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The String Cheese Incident Announce the Say Cheese Tour Winter 2027 Across the Southeast and Colorado

by JamFest
Tour Announcement

The String Cheese Incident Announce the Say Cheese Tour Winter 2027 Across the Southeast and Colorado

Eleven dates from Jacksonville to Aspen, with multi night stands in St. Petersburg, Atlanta, and Aspen and a first ever WinterWonderGrass appearance in Steamboat Springs.

Starts: January 14, 2027, Jacksonville, FL Ends: March 7, 2027, Aspen, CO On Sale: Today, 10 AM local

The String Cheese Incident has officially announced its first round of 2027 tour dates with the Say Cheese Tour, Winter 2027. The run begins on January 14th at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida, and carries the Colorado jamgrass pioneers through Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia in January before returning to the Rockies in March. Highlights include multi night stands at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and Belly Up Aspen, along with a festival stop at WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The general public on sale begins today at 10 AM local time.

The Southeast Swing

After opening in Jacksonville on January 14th, the band heads to the FTL War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale on the 15th and then settles into Jannus Live in St. Petersburg for two nights, January 16th and 17th. The tour moves north to the Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina on the 20th and the Peace Concert Hall in Greenville, South Carolina, on the 21st, before closing the January leg with two nights at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on January 22nd and 23rd.

Two nights in St. Petersburg, two in Atlanta, two in Aspen, and a festival date in the mountains.

Back to the Mountains in March

The tour picks up again in Colorado on March 5th with the band’s appearance at WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Springs. The festival runs March 5th through the 7th, and the performance is the band’s first at WinterWonderGrass and its first in Steamboat Springs in about twenty five years. The run wraps up with two nights at Belly Up Aspen on March 6th and 7th, giving fans a pair of intimate mountain shows to finish the winter.

Press materials for the tour lean on the band’s long history, framing the Say Cheese Tour around fan photos and memories from more than thirty years of following the group.

Tickets

An artist presale ran Thursday, October 29th at 10 AM local time, followed by a local presale that afternoon, and the general on sale opens today, Friday, October 30th, at 10 AM local time. Ticketing outlets vary by venue, including Ticketmaster, AXS, and SeatGeek for the Fort Lauderdale show, so check each venue’s page and the band’s official tour page for the right link.

Say Cheese

Winter 2027 is shaping up fast. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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The Radiators 2.0 Lock In a Three Night Debut Run at Tipitina’s in January 2027

by JamFestWhat is Hip?!
Reunion Announcement

The Radiators 2.0 Lock In a Three Night Debut Run at Tipitina’s in January 2027

New Orleans’ legendary swamp rockers return to the club that made them, with Dave Malone, Camile Baudoin, Reggie Scanlan, and Frank Bua Jr. back on stage together.

Dates: January 14 to 16, 2027 Venue: Tipitina’s, New Orleans On Sale: Today, 10 AM CT

It is official: The Radiators 2.0 will take over the historic Tipitina’s in New Orleans for three nights, January 14th through the 16th, 2027. The run is the debut of the new moniker for the legendary swamp rock band, and it brings four of the original members back together in the room where so much of the group’s legend was built. Because it is the first multi night stand under the new name, strong ticket demand is expected.

The Lineup

The returning originals are Dave Malone on guitar and vocals, Camile Baudoin on guitar and vocals, Reggie Scanlan on bass, and Frank Bua Jr. on drums. The keyboard chair belongs to Michael Burkart, who steps in to handle the songbook. Co founder and primary songwriter Ed Volker, who retired from regular touring in 2011, has given the new iteration his full blessing. Malone has indicated that guests and a percussionist may join, and Mark Mullins is set to sit in on the first two nights. The musicians have also played together before as Raw Oyster Cult.

The Radiators formed in 1978 and split in 2011, and since then they have regrouped for select shows, usually in January and around Jazz Fest. Their most recent appearance was at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in May.

Four original Radiators, a new keyboardist, and the blessing of the man who wrote the songs.

Who Opens Each Night

A different New Orleans scene mainstay opens every evening. On Thursday, January 14th, it is The Desert Nudes. Friday, January 15th brings Billy Iuso, and Saturday, January 16th features Papa Mali.

