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Eight years and two days before I walked into the Calvin Theater in Northampton to see Vida Blue, I witnessed Page McConnell's masterful keyboard skills for the first time just fifteen minutes up the road at The UMass Mullins Center. Times have changed since 1994. So have I, and so has Page, sort of. He is still the same modest keymaster that he has been all along, but now he is the guy calling the shots in a band that bears only a slight resemblance to that other band I have seen him play with. The sounds meandering out of his many different keyboards seem to envelop you and lift the crowd off its feet. Rarely on April 18th did we get a taste of the pounding keys of "Tweezer Reprise" or the beautiful solo that brings us out of "Squirming Coil." No, Vida Blue is a different taste entirely.
After Burlington's Billionaires played a fun set of some rockabilly-esque tunes, Vida Blue was quick to take the stage. From the third row I could see that Page was very happy, even surprised, to see so many faces anxiously awaiting the first show on their brief Spring tour. They began with John Lennon's "Instant Karma." This was an expected cover that got the energy flowing and allowed the band to warm up a bit. Next they drifted into the Vida Blue original "Most Events Aren't Planned." Each of the bands originals are highly introspective. The lyrics give the audience a better opportunity to see inside Page's head than ever before.
The band was now up to speed. At some points, Page would lead while the bass and drums laid down some solid grooves. At other points, Page would create a flowing tapestry of sound with all sorts of electronic energy flowing from his fingertips. This gave the other two thirds of the trio a chance to shine. Russell Batiste is a monster on the drums. Over the course of the evening he had two rocking drum solos that had the kid next to me picking my jaw up off the floor. He was equally as comfortable adding to the layers that Page and Oteil were laying down. After watching Oteil Burbridge from just a few feet away for the entire night, I was thoroughly impressed and jealous. The jealousy stemmed from the fact that he was barefoot and my feet were getting very warm with all the dancing I was doing. Much of the time when he was playing he was scatting or singing along with his bass. It was like he was playing with the band and doing a duet with his six string at the same time. Oteil laid down some fluid grooves and some quick snap rhythms that completed the anti-power trio that is Vida Blue.
At times I thought the band slowed things down a bit too much, but they usually ended up rising into a cohesive sound that was almost visible. This was exactly what they did on "Russell's Tune." The tune meandered from a slow, start-stop beginning to its winding space funk frenzied end. Vida Blue ended their set with one of the highpoints of the night "Fresh Tube." Hopefully in a few years, the members of Phish can put out a compilation album called Greatest Tubes. They came back for a twenty minute encore that was a very good summation of the entire night. It included some layered spacey jams that moved along at a quick pace as well as the tune "Electra Glide." This was another slow original that gave Page another chance to sing some of his original lyrics. The best part of the show at The Calvin was being up close to see what Page really does. Sometimes at Phish shows there is so much going on and the sound is so intense it is hard not to get lost in the overall environment. With Vida Blue, it is easy to pick out each singular sound and put them back together with your ears. As they left the stage the absolute gratitude the band had for each person with a Vida Blue stub in the pocket was readily apparent. The next time I get a chance to see them, I will be right up front again. Until then I'll just be floating around town on the tapestry Page made with his keys.
Dan Viens
JamBase | Boston
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