What a long, strange trip it's been

by Yome NetSan 20. April 2012

I promise, this will be the last article about Jam in the Dam 2012 but I wanted to conclude with a collection of all the articles.

The whole experience has been great with lots of highs and a few downs. The shows were spectacular and it was very funny to travel with my little boy. I'll keep a lot of good memories from those 5 days...

 

Waiting and planning

2011-03-17 It's the closest to a Phish show we get for several years !
2011-07-20 Jam in the Dam, here I come !
2011-11-22 Jam in the Dam schedule

2012-02-08 I'll be tripping with this strange design
2012-02-27 Amsterdam is getting closer and closer
2012-03-05 QR Code card contest
2012-03-12 Setting up and loosing money

 

Live reports from Amsterdam

2012-03-14 Jam in the Dam : Live tweeting
2012-03-15 Jam in the Dam : Night 1
2012-03-16 Jam in the Dam : Night 2
2012-03-18 Jam in the Dam : Night 3

 

Post-trip reviews, photos and recordings

2012-03-20 Amsterdam : Travel and discoveries
2012-03-21 Amsterdam : Arriving at the Melkweg
2012-03-22 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 1 - Lotus
2012-03-23 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 1 - Mike Gordon
2012-03-23 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 1 - Dark Star Orchestra

2012-03-29 Amsterdam : Third day and signing session
2012-03-29 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 2 - Keller Williams
2012-03-30 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 2 - moe.
2012-03-30 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 2 - Mike Gordon

2012-04-10 Amsterdam : Day 4
2012-04-11 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - Mike Gordon
2012-04-19 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - Keller Williams >
2012-04-19 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - Dark Star Orchestra >
2012-04-19 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - > Lotus >
2012-04-19 Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - > Dark Star Orchestra (Reprise) 

 

The pictures I sent during the festival can be seen as-they-were-sent on LightBox.

I don't know if it's really worthwhile but for the sake of completeness, here are all my Amsterdam tweets.

/image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/01 Discovering the city.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/02 Arriving at the Melkweg.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/03 Jam in the Dam 1.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/04 Jam in the Dam 1.png
/image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/05 Jam in the Dam 2.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/06 Jam in the Dam 2.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/07 Jam in the Dam 3.png /image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/08 Jam in the Dam 3.png
/image.axd?picture=/2012/4/Amsterdam Tweets/mini/09 Leaving Amsterdam.png

 

 

And finaly, a list of links with reports, pictures and other stuffs :

 

See you at the next Jam in the Dam ?

2013 ?

2014 ?

Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 3 - > Lotus >

by Yome NetSan 19. April 2012

Saturday 17th march 2012 @ 01:00

It was already late and I didn't want Jam in the Dam to end without dancing my ass off... so I went straight from Dark Star Orchestra second set into Lotus final act and didn't regret my choice.

They were jamming like crazy with their electro-jam-rock style. The groove was intense and everybody was dancing hard. The whole room had entered a big trance party and the light show was gorgeous ! I kept moving my bones until the end of the set, along with my new hundred-or-so friends !

Recording can be found here : http://archive.org/details/lotus2012-03-16.tlm170.flac16

Setlist :
1. Age of Inexperience
2. Kodiak
3. Livingston Storm
4. Wooly Mammoth
5. Massif
6. Disappear in a Blood Red Sky
7. It's All Clear To Me Now ->
8. Lucid Awakening
9. Break Build Burn
10. Greet The Mind
11. Sunrain ->
12. Flower Sermon ->
13. Sunrain

 

Tired but happy, I went back to the end of Dark Star Orchestra show...

 

Amsterdam : Third day and signing session

by Yome NetSan 29. March 2012

Thursday 15th march 2012 @ 8:00

My son had no will to let me sleep. He woke me up at 8 and we went straight to breakfast.

As it would be the most sunny day of our stay, our today's goal was to walk to the Dam and then to take the bus tour to see the city. But arriving at Amsterdam Centraal Station, I realized that the tickets had been forgotten at the hotel !

11:00

So we took the tram back to Leidseplein and staid in a park between the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. As we finally had less money than expected, we wanted to eat cheap. After looking for different snack, we ended up eating at Burger King quite often !

There were lots of cinemas with french movies, even some we didn't actually know !

 

18:00

As tonight was the night of the signing session at Jam in the Dam, I arrived first at the Melkweg. Stephen arrived soon after me with his bass and a friend. His goal was to get Mike Gordon to sign his bass. But he had to deal with another worry because, the previous day, he got a pass which had two holes. That means he got a one-day-only pass although he had bought a full-festival ticket months ago ! After asking several peoples who couldn't help him, he finally got a guest wristband so he could enter freely for the 2 remaining evenings.

