L4LM Staff Picks: Our Favorite Live Collaborations Of 2017

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to look back at the wild ride and whirlwind that was 2017. For this series of Live For Live Music staff picks, we’ll be reliving many of the glorious musical moments from the past year. We’ve already taken a look at a select few of the awesome jams, bust outs, live covers, and music festivals that went down this year, and today, we’re revisiting our staff’s favorite live collaborations of 2017. Enjoy!

Hampton 70 | The Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA | 5/1/17

There’s no narrowing it down. In what will become one of Rock and Roll’s greatest stories, we continue to dissect what transpired at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on May 1, 2017. For nearly four hours, different combinations of world-class musicians graced the stage with Colonel Bruce Hampton, performing joyous renditions of classic rock and blues covers along with seminal Bruce Hampton material to a packed house (and countless more via live stream) in honor of his 70th birthday. It was a joyous celebration; a highly potent, awe-inspiring display of musicianship; a moving show of respect and admiration for one of the most influential performers of his generation.

Stranger Than Fiction: The Cosmic Curtain Call Of Col. Bruce Hampton

Even before Hampton collapsed and died during the show’s encore, this was a performance of epic proportions, a night of music that would be talked about for years to come. Many of the jam scene’s most talented and respected players–including John Bell, Dave Schools, Jon Fishman, Warren Haynes, Karl Denson, Oliver Wood, Jimmy Herring, Chuck Leavell, John Popper, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Brandon “TAZ” Niederauer and so many more–came out to pay their respects to a the jam scene elder statesman.

It would be impossible to replicate the energy in the room, and the reality of the experience is inconceivable to those who were not there, but thanks to the advancements of technology, there is at least sound proof of the Colonel’s last magic trick. Listen to the full show below, courtesy of Dfries81:

Below is a full list of musicians that performed at Hampton 70:

Col. Bruce Hampton, Peter Buck, Warren Haynes, Daniel Wytanis, Brandon Niederauer, John Popper, Vince Herman, Tyler Greenwell, Derek Trucks, Emil Werstler, Duane Trucks, Jimmy Herring, Drew Emmitt, Jeff Sipe, Yonrico Scott, John Bell, Susan Tedeschi, Jon Fishman, Tyler Neal, Carter Herring, Darren Stanley, Oliver Wood, Jeff Mosier, Joe Zambi, Dave Schools, Kevin Scott, Jake Peavy, Matt Slocum, Kevin Kinney, Chuck Leavell, Tinsley Ellis, Johnny Knapp, Hardy Morris, Karl Denson,Darick Campbell, Denny Walley, and more…

Trey Anastasio with Tedeschi Trucks Band | “Delta Lady” & “Mountain Jam” | Beacon Theatre | New York City, NY | 10/14/17

On the final night of their six-night run at the Beacon Theatre (marking the band’s 27th performance at the venue to date), Tedeschi Trucks Band played two full sets of rock-and-roll originals, covers, and sit-ins from the one-and-only Trey Anastasio. The Phish frontman helped the 12-piece ensemble close out their second set with a pair of covers, “Delta Lady” by Leon Russell and a 33+ minute “Mountain Jam” for the ages.

Trey handled the lead vocals for “Delta Lady”, a tune that Anastasio’s Trey Anastasio Band debuted during the spring for their own tour and that has been in Tedeschi Trucks Band’s rotation in recent years. However, the crowning jewel of the collaboration was Anastasio and Tedeschi Trucks Band’s awe-inspiring cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Mountain Jam”, marking the first time Trucks and Anastasio have collaborated since with the Allman Brothers Band at the 2014 Wanee.

With the recent passings of Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks, the ABB song was an especially poignant choice. It was also the debut version from Tedeschi Trucks Band, which soared between various versions of the composition–including early Donovan’s “There Is A Mountain” and inspiration from the Grateful Dead and Herbie Mann renditions, as JamBase noted–with an extended “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” mid-section. Certainly, an interesting take on the beloved instrumental, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummers J.J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell were each given plentiful space for their individual remarks, morphing the performance into a space-shifting presentation of a song with many legs.

While Anastasio has been known to hold back in this shared stage space before, he visibly pushed through to match guitar hero Derek Trucks in what became a patiently-timed, glorious dual between the two. Still, it was obvious who the leader on stage was–understandably, and respectfully–as Trey used the experience to appreciatively soak in the glory of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. You can watch complete videos of “Delta Lady” and “Mountain Jam” below, courtesy of Marc Millman:

“Delta Lady”

“Mountain Jam”

Jim James With Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, “Been Caught Stealin'” | LOCKN’ | Arrington, VA | 8/25/17

Anything is possible at LOCKN’. Promoter Peter Shapiro is behind the Arrington, Virginia festival—the same man who reunited the surviving members of the Grateful Dead with Trey Anastasio for the 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well shows. During the late hours of Friday night, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead took to the Relix Stage for their first of two late-night sets this weekend. Continuously straying away from a “traditional” set, the Grateful Dead-inspired quintet–Joe Russo, Scott Metzger, Marco Benevento, Tom Hamilton, and Dave Dreiwitz–delivered a stellar showcase packed with curveball surprises.

