The Swing Docs entertained on a Monday at the Elks Lodge #49 in Albany.
Photography by Timothy Reidy.
…2..3..4 – An Xperience Column
“Brother, Can You Spare Ten Trillion Dimes?”
By Chris Busone.
How many zeros in a trillion? The short answer is, a lot. The longer-winded, more comprehensive answer is that a trillion is made up of one thousand billions, each of which is comprised of nine zeros. So by the accepted, standard, short-scale numeric system used by the majority of the world, one trillion of anything is accompanied by twelve, count ’em, twelve zeros. Normally, to see that many zeros, one has to buy a ticket to a Kid Rock concert.
But when it is referred to in a monetary sense … money, moolah, cash-dollars, coinage, cheddar … a trillion can only be quantified in fiduciary terms (and I believe I’m quoting Warren Buffett here) as a Butt-Load. Coincidentally, that’s a strikingly accurate description of the one and only person on the planet who has that kind of scratch on hand. But we’ll get back to him. Let’s first hear some thoughts from people of note throughout the ages on money and its worth.
Pablo Picasso paints a pretty picture: “I’d like to live like a poor man, only with lots of money.”
Famous money-grubbing oil baron J. Paul Getty says: “The meek shall inherit the earth. But not the mineral rights.”
And, never a bridesmaid and always a bride, Elizabeth Taylor muses: “Money is the best deodorant.”
Liz’s quote hits just right because she’s not so subtly hinting at the fact that no matter how much of a tool you are, if you’ve got it where it counts – your bank statement – you can pretty much get out of any jam, brush off any dirt, and bag the object of your desire. Or several of them as it turns out. The rest of us have to rely on charm, wit, and groveling.
Let us take, for example, the individual who has been identified as the world’s first trillionaire, and conjure up a picture of him in our head. Now, luckily for guys like me, physical appearance isn’t the overriding factor in attracting the person of your dreams. But this doughy disaster of a specimen who is totally devoid of compassion, of caring for his fellow humans, or of anything else resembling a moral compass, has somehow fathered 14 children by four different women.
So, it’s only natural we ask ourselves, how does this walking papercut have so many romantic liaisons with significant individuals like an avant-garde musician, a venture capitalist/tech executive, an author, and a political commentator?
Well, let’s see; he’s a soulless douche … and he’s stinkin’ rich. Guess which one matters.
But let’s shift our weight for a moment. I, for one, have no issues with the acquisition of riches or those who acquire them. I am a huge fan of capitalism …YAY MONEY! I honestly believe that everyone has the right to make, spend, squirrel away, or fold into paper airplanes as much cash as they care to amass. And you should be able to spend it on anything you want without fear of reprisals.
Say, for instance, you want to spend it on … oh I don’t know … a d**k-shaped rocket. Go ahead! It’s your money. But if you’re spending billions on d**k-shaped rockets while not spending jacksh** on children starving all over the world, then sorry, Chauncey, you’re a bigger d**k than any rocket your billions could ever buy you. Christ, when I first started working a 9-5 job, I was making $237 every two weeks, and I still had $5 taken out of every check by NYS SEFA and donated to St. Jude’s. That doesn’t make me a saint, just a person.
All kidding aside, all I’m saying is … just do the right thing, you rich weirdos. Oh, and maybe pay some taxes sometimes.
That said, and philanthropy notwithstanding, it is my firm belief that you earned it and you can spend it on anything you desire. With one notable exception.
You should not buy yourself a world leader. It is absolutely not cool to go strolling through the aisles of Greedy Fu**s-R-Us and pick out a megalomaniac with a “For Sale” sign hung around his neck. “Oh, look honey, they have them in orange!”
No, when you start pulling crap like that, We the People have to stand up and make enough noise that those guys you paid and got elected get nervous, no matter how much you secretly funneled into their campaign and personal accounts. And we keep making that noise until we get you kicked out of your phony baloney government job they gifted you, which then causes you and your latest acquisition to have a lover’s spat in front of the entire world and all of us to tell you that your truck looks like a fingerprint-magnet/high-end-dumpster.
But other than that, spend, spend, spend, you crazy Richie Riches. Go get yourself that gold-plated enema bulb, the coveted Yodeling Pickle (an actual motion-activated plastic pickle that emits a high pitched yodel when least expected), the Elephant Man’s squash racket, Napoleon’s penis (yup, for reals, it exists in a jar somewhere), some two-headed ducks, an alien in a jar (all real, check Etsy), and a bag of Reindeer Farts for the kids (It’s just cotton candy but the littles buggers can’t get enough around holidays).
