even if the decision of bands was made based on the bottom line, tickets should definately be cheaper. have you seen UM new years line-up. none of those bands are cheap to get im sure, and a 3-day pass is about the same price as tickets for jam in the dam will be. much better deal, much better bands, and all without leaving the country. also, i believe kraftwerk was misspelled in joe's last post.
I agree with your blog.
Saying cover bands are unexciting is one thing, but to call out a band before you've ever even seen them seems pretty brash in my opinion. I would take Phil & Friends over them, but I'm sure DSO costs 1/10th of what Phil does. I know Donna Jean has taken a negative stance w Dead "cover bands" for many years, but these guys must be pretty good if she will sit in with them year after year at Gratefulfest:
http://christianjamesphoto.com/main.php/v/FeaturedShows/
regardless of whether he has seen them or not. bottom line, no matter what argument you give, they are a cover band. i appreciate that they attempt to recreate the magic that WAS the grateful dead. it seems to me that we should be looking forward to new music. we can still celebrate the past, but lets try not to live in it forever. ughh... enough of this conversation. im curious as to why there has been little mention of the other lackluster bands performing. discuss amongst yourselves...
"The name's Johnny Utah!"
...paddling away: "Who cares!"
I'm with you 100 percent, Justin: middling lineup, polar opposite of last year. I've never been to JITD before, but I get the impression that it's mostly American fans. Perhaps this was a chance to give European heads a taste of noodly American rock and roll. I've had my fill of Keller and all things GD. The saturation point has probably not been reached in the land of Kraftwerk and Daft Punk, so maybe this lineup was structured for Euros to pony up and train it in to Amsterdam.
BB: "As to the comment above, if the decision was economics, in terms of inexpensive bands, then will the ticket price lower?"
I sincerely doubt it. The people who put on this show want to MAKE MONEY. These decisions weren't made to pass along the savings to the consumer.
CJ: "Saying cover bands are unexciting is one thing, but to call out a band before you've ever even seen them seems pretty brash in my opinion."
So saying a cover band is unexciting is fine, but saying that DSO is is "brash"? I'm unexcited by the prospect of seeing them (I heard about 5 minutes at All Good 2 years ago), I don't think that's brash. On a blog that's already made it's peace with the fact that the GD are gone and is not too interested in staying transfixed on that era, I don't think it's brash at all to say, "I came post-GD, so I'm not all that excited about a GD cover band."
OK, I have to admit that if I was seriously considering going. I'm a Yonder kinda guy, and after they got dropped last year, I really want to come out and show some support. But I think Justin's got it right. Traveling across the globe to see a GD cover band (and they are great) just doesn't seem like a brilliant economic decision. I'd rather take that money, and that week, catch 4 domestic shows and do some sightseeing right here at home. I would have loved to see some cohesion in the lineup. Keller + Yonder does = Crazy Delicious though. And I can't help but notice the irony in YMSB being relegated to "2nd tier jam band" while they're the one act everyone so far has agreed is worth seeing. I've yet to see B/R Duo, but I think MMW w/ Scofield or those guys would have been a better choice. As it stands, you won't see us there.
To be fair, I consider DSO a tribute band, not a cover band. And though I've only seen them once, it was a retardedly good time. I'd go a lot farther than across the street to see them, but like you, not to Amsterdam.
Now, the upcoming Jam Cruise.. holy crap am I drooling over that one...
Honestly, I'm very close to the organizers, and I can tell you unequivocally that money DOES come in to play. Just not in the way you all think. They can only sell 1500 tickets. That only allows bands to take part that WANT to take part. Not just bands (can you say Ratdog?) that only want to be PAID. It's a HUGE overhead on travel, backline, and accomodations alone, let alone what you pay the bands. They specifically wanted to change up the feel this year. Smart, considering last year didn't sell out, and they KNOW who's fans were buying or not. It's great that people are so passionate about this festival, that's a good thing in the long run. Remember, the trip to Amsterdam alone, in a reasonably priced time of year, is a great thing. I go every year, even before there was a JitD. Have some faith in these folks, they know what they're doing.
Jeez people settle down- go to Barney's Coffeshop and buy a few grams of "Willie Nelson" roll it, smoke it and it won't matter if you are listening to Britney Spears you are going to have a good time. Anyway if you are that uptight about a concert then you probably wouldn't enjoy what Holland or Europe has to offer anyway - just stay in the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Very nice site! loan til payday
Dolemite- You hit the nail right on the bud. peace-
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Are there people usually selling extra tickets during the concerts and if so, do they go cheaper than buying before hand??
