After dropping by New Orleans’ legendary Tipitina’s to jam with George Porter Jr. and the all-star Daze Between Band, Phish bassist Mike Gordon debuted a new band and welcomed Karina Rykman and his “favorite New Orleans musician ever” Jon Cleary at the Joy Theater as part of Live For Live Music‘s Fest by Nite series during Jazz Fest.
The show kicked off with a high-energy opening set from Karina Rykman and her eponymous trio featuring Adam November on guitar and Chris Corsico on drums. Mike Gordon then took the stage with his refreshed lineup and, after a couple songs, quipped, “Having some new people to play with is a real joy,” playfully punning on the venue’s name. In addition to his longtime drummer John Kimock and keyboardist Robert Walter, Gordon was joined by two new bandmates, Bob Wagner and Ghost-Note‘s Xavier Lynn on guitar.
The two guitarists added a unique flavor to the one-off New Orleans show, with Lynn bringing jazz, funk, and gospel influences and Wagner leaning more toward country and Southern rock. They each sang lead on songs well suited to their musical personas, including a standout cover of J.J. Cale‘s “Call Me the Breeze” led by Wagner.
Another highlight was a super funky and tight “Meat”, which was one of two Phish songs to make the setlist. The other was a punny “Carini” encore featuring Karina Rykman, with the lyrics changed to, “Karina had a lumpy head.”
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Gordon took a moment during the set to express his love for New Orleans, saying, “This is my favorite city, and I don’t go around saying that.” He reflected on his last visit to NOLA when he recorded with Leo Kottke six years ago before introducing Jon Cleary, who sat in on his own songs “Up Above My Head” and “Got to Be More Careful”.
Check out the full setlist and click below to check out photos from Mike Gordon at New Orleans’ Joy Theater courtesy of photographers Jay Strausser.
Mike Gordon With Jon Cleary – “Up Above My Head” – 5/2/25
[Video: J4LM]
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Mike Gordon With Karina Rykman – “Carini” – 5/2/25
[Video: Lee Braay]
Setlist: Mike Gordon | Joy Theater | New Orleans, LA | 5/2/25
Set: Say Something, Connected, Call Me the Breeze (J.J. Cale) (Live debut by Mike Gordon), Meat (Phish), I Don’t Believe You (Live debut), Sughn Never Sets, Up Above My Head (Jon Cleary) (Live debut) (with Jon Cleary), Peel, Got to Be More Careful (Jon Cleary) (with Jon Cleary), Spanish Moon (Little Feat) (First time since 2008), Guilty Pleasures
Encore: Carini (Phish) (with Karina Rykman)