Yes, if you truly believe that wealth and all the goodies it buys are the secret to a happy life, then make it rain dolla-dolla bills and have a ball. I myself have always followed the teaching of Marx – Groucho that is – and his philosophy that, “The secret to life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”
So while I begrudge no one their shot at their own particular monetary wet dream, I would hope we can all do what we can, with what we have, for those who can’t.
And if you can’t see your way clear to pitch in, Chauncey, even with all your billions and trillions, while I wish you no ill will, I do hope you mistake your Yodeling Pickle for your gold-plated enema bulb, and it gets stuck, and every time you sit down, your ass sounds like one of those lederhosen-wearing dudes in the Alps. Here I’ll even count it off for you …2…3…4…YO-Da-Lay-EE-Hoo…!!$$$
Machan Taylor – An Xperience Interview
By Rob Smittix.
RRX: First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. I’m excited about our conversation.
MT: Wonderful. Yeah, me too. Thank you.
RRX: I know very soon we have you coming to Saratoga Springs (SPAC Aug 1st) with Brit Floyd, so that’s exciting.
MT: Yeah, that particular show is with Get The Led Out, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. So it’s like an oldies rock and roll show.
RRX: I love it, though; those are all great groups.
MT: Yeah, absolutely, it should be fun.
RRX: I know we don’t have a lot of time, so I’d like to just get to the meat and potatoes. I saw that you have a book out, and I think that’d be cool to talk about.
MT: The book is called “Naked Out Loud”; it’s a memoir. It was released last December, and it’s getting some really nice reviews. I’m very pleased. I’ve been doing a lot of podcasts and interviews, just trying to get the word out there about it.
RRX: So, the memoir … I imagine from your lengthy resume and all of the cool things that you’ve done over the years … is that the focus?
MT: Well, honestly, the overview of the story is definitely talking about my career, my music career, my background, where I grew up, and things like that. But … for me, I think the important part of the story is really what was going on underneath the surface of the seemingly very glamorous career that I was having, and I did have. What was really going on for me spiritually, emotionally, personally through a lot of those years that I was touring and working in the business.
RRX: Sure. That makes a lot of sense. People don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. You get up there on stage, do your thing, and everyone leaves happy.
MT: Well, everybody leaves pretty happy from the show, but it’s not always happy behind the scenes, you know? That to me is really the important part of the story.
RRX: But telling the story and getting it out there must feel good to get it off your chest, I’d imagine.
MT: Yeah, it was a very cathartic process writing the book. Honestly, I never intended to write a book. The book really came out of almost three years of journaling and writing stories down; it was almost a therapeutic process. Then I realized at a certain point that I had over 60,000 words written. That culminated in the book, and I was lucky enough to get a small publishing deal, so they put it out there, and it’s amazing how it all unfolded. But that was not my original plan.
RRX: Sometimes things just have a way of working themselves out, you know?
MT: Yeah, I feel very grateful that it worked out the way it did.
RRX: I’ll tell you what, I’m definitely gonna go ahead and order myself a copy. I’ve always wanted to write a book; I’ve started before, but 60,000 words can seem really far away.
MT: Maybe the thing is to pretend like you’re not really writing a book; you’re just writing. And then maybe you’ll find that it’ll unfold easier, without putting a lot of pressure on yourself.
RRX: I can definitely respect that. Well, obviously you’re on a really cool tour right now, and you’ve done so much over the years … anything in your music career that really stands out for you as a pivotal moment?
MT: Definitely when I toured with Pink Floyd in ’87, 88 – that was a huge and amazing world tour. But the really amazing part of that story is how it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Over the years, I’ve gotten so many calls and opportunities to work, you know? So-called tribute bands, and for some reason, I think the number is in the thousands for Pink Floyd tribute bands around the world. They’re not all like Brit Floyd; I would say Brit Floyd is the premier number one Pink Floyd tribute band. There are a lot of smaller localized groups that I’ve worked with; like in Italy, there are some very good Pink Floyd tribute bands that I’ve worked with. I’ve gotten calls from people all over the world to come and sing with them that have these Pink Floyd tribute bands. So it’s kind of funny; it was not something I ever expected, but like I said, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
RRX: It sure is. And yeah, definitely Brit Floyd is a top-tier tribute band, but what I do appreciate about Pink Floyd tributes is that many of them have a very different take on how they do it. There are so many out there, as you said. There’s the Australian one, and we even have a local tribute here in town called Run Rabbit Run, and they’ve got their own take on it too. Zeppelin’s got a lot of tributes as well, and KISS is definitely up there. Oh, and of course, the Grateful Dead. I think they’re probably the top 4 all-time for tribute bands.