- First time Jammer
Something came up and I can no longer attend. I have two tickets which I'm trying to sell for $185 each. I'll eat the service charges. What a great gift to get someone for the holiday season.
Evan
Please contact
ewbolla@yahoo.com
Mr. or Mrs. Poster:
'ya, ya, this lineup
that don't line up right
im not happy
so so not happy'
---get over it.
this vs. that, my uncle richard is fatter than yours; You are a blah blah whiney kiddie preppie elitist STICK IN THE MUD.Go shat in yer hit
Justback from the first night of the Jam in the Dam! I live in Ireland so it only took me an hour to get there.
All in all a great great night - YMSB blew the Mellkweg away - really stong songs and had the whole place dancing. Keller was excellent and his set was definately aimed at getting people dancing. Galactic kept it going until the early hours on monday morning and was rockin again. With regards DSO, I was keen to see them mainly to hear some Dead tunes - they did a good job and while really a cover band the hall was packed and a lot of people dancing. An eclectic mix of bands brightened up a cold and snowy amsterdam and for 50 euros - a great night out!!!
Let's up 2008 gets even better!
we went to Jam in the Dam this year, and it was fantastic
all four bands played stellar sets every night ... i'd seen them all before, and was more excited about this line-up than i was when i went in 2005
don't get me wrong ... UM, DB, Particle, all great bands ... but they tend to draw the "ecstasy" crowd, with a higher wookie factor
Keller put on the best sets i've ever seen him play ... he stole the show, and was very entertaining ... Keller should play JitD every year ! check out the shows on archive.org if someone is kind enough to upload them
YMSB tore the roof off the Melkweg, as expected ... four talented guys who never disappoint
Galactic brought the funk ... solid sets, especially when they closed the place
DSO was great ! i'm not crazy about cover bands, but DSO sounds great, and the tunes they played were well-received by the crowd
the crowd was over 90% American ... unfortunate that locals don't attend JitD ... if they only knew
Amsterdam is a beautiful place to visit, chill out for a few days, experience the finer things in life we should be able to experience everywhere :) and pour a little culture into your soul
sorry to hear you feel that this was a 25-year step backwards ... i welcomed the change in line-up and loved every minute ... i'll go back, whoever ends up being invited
lookin' forward to next year !
arm
Um well, i havnt been to the jam at the dam yet, i just moved to london, so the 2008 festival is a must for me, but if theres one thing i would like to see happen, which could be the most unlikely thing, is somehow persued phish to come play, if this happens, i will be the happiest person ever. but im looking forward to attending next years shows
There is one comment above that mentions in Amsterdam is won't matter what you see, you will have a good time. I have to concur. I am going to Amsterdam and Europe first, Jam in the Dam second and this event is just a huge bonus as far as I am concerned. Way the by, I have not been to a DSO I haven't enjoyed and being a Boulder boy, I have been swimming upstream with Leftover Salmon since 89', YMSB rocks as well and if they were doing a solo show that would be enough to draw me, no question. I mean how bad can it be? Two or three bands you thoroughly enjoy, maybe one you could take or leave. Remember, you are in the Dam and once you walk out the Melkweg doors it is on like Donkey Kong regardless of who played. I thoroughly look forward to my Dam return and my inaugural JamintheDam party. See you in 08'!
I know this is late, but i just started getting the feed of this blog and got linked here.
I agree with your dso comment but will just add that the 25 year anniversary is something to consider as a one year thing for this (hopefully long-standing) festie, at the same rate they were definitely the least of my motivations for going in ‘07.
Aside from the actual musical aspect of umph and bisco, which I love, you must admit they do appeal to a younger crowd, and one that would have been sitting in the same coffeeshop for 16 hours everyday instead of really enjoying this city in addition to its pleasures. There is something to be said for the mature, traveler-minded vibe that ‘07 jitd brought. The crowds were there for the music, the experience, the memories, and brought a relaxing and very honest attitude to the festival. Jitd is a genuine "festival in a city", the usual tent vendors have storefronts, the coffeeshops have menus and microscopes, and the stages are housed in clubs (and the heiny is delicious). It seemed to me to be the perfect fit for the crowd this year's bands brought.
One gripe: the seen-it-once comment really struck deep, as an avid keller fan. He is progressing as much or more than any band out there, and the loops are part of that progression. There are new directions for him at all times (note: album progression from spun->breathe->loop, wmd’s, theramin, keller and keels, kwi,). Sorry but you hit the sweet spot.
Love the blog, keep up the good work.
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