Tickets and Showtimes

Tickets go on sale to the general public today, Friday, October 30, 2026, at 10 AM Central time through the Tipitina’s ticketing page. Doors open at 8 PM and the music begins at 9 PM each night, and all three shows are for ages 18 and over. A two night pass covering Friday and Saturday is also available.

Tonight on JamFest

Hear the Sound of New Orleans Tonight on the What Is Hip?! Radio Show

If the Radiators news has you in a New Orleans mood, JamFest has the perfect companion tonight. The What Is Hip?! Radio Show brings NOLA style music to the airwaves every Friday night, beginning at 10 PM Eastern and running until 9 AM on Saturday morning.

New Orleans is universally considered the birthplace of jazz, and its earliest form, Dixieland, has also been called traditional jazz, New Orleans, and New Orleans jazz. Few cities in the world have shaped modern music culture the way New Orleans has. The sound of the city, often described simply as the NOLA style, is not confined to one genre. It is a living musical ecosystem in which funk, brass band traditions, Treme street music, rhythm and blues, zydeco, second line grooves, and classic New Orleans soul intersect to create one of the most recognizable musical identities anywhere. Tune in to JamFest tonight and let the Treme brass, the zydeco, and the NOLA groove come alive.

Listen live on JamFest Radio

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Swamp rock returns to Tipitina’s in January, and the NOLA groove is on the air tonight. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Brendan Bayliss and a Few of His Friends Return to Chicago’s Park West for the Annual Holiday Charity Concert

by JamFest
Holiday Benefit

Brendan Bayliss and a Few of His Friends Return to Chicago’s Park West for the Annual Holiday Charity Concert

With Duane Trucks, Allie Kral, Jennifer Hartswick, Jason Narducy, and members of moe. on the bill, every dollar goes to The People’s Music School.

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2026 Venue: Park West, Chicago Showtime: 8 PM, ages 18 and over

Brendan Bayliss and a Few of His Friends will host their annual holiday charity concert on Saturday, December 19, 2026, returning to Chicago’s iconic Park West. The evening marks a significant change for a long running seasonal staple. For more than two decades, the Umphrey’s McGee guitarist paired up with bandmate Jake Cinninger for these stripped down holiday shows, and this year’s benefit is the first since Cinninger left Umphrey’s McGee in July after twenty six years with the band. Bayliss is carrying the tradition forward with a deep group of all star guests.

Supporting a Local Cause

As in years past, one hundred percent of the proceeds from the concert will benefit The People’s Music School, which provides free music education to Chicago children and is the largest completely free music education program in the area. The show has a record of real impact. At the 2024 edition, the twenty second annual, a check for $16,000 was presented to the school at the start of the evening.

Holiday favorites, stripped down Umphrey’s material, and a room full of friends, all for the kids of The People’s Music School.

The 2026 Guest Roster

The lineup features a deep bench of jam scene musicians. Duane Trucks of Widespread Panic is on the list, along with Allie Kral, formerly of Yonder Mountain String Band, and Jennifer Hartswick of the Trey Anastasio Band. Jason Narducy, known for his work with Bob Mould and Superchunk, will also be there, as will Mike Racky and Pat Muldoon. Members of moe. are on the bill as well, though the specific players have not yet been named. Umphrey’s McGee percussionist Andy Farag, billed as Cousin Eli, rounds out the announced names.

The format has long blended stripped down Umphrey’s McGee songs with covers, holiday favorites, and plenty of special guests, and with so many collaborators on hand this year, the night promises to be as unpredictable as it is festive.

Tickets and Attendance

Tickets went on sale Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10 AM Central time and are available through AXS. The event is open to attendees ages 18 and over. Doors open ahead of the 8 PM performance.

Music for a Good Cause

Chicago’s holiday jam tradition rolls on at Park West. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Lake Street Dive Share the Title Track and Video for Their Upcoming Album What About Flamingos?

by JamFest
New Music

Lake Street Dive Share the Title Track and Video for Their Upcoming Album What About Flamingos?

A joyful, stream of consciousness meditation on gratitude, inspired by a Brian Eno interview, arrives with pre-orders for the band’s first release on its own label.