MT: Yeah, it’s a thing. I don’t remember this 20-30 years ago so much. I don’t remember seeing so many tribute bands, but it seems like it’s a trend. Because a lot of people still love that music, but the bands are gone; the original bands are never gonna happen again.
RRX: Definitely, you’re right. You can’t see the original acts anymore for a lot of these tributes, and venues will sell out or come pretty close to it for these acts; there’s a big audience and market for it.
MT: It’s really amazing. Who knew?
RRX: They’ve started ‘90s tribute acts already, and I think it could be too soon. I don’t see those shows do as well. And many of those bands are still around, with exceptions like Nirvana.
MT: Well, Dave Grohl, he’s still around, and he’s still working, so that’s kind of an offshoot of Nirvana.
RRX: True, he’s probably the biggest rock star that’s official in the entire world right now.
MT: He’s really great.
RRX: Anything else you’d like to get out to the world?
MT: This is sort of a two-fold story … working with Brit Floyd, doing shows with them is a wonderful and nostalgic experience for me, and the band is so wonderful – really lovely people. It’s been fun for me to kind of relive those memories. Next year, 2027 to 2028, is going to mark the 40th anniversary of the Delicate Sound of Thunder Tour that I did with the real Floyd. So, the next couple of years are kind of special, and there’s gonna be some celebratory shows with Brit Floyd and possibly some other stuff.
RRX: Oh, you’re gonna be getting a lot of phone calls.
MT: (Laughs) Yes! That’s gonna be interesting, and I think probably after 2028, that’ll be sort of the end of this little hoorah for me. I feel like that’s gonna be a really nice time to kind of put that to bed for myself. But the flip side of the story – I hope people will check out my book. It’s a very vulnerable story; it’s taken a lot for me to put that book and that story out there because it is so personal. I would love to hear people’s thoughts and feedback.
For more on Machan Taylor and links to purchase “Naked Out Loud,” visit: machantaylor.com
The Xperience – August 2026 is here!
Grab your copy of The Xperience Monthly, August 2026 edition, for FREE, at any of the over 1,100 locations around the Capital Region of New York.
Check out the digital edition here ==> https://radioradiox.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/xperience-august-2026-digital_sm.pdf
Farm House – A New Film from Palangi Films
Photography by Joshua Scarselli.
The king of no-budget indie horror has another installment to terrify us! Frank Palangi and Palangi Films bring us “Farm House.” “Farm House” expands the Palangiverse, taking place after “Warren County.” “Farm House” is a stand-alone story, so you don’t need to see “Warren County” first, although you absolutely have to check that out too.
“Farm House” follows Mary (Abigail Stone) as she house-sits. Mary has no clue the dangers that lurk around the corner. What happens when you are secluded, and your life is in danger? Mary has to figure this out and try to survive.
The film is very much reminiscent of classic slasher films. Palangi uses an audio and visual medley straight out of the ’70s. The look and feel of classics like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” are excellently evoked.
The soundtrack is eerie and suspenseful with a little twang. Sometimes it even reminded me of “Silent Hill.”
“Farm House” has decent pacing for an hour-long film. A lot of Palangi’s films are anthologies. “Farm House” takes a step away from that formula. The expanded format leaves room for things to get dragged out, but we don’t really have that issue. We don’t have to wait for killing to start!
“Farm House” is an excellent expansion of the Palangiverse. You can stream Farm House on Amazon Prime Video today!
Vinny Dawson (Kisstory, Sweet Leaf, The Ultimate Sin) – An Xperience Interview
By Rob Smittix.
RRX: Vinny, how’s things?
VD: They’re going, just trying to stay busy, you know?
RRX: Well, you are definitely doing that. I mean … you got a bunch of shows coming up, but you also are doing more than just one project nowadays.
VD: Yeah, just added the Ozzy thing. The KISS thing is like … I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s kind of slowing down. The Ozzy thing is picking up more.
RRX: I would think, obviously with the recent passing of Ozzy, it would probably be a very popular show to do.
VD: And plus, we offer something different. We do Sabbath, all dressed like Sabbath from the ‘70s, and then second set I’ll come out as ‘80s Ozzy, which nobody really does with the blonde. I’ll just throw on the blonde wig and the ‘80s outfits.
