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FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

This was my fourth time seeing the great trio of Medeski Martin & Wood… and the second time as an “evening with,” which tends to work out nicely for a weekday concert.  No painful opener to sit through, and less likely a late show time.

We got to the venue only a few minutes before they went on.  They came out around 8:20 and started off with one or two from Zaebos, their album from John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels series.  From there, they hopped right into a Medeski-keys-oriented tune and a more exotica piece.  Overall, their show last night was definitely more of the MMW groove show, versus a improvisational MMW “messin’ around” kind of show.  Sure, at one point illyB pulled out the ducks calls while Chris and John noodled around, but then they ripped right back into the more lyrical pieces.

McDonald had the floor set up with chairs for the evening, which was a shock for me.  The crowd started out in chairs, but by the third song, they were moving up the aisles and dancing.  When MMW came back out for the second set, it was pretty much a dance party… well, a dance party with a bunch of pesky chairs in the way.

I’ll post the setlist when/if I find it… again, I recognized a couple Zaebos tunes, plus I’m pretty sure they played “Amber Gris,” “Padrecito,” “Amish Pinxtos,” “Reliquary,” “Free Go Lily,” and a few more Radiolarians tracks.  Don’t quote me on all of those songs, but it was definitely a Radiolarians-heavy show.

Setlist: (thanks, nastyshadows!)

• Set 1: Agmatia
• Pappy Check
• Broken Mirror >
• Disrobe >
• Open Improv >
• Padrecito
• Amber Gris
• Set 2: Free Go Lily
• Jean’s Scene
• Reliquary
• New Planet
• Cloud Wars
• Encore: Bass Solo >
• Chubb Sub

Two hour-long sets plus encore (which started out with a nice Chris Wood bass solo).  Excellent show.  Medeski Martin & Wood do not disappoint.

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• MMW’s Site
• MMW on MySpace
• Nov 2008 McDonald Theatre – Concert Review w/ Photos
  
• McDonald Theatre

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Dave Holland Quintet – Critical Mass

MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

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February 2010 Tour Dates

• 17 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
• 18 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
• 19 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
• 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
• 21 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
• 23 – Petaluma, CA – The Mystic Theatre
• 24 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Crown Room
• 25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
• 26 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
• 27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market