Album: What About Flamingos? Due: February 19 Label: Dive Not Dive Records

Lake Street Dive has officially shared the title track and a music video for their upcoming album, What About Flamingos? The song and visual arrived alongside pre-orders for the full length record, which is available on CD and on vinyl, in a standard black pressing or a limited edition red one. The album is due February 19 and is the band’s next studio record and the first release on its own label, Dive Not Dive Records.

A Song Sparked by Brian Eno

According to bassist Bridget Kearney, the title track is a stream of consciousness meditation on the gratitude of existence and the magic of being alive. Those themes, she says, run through the entire record. The idea was inspired by an interview with the English musician and producer Brian Eno, who described how his daily inspiration comes from the realization that Earth is the only place in the universe known to support life. That thought pushed the band to write a lyrical inventory of earthly wonders, including flamingos, ice cream, beach landscapes, and the Beatles, that may never exist anywhere else in the cosmos. As for the title, Kearney explains that “what about flamingos” was simply the first thing that came to mind in a stream of consciousness.

An inventory of earthly wonders, from flamingos to ice cream to the Beatles, set to a Lake Street Dive groove.

Recorded Live in a Room Together

The album was made in two studios with two producers. Philip Weinrobe, known for his work with Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief, and Cass McCombs, oversaw sessions at Spillway Sounds in West Hurley, New York, and Jonathan Wilson, whose credits include Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Dawes, and Margo Price, worked with the band at Five Star Studios in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles. It was also the first time the musicians recorded live together in one room, with a goal of capturing music that is human and alive and perfect in its imperfection.

The twelve song track list opens with “Back in Time” and “You’re Never Around” and includes “Gertrude,” featuring the Huntertones, along with “My Own Damn Way,” “Vegas Mattress,” the title track, “Baby Talk,” “All Ways,” “Fences,” “What You’re Even Talking About,” “One Job,” and closing with “It’s Getting Late.”

Where to Listen and Watch

The title track is streaming now on Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music. The official video and the pre-order are available at the band’s site, LakeStreetDive.com.

What About Flamingos?

Hit play on the title track and keep up with the music scene on JamFest Radio.

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Holly Bowling, Sam Grisman and Max Flansburg Form a New Acoustic Trio and Set Their Debut at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage

by JamFest
Debut Announcement

Holly Bowling, Sam Grisman and Max Flansburg Form a New Acoustic Trio and Set Their Debut at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage

A pianist, a bassist, and a singer songwriter guitarist bring open ended acoustic improvisation to the Bay Area on Friday, December 4, 2026.

Debut: Friday, December 4, 2026 Venue: Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, CA Doors: 7 PM, Show 8 PM

A new acoustic improvisational supergroup is about to make its first bow. The Bowling, Grisman, Flansburg Trio brings together pianist Holly Bowling, bassist Sam Grisman, and singer songwriter and guitarist Max Flansburg, and the three will play their official live debut on Friday, December 4, 2026, at the historic Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California. The announcement has Bay Area jam fans circling the date, since the lineup pairs one of the scene’s most admired pianists with two players steeped in roots and bluegrass tradition.

How the Trio Came Together

The group grew out of a single festival moment. Bowling sat in with Grisman and Flansburg at the Baygrass Bluegrass Festival last year, and the chemistry was strong enough that the three decided to build something longer and more focused, a dedicated performance in a room equipped with a grand piano. Berkeley made sense for more than the piano. Grisman has said he grew up going to shows at the old Freight and Salvage and later played the opening of the new location with the Bluegrass Experience. He calls the room a beautiful new home with a piano for Bowling and a fitting place for the trio to begin, and he describes Bowling as an absolute wizard of the keys.

Three musicians, one grand piano, and a room built for listening.

What the Music Will Sound Like

Expect open ended acoustic spaces. The trio plans to explore what the format can do and to jump into some of its favorite jams, drawing on traditional tunes and roots styles. Grisman and Flansburg already play together regularly in the Sam Grisman Project, which honors the musical legacy of Sam’s father, the mandolinist David Grisman, and Jerry Garcia. Bowling, long known for her piano interpretations of jam band music, gives the trio a different center of gravity, and no setlist has been announced, so the evening is likely to unfold in the moment.

The debut also arrives right after a busy stretch. Bowling and Grisman are set to play Bill Kreutzmann’s A Very Grateful Thanksgiving in Hawaii a few days before the Berkeley show.