RRX: So it’s two different variations of Ozzy. That’s cool. Tell me more about the Ozzy tribute and who’s doing what in the bands.
VD: The Sabbath band Sweet Leaf, we’ve got Mike Hughes playing Tony Iommi, John Caulkins playing bass, and OJ (Barr), the drummer, plays in both bands. He plays in the ‘80s Ozzy Ultimate Sin too, which I have Ron Toth (guitar), who’s awesome and amazing. I mean …
RRX: He is.
VD: Yeah, when we did our first rehearsal with him, it was like having Jake E. Lee next to me.
RRX: Right? No, Ron’s definitely got the skills.
VD: And playing bass is Dave Bariteau. I went to go see Crazy Train to see how he was doing his show, and I noticed they used a lot of … he didn’t have keyboards, and I’d rather have real keyboards. I noticed they’re using, like, what I think they call click tracks; I’m not positive what they do …
RRX: Almost like a sample.
VD: Yeah, and I didn’t wanna do that. So, I got a keyboard guy (Cy Romleski).
RRX: Nice, so you’re doing it the right way and the real way.
VD: Yeah, and then we also wanted to do that Lita Ford song, so we’re gonna hire Athena, a local singer, to do that part with me. So that’s in the works too.
RRX: You gotta do the Lita Ford song. “Close My Eyes Forever.” Did I get it right?
VD: Yeah, because when I saw Crazy Train, he had opened up a casket and had a video screen in there. He had a girl singing it with him on the video screen, so it really wasn’t live.
RRX: Again, you’re doing it the right way. Others are cutting corners. Oh, that’s cool, man. That Lita and Ozzy song was the soundtrack to the summer of 1988, if I remember correctly.
VD: I think you’re right; I think it was 1987, 1988, somewhere around there.
RRX: And then of course you’re still doing the KISSTORY thing. I noticed that you’ve got more of the Ozzy tribute shows coming up than your KISS tribute.
VD: There’s four shows coming up for the rest of the year with KISSTORY. I’ve been keeping it mostly to just the theaters and the festivals, you know? Kiss is almost like a cult following, but Ozzy’s like huge. I mean, it’s such a difference as far as the audience attendance too.
RRX: Sure. I’ve never seen KISS live, which sucks. But for me, KISS is more of a band that I would love to have seen live, and I think as far as tribute acts go, especially like KISSTORY, that’s something that’s gonna live on forever. I don’t think that’ll ever get old, but what I’m trying to say is, I was more into their live performances than the actual music itself, if that makes any sense. As a Kiss fan, “Beth” is probably my favorite song. But then with Ozzy, though, like you said, it’s huge. Everyone from all over, everyone seems to be a fan of Ozzy’s music, no matter your upbringing or your musical upbringing. Everybody’s a fan.
VD: I wanted to bring something different. It’s almost like our own Ozzfest tribute.
RRX: Do you bite the heads off of anything during these shows?
VD: Obviously, I’m not gonna throw water on anybody, but I got a bucket of water, and I get a bunch of rubber bats. What I’ll do is toss that to the crowd. They seem to like it. And then I take the bigger bat, cut it, and whatever song I do, I’ll bite the head off and then throw it back.
RRX: That’s great crowd participation. So the Ozzy thing, it’s kind of a new thing that you’re doing, right?
VD: Years ago in the ‘90s, in my first tribute band, we did the Doors. And then I did AC/DC, but I was always trying to get an Ozzy one going. But back then, when you just had the Metroland, it was like slim pickings.
RRX: Right.
VD: I started the KISS thing in ’96, and that’s going on its 30th year. It didn’t start picking up until the Internet came in.
RRX: But you do the whole thing, I mean… You do the fire blowing and all that stuff. You really put on a good performance.
VD: I’ve got all the props. We built the tank riser, we got the snake, and I got all the costumes from every year from ’74 to … we actually go from ’73 to ’83 is what I’m trying to do. And we added Vinnie Vincent with Ron. When he was jamming the Ozzy songs, one guy in the band goes, oh, you should do Vinnie Vincent, he’s like, I love Vinnie Vincent. So then $1,200 later, I bought him a costume.
RRX: Wow, that’s not cheap at all.
VD: He did a great job. He did his first gig at the Strand, and the second gig he did up in Ticonderoga, the festival they have every year.
RRX: Next door to where we are in Cohoes at the music hall, pretty recently … I forget the wrestler guy’s name, but he has his Kiss tribute, and they played.