Jim James, frontman of My Morning Jacket who had performed a solo set earlier in the evening, joined the group for a shocking debut cover of “Been Caught Stealing” by Jane’s Addiction toward the end of the set. My Morning Jacket delivered one of the most memorable performances at the 2016 LOCKN’, so it’s no wonder the festival tapped James to return for a second year. James stuck around to help close the set with “Brown Eyed Women” before returning to the stage with Nicole Atkins for an emotionally-charged “Brokedown Palace” encore, blowing the minds of all in attendance in arguably the most exciting collaboration of all LOCKN’s time.

You can also watch the collaborators execute “Brown Eyed Women” and “Been Caught Stealing” below, courtesy of monihampton.

“Brown-Eyed Women”

“Been Caught Stealing”

moe.queous, “Plane Crash” | Brooklyn Comes Alive | Brooklyn, NY | 9/23/17

In late September, Brooklyn Comes Alive returned to Williamsburg for a weekend of unique collaborations, ambitious tribute sets, and one-time-only performances from many of the most inspiring musicians in the live music scene. One of the most highly anticipated sets at this year’s edition of BCA was moe.queous, a combination of jam-scene-upstarts Aqueous and guitarist/vocalist Al Schnier and drummer Vinnie Amico from moe. Aqueous and moe. both hail from Buffalo, NY, so the connection between the bands coming into this performance was strong. It quickly became clear during this set that Aqueous and moe. are cut from the same cloth, and it was one of the most memorable sets of a weekend filled with many highlights.

Schnier and Aqueous guitarists Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss showcased great chemistry together, attacking their guitars both separately and at-once like true masters. If you closed your eyes during the set, it often sounded like missing-moe.-guitarist Chuck Garvey was up there harmonizing with Schnier, a key to re-creating moe.’s dual-guitar sound. Without percussionist Jim Loughlin‘s unique multi-instrumental presence, Amico and Aqueous drummer Rob Houk made up for his absence in spades, delivering a thunderous double-drum connection that gave the whole set a super-charged feel. Evan McPhadden was in the pocket throughout, masterfully recreating the bass sound of moe. bassist Rob Derhak, who was then in the midst of his battle with cancer.

As a result of Derhak’s battle with cancer, opportunities to hear moe. songs in a live setting at the time was up in the air at the time, so the performance already had the makings of a special and emotional show. Making the set all the more special was the band’s epic performance of Derhak’s classic anthem “Plane Crash”, which served as the centerpiece of the entire performance. Schnier made sure to take some time to say a few words about Derhak, dedicating the song to his longtime musical compadre before handing the reins to Gantzer to lead the band through “Plane Crash”. Gantzer was on fire throughout, and clearly had the time of his life up on stage playing alongside some of his musical heroes.

See below for a full, multi-cam HD video of moe.queous performing “Plane Crash” at Brooklyn Bowl from Brooklyn Comes Alive 2017!

“Plane Crash”

Brandon “Taz” Niederauer w/ Ghost-Note | DROM | New York City, NY | 6/15/17

Ghost-Note made their way to Manhattan’s East Village for a performance at DROM earlier this summer. Led by Snarky Puppy percussionists Nate Werth and Robert “Sput” Searight and featuring rotating cast of talented players like MonoNeon (Prince), Jonathan Mones, Sly5thave, Dominique Taplin, Nick Werth, Alvin Ford Jr., A.J. Brown, and more, the avant-garde jazz-funk outfit makes a sonic statement every time they take the stage. During the New York show, Ghost-Note welcomed a special guest: young guitar phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, fresh off a performance of School of Rock: The Musical on Broadway.

The diminutive ax-slinger lent his impressive chops to three songs, as the band made the most of their chance to have the prodigious talent onstage with them. In the video below from the middle of the 3-song segment, Sput speaks about having Taz–who he refers to as “The Grown Man”–sit in: “When we bring it all the waydown and play real soft and funky…So since we got him onstage, we might as well give him another solo right? So Taz, I want you to take your time, man. Just take your time and play from your heart, brother.”

Taz responded to Sput’s call with a delicately melodic solo over a billowing, funky back-beat that built to a high-voltage peak with Brandon intently enthralled throughout–to the audible delight of an ecstatic crowd. Check out video of the collaboration via MonoNeon below.

See you in 2018!