Showtime and Tickets

Doors open at 7 PM and the music starts at 8 PM. Tickets are on sale now through the Freight and Salvage box office. General admission is $39 in advance and $44 on the day of the show, and premium reserved seating is $59 in advance.

A New Room, a New Trio

Three friends, one grand piano, and a first night in Berkeley. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Aaron and Bryce Dessner Celebrate Their 50th Birthdays With Michael Stipe, The National, and a Two Country Party Called AB100

by JamFest
Event Recap

Aaron and Bryce Dessner Celebrate Their 50th Birthdays With Michael Stipe, The National, and a Two Country Party Called AB100

From a Biarritz mixtape night to a rare National concert in San Sebastián, the twins gathered friends and family on both sides of the French and Spanish border.

Dates: October 17 and 18, 2026 Places: Biarritz, France and San Sebastián, Spain Event: AB100

Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the twin brothers and musical architects of The National, marked their milestone 50th birthdays with a star studded, two day destination celebration called AB100. Held on October 17th and 18th, 2026, the event stretched across the Basque region and two countries, beginning in Biarritz, France, and ending across the border in San Sebastián, Spain. It brought together indie rock royalty, close collaborators, and visual artists for performances that were as personal as they were rare.

Biarritz: A Mixtape and a Surprise From Michael Stipe

The celebration opened on Saturday, October 17th, at Atabal in Biarritz, where the evening worked like a rotating live mixtape with the twins serving as the house band for their guests. Basque singer Eñaut Elorrieta performed covers of “Otsaila” and “Aira Nazazu” and then joined the brothers for The National’s “About Today.” Anaïs Mitchell teamed up with them for the live debut of the Big Red Machine song “Latter Days” and followed it with her own “Without You,” while Ragnar Kjartansson stepped up for “Moon Hills of Tomorrow” and “No Tomorrow.” Irish duo Ye Vagabonds offered “Young Again” and “Long Grass,” and Mina Tindle sang “Taranta” and “Not Losing.”

Ben Howard played “Days of Lantana” and the Big Red Machine song “June’s a River,” and he debuted an unreleased new song called “Facing The Day.” Pomme delivered live covers of “je sais pas danser” and “soleil soleil.” Kevin Morby was also part of the lineup. Then came the night’s biggest surprise, Michael Stipe. The R.E.M. frontman first presented the twins with small sculptures he had made for them before stepping up to the microphone.

Alongside The National’s Matt Berninger, Stipe sang R.E.M.’s 1996 song “E-Bow the Letter,” something he had not done live since R.E.M.’s final public appearance in 2009, a gap of about seventeen years. The moment carried extra weight for Aaron Dessner, who has said that his band asked R.E.M. to play the song when they opened for them in 2008, without success, and that the song itself was written in San Sebastián. Stipe also performed “No Time for Love Like Now,” his 2020 collaboration with Aaron’s project Big Red Machine.

The crowd then sang “Happy Birthday” to the twins in English, French, and Basque, and Richard Reed Parry led the entire ensemble in a giant sing along of his song “Long Way Back.” Jon Hopkins closed out the night by conducting a special collaborative DJ set.

A song last sung live in 2009, performed for two brothers turning fifty, a few miles from where it was written.

San Sebastián: The National’s Only 2026 Show

On Sunday, October 18th, the party moved to the Teatro Kursaal in San Sebastián for what was billed as The National’s only live appearance of 2026 and their first show since 2024. Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry joined the band for “Lemonworld” and “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” Later, the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson came out to revive the spirit of A Lot of Sorrow, their 2013 MoMA PS1 collaboration, in which the band played “Sorrow” for six hours, 105 times in a row. In that spirit the band performed the song twice in a row against the project’s original visuals.

Longtime fans were rewarded with a deep cut, “90-Mile Water Wall” from the 2003 album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, played for the first time since July 2014. Lisa Hannigan, Kate Stables, and Mina Tindle, who is married to Bryce Dessner, joined for “Oblivions.” Parry’s contributions on “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” from High Violet, and “Lemonworld,” from Boxer, added extra instrumentation and backing vocals.