VD: Jericho.
RRX: Chris Jericho, yeah. Jericho himself, he’s a name; he’s gonna bring people out on name alone, but personally, if I’m gonna see a Kiss tribute, I want everybody wearing the getup.
VD: Right! We went that route one time. We tried to do the unmasked thing when we did a lot of the ‘80s and ‘90s s**t; it just didn’t sell, because every time you called somebody to try to book it, they’re like, oh, you guys got the makeup and everything? And you gotta tell them no, they don’t want nothing to do with it.
RRX: Yeah, I agree with that.
Check out KISSTORY at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, August 15th, and Sweet Leaf & Ultimate Sin on Saturday, August 22nd at Dango Fitzgerald’s in Gansevoort or Saturday, August 29th at Ophelia’s on Broadway in Albany.
Keegan James @ The Eleven, 7/23/2026
Keegan James had an evening show at The Eleven, and at times sang with both Erica Rose and Shannon Tehya.
Photography by Timothy Reidy.
Davin Yap’s Celebration of Life
By Chad from Albany.
PUBLIC EVENT: Davin Yap’s Celebration of Life
Saturday, August 8, 2026, 1:30 pm – 8 pm
Slingerlands Fire Department, 1520 New Scotland Rd, Slingerlands, NY 12159
On June 30, 2026, Jessica Yap (from Pattersonville, NY) was heading home from a vacation in Myrtle Beach with a friend and their children when their vehicle was rear-ended while stopped in traffic in a construction zone on I-95. Everyone was unharmed except 9-year-old Davin Yap, who was unresponsive and was flown to VCU Medical Center Hospital in Richmond, VA.
After a grueling five days of hoping and waiting for positive results, and with communities in the Capital Region and beyond praying and hoping along with the Yap family, young Davin Yap passed away on July 5th, 2026.
Yap, a beloved 4th grader at Schalmont Elementary School, was remembered at candlelight vigils throughout various local communities and has become a hero in his passing through his gifts of organ donation, saving the lives of four others.
But this shark-loving little man wasn’t a fan of tears. He was jovial and happy, and wanted that light to radiate onto everyone he met, which it did in spades.
This Saturday, August 8th, the Yap family, including parents Jason and Jessica, want to thank the community for their support, and of course to celebrate the life of their beloved Davin. Come, even if you didn’t know Davin but are touched by his story. And because Davin didn’t like people to be sad, the Yap family is opening this event to the public to enjoy fun, family-friendly music provided by me, Emcee Chad Koenig, and DJ Jared Kemp. This free event will have food prepared by the good people at Slingerlands Fire Department, bounce houses for the kids, small giveaways, and more. Come dressed in Davin’s favorite color, cyan, or if you have anything shark-related, wear that! Come and be silly. Be goofy. Be fun. Be happy. Be like Davin.
The family asks the public to come anytime after 1:30 pm. Donations are not needed. This is a public event to say thank you and to remember the life of a boy who brought so much joy in his short time here and will continue to bring life to others thanks to his and the Yap family’s kindness.
RECAP: Blues Traveler / Gin Blossoms / Spin Doctors @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 7/30/2026
By Chad from Albany.
The early ’90s were a wonderful time for pop and rock music separately, but there was a particularly unique thing going on in which those two genres somehow blended and made it on alternative radio alongside their peers from Seattle and abroad. Sing-along songs that weren’t offensive to anybody’s ears, and the hardest of rockers could enjoy them while the young baby boomers could also relate to the hooks and choruses and still enjoy that there was just a touch of crunch to the guitars. This time was a special time for these musical mixes across the board – around this time, the sounds of New Jack Swing were topping the charts, when R&B artists sang beautifully over beats produced by hip-hop artists and producers. And even hardcore rap and metal came together for the iconic soundtrack to “Judgment Night.” Wonderful times indeed.
Three of the biggest acts of the ’90s “pop rock” era came together for a triple bill for the second year in a row, this time stopping at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. In the ’90s, SPAC annually hosted the H.O.R.D.E. Festival tour – the underrated touring music festival that brought together an eclectic mix of pop and rock acts, legends of music, up-and-comers, and jam bands. For many years, Blues Traveler, who founded the touring fest, headlined. Personally, that was my favorite tour every year. This lineup was reminiscent of those tours, sans the multiple vendors selling jewelry, music, and memorabilia throughout the back of the lawn. In fact, the lawn wasn’t even available for sale at this concert, which was very disappointing, because the songs by these artists lend perfectly to lying in the grass and taking in the sounds between the passing of whatever is rolled up in that paper they were lighting. But that didn’t stop hundreds of patrons who paid for inside seats from flocking down and congregating on the lawn (and that slippery rubber mat in the front of the lawn) to dance, smoke, sing, and remember that special time, or to introduce younger fans and kids to this timeless music.
