In episode 31 of Hooked on Creek, I review Max Creek’s performance on March 11, 1994, at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island.
A live recording of this entire Max Creek performance is available to stream or download here.
Episode 31 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music, history and fans of the legendary jam band Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 31.
Thank you for joining me on episode 31 of Hooked on Creek. In this episode, I am going to discuss Max Creek’s performance at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island, back on March 11, 1994. You can find a direct link to stream or download the entire Max Creek show I am reviewing in the episode show notes, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com. And while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. I am always looking for recommendations on topics to cover or Max Creek shows to feature in this podcast. Alright, now let’s get started.
Back on March 11, 1994, while Max Creek was preparing to go on stage in Providence, Rhode Island, I was a 17-year-old kid living in a little town called Frederic in northern Wisconsin. Of course, I had no idea what was going on at that moment 1,700 miles away. Music to me, and pretty much everybody else around me, was defined by the radio. Save for the occasional Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin song that made its rotation in the classic rock station, it was dismal. I knew it at the time, of course, but did not have the curiosity or inspiration to seek out the solution. I did, ultimately, just over a year later when I made my way to college. But through these formative years, I was left in the dark. Staring at the single blinking red light in that small town in the middle of nowhere, it was impossible for me to imagine the scene unfolding at The Living Room and the music Max Creek was about to deliver. OK, enough about me.
To kick things off back on March 11, 1994, Max Creek opens with a majestic 15-minute-long version of Double Dare that features a soaring guitar solo that flows, twists and builds through the entire second half of this outstanding song before the music gets pulled through the wormhole and reassembles as Fire & Brimstone.
After this, John leads the band through a rockin’ cover of Dead Flowers, a song originally recorded by the Rolling Stones that appeared on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. But interestingly, former Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein maintained ownership rights to the song Dead Flowers — not Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who actually wrote the song. As it turns out, the Rolling Stones had a rough relationship with Allen Klein over the years, accusing him of withholding royalty payments and stealing publishing rights, among many other things. Of course fans of The Big Lebowski might know that a version of Dead Flowers recorded by Townes Van Zandt was featured in the credits of that 1998 movie. Apparently, Allen Klein was originally asking for a whopping $150,000 to allow the song Dead Flowers to be included in that movie, but when he was invited to watch an early cut of the film, he saw the part where the Dude says, “I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man!” and that line alone prompted Allen Klein to tell the movie producers, “You can have the song,” saving them a lot of money. So there you go, some interesting history on the song Dead Flowers.
Alright, next up Scott leads the band through a delicious and savory version of Emotional Railroad that stretches nearly nine minutes before the reins are handed over to Mark, who guides the audience through a gorgeous cover of The Weight. Here, I think Mark’s vocals are spot on, and paired with an exuberant audience singing and cheering along, I think it is just a beautiful recording of this classic song. Of course, The Weight is an original song by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released on the group’s debut album Music from Big Pink back in 1968.
But everything up to this point in the show seems like an appetizer compared to what comes next as Max Creek takes us on a dazzling trip through a mind-bending version of Summer Sun that stretches over 16 and a half minutes. The blistering jam released through this song tears, pulls and stretches the fabric of reality, revealing beautiful sonic landscapes that seem to grow, move and dissolve at the whims of their musical masters. At times the song feels light and ethereal but then unsuspectingly you’ll find yourself crushed by the weight of the jam the band builds, layer, upon layer, upon layer. And deep, deep in this jam, as I lay twisted within the kaleidoscope of sound, I find myself reflecting on the passage of time, my own impermanence and how without change and without destruction there would be no growth, no rebirth. Nothing comes from nothing. Everything comes from something. Seeing this old world in this new light, one question remains. Is this my favorite Summer Sun?
And now, with the audience left breathless, Mark breaks the reverie by leading the band through an immaculate cover of Border Song that shines a bright and adoring light on Mark’s keyboard playing. Originally recorded by Elton John, Border Song was first released on Elton John’s 1970 self-titled album.
Up next, John closes out the first set by leading the band through a highly energetic and fun version of Slow Down, a song originally written and recorded by Larry Williams way back in 1957.
Max Creek then comes back on stage to open set two with an 16-minute long Emerald Eyes that is just so, so good. As I listen to the jam that unfolds through this epic Creek tune, I can’t help but retreat to the balcony of my mind and let the music take center stage. Eleven minutes into the song, Scott’s guitar begins to methodically tightens its melodic grip and the tendrils of the song begin to grow longer and longer, wrapping further and further around me, leaving me transfixed as the song climbs toward its jaw-dropping climax. And what happens next is magic, as Max Creek proceeds to jump off the cliff. Breaking free from the Emerald Eyes jam, the music begins its descent into a seven-minute long Space jam. Abandoning the comforts of structure and form, Max Creek bleeds itself completely out in a gorgeous display of psychedelic bliss. For my taste, this Space is as good as anything I’ve heard from the Grateful Dead. And really, there is hardly a comparison as this Space is 100 percent Max Creek.
Then as the sun breaks through the clouds of Space, with our feet on the ground, Max Creek delivers a gorgeous Rainbow, which I played earlier during the introduction to this episode.
After that, the band charges through an impeccable cover of When that Evening Sun Goes Down, a song by Van Morrison that was originally released on his 1971 album Tupelo Honey.
And then, things get heavy as Max Creek steps into a massive The Same Things. At times through this spectacular show I hear reflections of The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek in Mark’s playing, and that is certainly true in this version of The Same Things. I suppose The Same Things might be considered an acquired taste, given how unique this song is among Creek’s catalogue of music — but personally, I love this song. For me, it carries the voyeuristic thrill of sneaking a peak into a stranger’s window, or perhaps reading a page from their diary. It’s too bad the ending of this song was not captured in this live recording. Lost to time, the full experience of this incredible performance of The Same Things can only be remembered by the lucky few who were in attendance that night.
But ultimately, The Same Things makes its way to its final destination — transitioning into a spellbinding version of the traditional folk song Katie Mae. In what feels like the emotional peak of the show, the song rushes over me, and over me, and over me again — like endless waves crashing on the beach. I could lay on this beach forever. I really could. But with the end of the night in sight, the band carries the Katie Mae jam as far as they could, before transitioning into a boisterous version of Sugar Magnolia to close out the second set. Written by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir, Sugar Magnolia was first released by the Grateful Dead on their 1970 album American Beauty.
For the encore, Max Creek comes back to perform a sizzling cover of Life During Wartime that includes some playful ad-libs from Scott, calling out the tapers and Creek Freaks in attendance that night. Of course, Life During Wartime is a Talking Heads song that goes back to their 1979 album Fear of Music.
OK, enough talking. Now let’s hear a few songs from this outstanding Max Creek show. For your pleasure, I am going to play the last three songs from their first set because I think they really encapsulate the energy, range and quality of this show. So get ready, because you are about to hear Summer Sun, Border Song and Slow Down. This is Max Creek performing live at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 11, 1994.
And that concludes my review of Max Creek’s performance on March 11, 1994, at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island. You can stream or download this Max Creek show on archive.org, just take a look in the episode show notes for a direct link. And if you have feedback about this episode or recommendations for future episodes, visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. I look forward to seeing you at Camp Creek. Thanks for tuning in.