19:00

The doors opened and we went inside the building to find a lot of tables and chairs with Keller Williams and the members of Dark Star Orchestra and moe. waiting for us. They were very nice and welcoming (maybe because I was one of the first in line).

Lotus was still soundchecking in the Oude Zaal hall so they arrived a little later, one by one, except for keyboardist Luke Miller.

But wait, where is Mike ? So sign of him nor his bandmates. Stephen and I were waiting in the middle of the line, looking in every direction. 

We eventually met Junipa Contento, the artist who drew the poster and she nicely signed it too. I actually met her the day before as I was waiting in the hall. Strangely, she had gone right to me to talk about her broken nails !

But Mike still wasn't there... We talked to one of the Jam in the Dam man (can't remember his name, maybe Tim) who told us Mike was invited to come but he didn't know why he wasn't there. Stephen gave him his bass to get it sign by Mike backstage.

We were very disappointed not to meet Mike's band but anyway, we were here for the music. I hope next time will be the good one !

I went out to my hotel to store the poster and get some food and went back for second night of jamming !

Amsterdam : Jam in the Dam 1 - Lotus

by Yome NetSan 22. March 2012

Wednesday 14th march 2012 @ 20:00

I've known Lotus for about three years and I listened mostly to 2008 and 2009 shows, so I knew what to expect. I can't remember how I discovered them but I know what makes me listen to them the first time : a cover of The Legend of Zelda video game themes. As I am a video game fan and avid Zelda lover, I couldn't avoid this.

The band has a bass/sampler player in the middle (Jesse Miller), a guitarist on the right (Mike Rempel), a keyboard/guitar player on the left (Luke Miller), a drummer on the back left (Mike Greenfield) and a percutionist on the back right (Chuck Morris).

 

 

They had the difficult task to be the first act of this year Jam in the Dam and to wake up the crowd. And Waow! they rocked right from the start ! Their music isn't your typical jam rock stuff. Almost everything is played live but it sounds really electronic with some sampler sounds here and there. Mostly instrumental, the only vocals are from samples played my Luke or Mike. The guitar licks and solos were very well merged in the vibrating music.

Continue reading...

Jam in the Dam : Night 3

by Yome NetSan 18. March 2012

I'm back in France from Jam in the Dam in Amsterdam.

 

Friday was the last night of the festival and Mike Gordon opened in the Max Hall. Great show as usual with a little help from the audience.

After this, I went to the small room to see Keller Williams jamming with one half of Dark Star Orchestra !

I then stayed to see the full Dark Star Orchestra recreating the Grateful Dead show from 5/10/1972 in Amsterdam.

I hop off mid-second set to dance my ass off to the end of Lotus set. Those men are really awesome !

 

Here are some quick pictures before full reports and all my photos in the next days.

Jam in the Dam : Night 1

by Yome NetSan 15. March 2012

Just a quick review from Amsterdam where the first night of Jam in the Dam took place yesterday at the Melkweg.

I arrived early and had to wait until 7 to finally get my Pass and enter the Melkweg. I rush to the store to grab the limited edition poster that will be sign by the bands tomorrow. I got number 2 of 300! As we can freely come in and out with our pass, I rush back to my hotel just behind to get free of the poster, jacket and hat before the show.
I sat in front of the stage beside a guy playing with a PlayStation Vita. We ended up talking during all the evening, he's an american guy living in Amsterdam since 2009. During the wait I managed to lost half of my photo camera's batteries bellow the stage! I finally got another one from Brad, one of the taper.

The show started at 8 with Lotus . The band was simply amazing! They jammed furiously and they even played what I knew them for at the beginning : 2 themes for the video game Zelda .
Then, came the man because of whom I'm here : Mike Gordon. I finally got to be at a Phish member show and it was awesome. This band knows how to jam! We got great covers and long solos. I even witness my first Phish song live and it's one of my favorite : Meat. At the end of the show, I managed to grab the setlist and take a little break before going to the smaller room.
Dark Star Orchestra was ending their first set when I arrived and they came back a few minutes later. I don't know every Grateful Dead song so most of the show was new for me. They stretched most of the songs with lengthy jams and solos. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward for Friday show where they will recreate the Dead show in Amsterdam from 1972.

Of course, I'll write more about those nights when I'm back in France and post the pictures I took with my real photo camera. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter as have a free WiFi access inside the Melkweg for live tweeting!




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