A Family Finale

The night closed the way a birthday party should, with a crowded stage. An acoustic sing along of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” brought out a large group of friends, guest vocalists including Lisa Hannigan and Kate Stables, the twins’ older sister Jessica Dessner, other family members, and the rest of the weekend’s performers to provide the choral backing for the traditional unamplified closer, turning the final song into a communal toast to the twins. The National have no confirmed tour dates at this time, which makes the San Sebastián concert an even rarer piece of the band’s history.

Happy Fiftieth, Aaron and Bryce

A birthday party that doubled as one of the year’s rarest concerts. Keep up with the music scene on JamFest Radio.

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Zac Brown Band Welcome Grace Potter and Honor Dolly Parton and John Prine During Two Nights at Red Rocks

by JamFest
Live Recap

Zac Brown Band Welcome Grace Potter and Honor Dolly Parton and John Prine During Two Nights at Red Rocks

A Flying V, a Stones classic turned heavy, and a pair of heartfelt tributes marked the band’s October stand in Morrison, Colorado.

Dates: October 19 and 20, 2026 Venue: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO Tour: Love & Fear Tour

Few rooms on earth make a band sound as big as Red Rocks, and Zac Brown Band made the most of it during a two night stand at the Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on October 19th and 20th, 2026. The shows were part of the group’s Love & Fear Tour, named for the band’s 2025 album, and they were stacked with guest turns and tributes. Grace Potter opened both evenings and then joined the headliners for collaborations that gave each night its own signature moment.

Grace Potter Takes the Stage

On the first night, Potter strapped on a Flying V guitar and took lead vocals on a heavy, metal tinged version of the Rolling Stones classic “Paint It Black,” trading verses with Zac Brown. Brown had previously recorded the song for the 2023 tribute collection Stoned Cold Country, so it was a natural fit, and the combination of Potter’s rock and roll voice and the band’s muscle turned it into one of the evening’s biggest moments. On night two she returned for “The Lion The Beast The Beat,” the title track of her own band Grace Potter and the Nocturals, and the song’s swagger translated easily to the sandstone stage.

A Flying V, a Rolling Stones classic, and a canyon full of fans singing along.

Songs for Dolly Parton and John Prine

The band also paused to remember Dolly Parton. They performed “Butterfly,” the song from Love & Fear that features her, as a live homage to the late country legend. It stood out in a set that otherwise leaned on big, celebratory energy, and it fit the tour’s title perfectly. On Tuesday night Brown turned to another beloved songwriter, performing John Prine’s “All The Best” solo and acoustic. The song, which first appeared on Prine’s 1991 album The Missing Years and was later recorded by the band for its 2017 album Welcome Home, was played for the first time since 2021, according to setlist records.

More Highlights From Both Nights

On Monday, the band folded “Rocky Mountain High” into “Colder Weather” and “Take It to the Limit,” a nod to its mountain surroundings. Tuesday’s show featured “Let It Run” with guitarist Chris Gelbuda and a pre recorded Snoop Dogg rap, and the acoustic set brought back “Sic ’em on a Chicken” for the first time since 2021 alongside “Lance’s Song.” Both nights closed with an encore medley that ended with “Free Bird.”

What Comes Next

The band is wrapping up the final legs of the Love & Fear Tour through late 2026, with select dates already scheduled for 2027. The full list of upcoming shows is available on the official Zac Brown Band website, and tickets and event status can also be checked through Ticketmaster. For a look back at the venue itself, visit the Red Rocks event page.

Love and Fear Rolls On

The tour’s final stretch is still ahead. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Grahame Lesh Recruits Warren Haynes, Neal Francis and More for a Mardi Gras Celebration at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

by JamFestWhat is Hip?!
Show Announcement

Grahame Lesh Recruits Warren Haynes, Neal Francis and More for a Mardi Gras Celebration at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

A New Orleans style blowout lands in San Francisco on Saturday, February 6, 2027, and tickets go on sale this morning.

Date: Saturday, February 6, 2027 Venue: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco On Sale: Today, 10 AM PT

Grahame Lesh and Friends have officially announced a major New Orleans style Mardi Gras celebration for Saturday, February 6, 2027, at San Francisco’s iconic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The evening is built around a deep roster of special guests, led by Warren Haynes and Neal Francis, and it carries forward a decades long Grateful Dead community tradition of enormous Bay Area Mardi Gras parties. For Lesh, stepping into that role also means stepping into the mantle once held by his late father, Phil Lesh, whose name has long been tied to the celebrations that fill the city with brass, funk, and second line spirit every winter.