Starting at 6 pm sharp, the Spin Doctors took the stage with the fourth single from their iconic 1991 album, “Pocketful of Kryptonite,” “What Time Is It?” All original members were present apart from bassist Mark White, and the Spin Doctors sounded impeccable, with frontman Chris Barron still strutting his mantis-like body around and executing his circular kicks that he has been doing ever since WEQX started playing “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” before most other stations in the country were. And of course they played that as well as “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues,” before the not only show-stealing, but concert-stealing performance of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” In the pantheon of great guitarists of the era, I have always felt that Eric Schenkman was grossly underrated, and that shone through during his electric performance. Fittingly, their set closed with their signature hit “Two Princes.”
Up next were Tempe, Arizona’s own Gin Blossoms, who celebrated the 30th(!) anniversary of their third album “Congratulations, I’m Sorry” by starting the show off with the lead single from that album, “Follow You Down.” Following that, they launched into a pair of songs from their monster 1992 album “New Miserable Experience”- “Hold Me Down” and “Mrs. Rita.” “Learning the Hard Way” followed, from their 2006 album “Major Lodge Victory,” showcasing the undeniable singing and guitar playing of Jesse Valenzuela. And then we were struck with a barrage of smash hits: “Until I Fall Away,” “Hands Are Tied,” “Found Out About You,” and “Allison Road.” The latter saw the Blossoms joined onstage by frontman Robin Wilson’s son Greg on guitar, who brought plenty (if not too much) youthful energy to the song. He donned his AC/DC shirt and was as frantic as Angus Young was in 1980, while playing a song with a much slower tempo than anything off of “Back in Black”. But I can’t knock it. He was young and excited and played well. Props. Closing out the set was their two magnum opuses: “Hey Jealousy” and “Til I Hear It From You,” which was the single from the film “Empire Records” and became a bigger hit than the movie itself. The Blossoms’ clarity and musicianship made this the most spectacular song of the evening.
The night was rounded off by the legendary Blues Traveler. As I was still in shock that I first saw this band in this theater 31 years ago, I was happy to hear that they continue to look and sound amazing. Of course, frontman John Popper is known for being a master of the harmonica (I cannot immediately think of a band that has had that as a lead instrument, at least to the level of Blues Traveler), but it often gets forgotten about how great of a singer he is, with a voice just as unique as his musicianship. And even while playing their catalog staples such as “Run-Around,” “But Anyways,” and “Hook,” he sings with the passion of singing it for the first time, every time. Nobody has the soul of John Popper. Nobody.
And between those radio staples, they played the electric “Carolina Blues.” Probably the most fun of the evening came when he brought Chris Barron from the Spin Doctors out to perform “Champipple” from the 2011 release with one of his side projects, the Duskray Troubadours. The origin of this novelty song is rooted in an episode of “Sanford & Son,” of which he told the story of when they tried making this drink that was mentioned on the classic sitcom. And the charm of seeing this performed with Barron, his 40-year friend, made it extra special. Unbeknownst to many, Popper and Barron were high school friends who started off together in a band in the mid ’80s called The Trucking Company, before Popper left to pursue Blues Traveler full time. It is great seeing their friendship flourishing all of these decades later. After the set closer “Hook,” Popper and company rid themselves of the cliché that they have to walk off the stage and come back, but instead brought back Gin Blossom’s singer Robin Wilson for a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Breakdown.”
What a fantastic night of nostalgia by three bands still as good, if not better, than they have ever been. All of the hits were played, and generations came together to see three of the greats. Although I would love nothing more than to see the return of a touring H.O.R.D.E. Festival, or at least an annual one in the northeast, I will take this for now, in hopes that we can relive that tour again, without it being bloated like Lollapalooza has become.
Blues Traveler’s setlist can be found here:
Gin Blossom’s setlist can be found here:
Spin Doctors setlist can be found here:
Curious Comet @ Rensselaer Farmers Market, 7/23/2026
Curious Comet provided the musical backdrop on the field at the Rensselaer Farmers Market.
Photography by Timothy Reidy.
More from Timothy Reidy here …