The All Star Lineup

Warren Haynes, the voice and guitar behind Gov’t Mule and a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band, headlines the guest list alongside the Chicago soul and piano stylist Neal Francis. They are joined by Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers, a living link to the first family of New Orleans music, and by drummer John Molo, whose résumé includes Phil Lesh and Friends and Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band rounds out the announced names, bringing the sound of the French Quarter’s most famous traditional jazz hall to the West Coast. The camp says additional very special guests will be named later, so the final lineup is still growing.

Funk, brass, and second line grooves, with a Grateful Dead family tradition at the center of it all.

Tickets and How to Get Them

The general public on sale begins today, Friday, October 30, 2026, at 10 AM Pacific time. Fans can purchase through the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium event page or through Grahame Lesh’s official website.

Tonight on JamFest

Hear the Sound of New Orleans Tonight on the What Is Hip?! Radio Show

If the Mardi Gras news has you craving the real thing, JamFest has you covered tonight. The What Is Hip?! Radio Show brings NOLA style music to the airwaves every Friday night, beginning at 10 PM Eastern and running until 9 AM on Saturday morning.

New Orleans is widely considered the birthplace of jazz, and its earliest form, Dixieland, has also been called traditional jazz, New Orleans jazz, or simply New Orleans. Few cities have shaped modern music culture the way this one has. The NOLA sound is not a single genre but a living musical ecosystem in which funk, brass band traditions, Treme street music, rhythm and blues, zydeco, second line grooves, and classic New Orleans soul all meet and feed one another. Tune in to JamFest tonight and let the Treme brass, the zydeco, and the NOLA groove come alive.

Listen live on JamFest Radio

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Tickets for Mardi Gras in San Francisco are on sale now, and the NOLA groove is on the air tonight. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Spafford Announce a Ten Date February 2027 Winter Tour Through the Midwest and South

by JamFest
Tour Announcement

Spafford Announce a Ten Date February 2027 Winter Tour Through the Midwest and South

The Arizona born jam quartet is routing ten cities across seven states, from Pittsburgh to Fort Worth, with tickets going on sale this morning.

Starts: February 9, Pittsburgh, PA Ends: February 20, Fort Worth, TX On Sale: Friday, October 30, 10 AM local

Spafford is heading back out for the heart of winter. The jam quartet has officially announced a ten date tour for February 2027, a run that carries them through ten cities in seven states across the Midwest and South. The tour kicks off on Tuesday, February 9th at the Thunderbird Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and wraps up on Saturday, February 20th at Tannahill’s Music Hall and Lounge in Fort Worth, Texas. Tickets for every newly announced show go on sale today, Friday, October 30th, at 10 AM local time through the official Spafford tour page.

The Route, Night by Night

After opening in Pittsburgh, the band heads to Ohio for back to back stops, the Cla-Zel Theater in Bowling Green on February 10th and Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati on February 11th. From there the tour dips south, with Nashville’s Eastside Bowl on February 12th and the Workplay Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama on February 13th, before a short break. The run resumes on February 16th at the Satellite Music Hall in Memphis, then moves to The Regency Live in Springfield, Missouri on the 17th and Beer City Music Hall in Oklahoma City on the 18th. The final stretch is Texas, with Central Machine Works in Austin on February 19th and the closing night at Tannahill’s in Fort Worth on the 20th.

Ten cities, seven states, and mostly mid sized rooms, exactly the kind of setting this band’s long improvisations were built for.

What to Expect

Spafford formed in Prescott, Arizona, where founders Brian Moss and Jordan Fairless met playing open mic nights, and the band has grown into one of the more adventurous names on the jam circuit. The current lineup features Moss on guitar and vocals, Cory Schechtman on keys and vocals, Nick Tkachyk on drums and vocals, and Shon Gordon on bass and vocals. Their music blends rock, funk, jazz, reggae, ska, and electro pop, and their shows are built around improvised transitions within and between songs, with a different setlist from one night to the next, so fans who see more than one show on a run tend to hear something new each time. Their most recent studio album is Cat Shop, and live recordings from their shows are available on the band’s website, their YouTube page, and Nugs.net.

Looking ahead, the band is also scheduled to perform at sea on Cruise to the Edge, sailing out of Miami from April 2nd through the 8th, 2027.

Tickets Are Live

Spafford’s February 2027 tour on-sale starts this morning at 10 AM local time. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.

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Phish Release “Live in Savannah 2026,” a Digital Box Set From Their First Ever Nights in Georgia’s Coastal City

by JamFest
New Live Release

Phish Release “Live in Savannah 2026,” a Digital Box Set From Their First Ever Nights in Georgia’s Coastal City

Two midweek shows, a record setting “Split Open and Melt,” a 29 minute “Wedge,” and a rare “Horn” jam are now available in full for streaming and download.

Shows: July 14 and 15, 2026 Venue: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia Format: Digital box set

Every Phish tour has a few nights that fans end up talking about for years, and this summer’s two shows in Savannah, Georgia are already in that conversation. The band has now released both performances as a digital box set, Phish: Live in Savannah 2026, capturing their first ever appearances in the city at the Enmarket Arena on July 14th and 15th. The set is available on all major streaming services and on LivePhish.com, where the version sold directly through the site adds an exclusive bonus soundcheck recording from the first night. The recordings were captured to multitrack and mixed and mastered by longtime Phish collaborator Jon Altschiller, with additional engineering by Danielle Warman.

Night One: A Record Breaking Melt

The first night, a Tuesday at the new 9,500 capacity arena, opened with “David Bowie,” the first time in more than sixteen years that the Junta classic has started a show. It set a loose, adventurous tone that the band never abandoned. “Gumbo” stretched to sixteen minutes, the longest jam on a Jon Fishman song since 2003, and Trey Anastasio called out Page McConnell as the song joined the long running “play it, Leo” tradition. Mike Gordon flubbed a lyric on the bluegrass cover “The Old Home Place,” smiled, and got cheered by the crowd for it.

The first set ended with “Horn,” a song played 180 times since 1990 that the band took further than it ever had, a fourteen minute jam that is now the longest version on record and pushed the song well into open improvisation. Then came the main event. The second set’s “Split Open and Melt” ran just shy of thirty two minutes, the longest version in the song’s thirty seven year history, and it was left unfinished before flowing into “Sand,” with “It’s Ice,” “About to Run,” “Piper,” and “Walls of the Cave” to follow. It was the third straight Phish show with a jam over thirty minutes, a first for the band. The encore paired “The Squirming Coil” with “Fire,” the band’s first Jimi Hendrix cover in 132 shows, with its lyrics altered for the night.

Three consecutive shows with a thirty minute jam, a first in the band’s history, and the longest “Split Open and Melt” ever played.

Night Two: A Wedge That Wouldn’t End

The second night answered the first with a different kind of ambition. After “Dinner and a Movie” returned following an eighty two show absence, the longest gap for that song in the band’s history, “Vultures” opened up for thirteen minutes, a new record for that song, with Gordon’s bass runs and Anastasio’s soloing leading the way. It moved into “Taste” and then into “The Wedge,” which grew into a twenty nine minute jam that set another record. Before this night, only one of the thirteen previous Jam Chart versions had passed ten minutes. Anastasio began by developing a melody while Fishman rode the song’s rolling rhythm, and the jam’s cohesiveness kept suggesting segues and teases that never quite arrived. It finally resolved into “Pebbles and Marbles,” which drew a cheer from the crowd, and the first set closed with “Divided Sky,” “Halley’s Comet,” and “Drift While You’re Sleeping.”

The second set opened with “Sightless Escape,” which grew past twenty minutes, and flowed through “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,” “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Farmhouse,” “Scents and Subtle Sounds,” and “Ghost,” with “Crosseyed” moving from a conventional jam into a deeper section driven by Anastasio’s guitar and Fishman’s drumming. The night closed with a Page led encore of “Rock and Roll,” the Velvet Underground cover. Together, the two shows deliver more extended improvisation than most entire tours, which is exactly what a live archival release like this is for.

Hear Savannah

Phish: Live in Savannah 2026 is available now on all major streaming services and LivePhish.com. Keep up with the jam scene on JamFest Radio.