Nice Package December 05, 2002 - Billboard Magazine by Ray Waddell In one of the more creative touring packages of the year, acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke paired with Mike Gordon-bassist for jam-band king Phish-for a run of club dates that began Oct. 2 at the Jammy Awards at New York's Roseland Ballroom and wrapped Nov. 19 at the Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colo. Touring in support of their Private Music/RCA Victor release, Clone, Kottke and Gordon played such well-known, intimate venues as New York's Bowery Ballroom; the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.; Park West in Chicago; and the Fillmore in San Francisco. "I don't know if I've ever had this much fun on the road," says Kottke, who spends about 80% of each year touring. "I've never really taken a break. It still amazes me when someone calls and wants to pay me to come and play. And after all this time, to find something brand-new like this is a real surprise." Gordon is equally enthused about the tour. "This has been great fun, a whole new experience for me," says Gordon, who is more accustomed to playing with a full band at amphitheaters, arenas, and mega Phish-fests than the intimate rooms on this tour. He says that in this setting, without a drummer, "there is a greater responsibility for groove." Kottke says the two of them have discovered a real compatibility, both in the studio and onstage. "This is still something Mike and I kind of marvel at," admits Kottke, who seldom works with other artists and has always toured solo in the past. Initial efforts to play together stalled, he says, until things came together at a sit-down in Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio's recording studio/barn in Vermont. "We were about to give up when we found this little phrase. We found the way in and found how to be there as ourselves without feeling like a square peg in a round hole." Compared with the "commotion" of a Phish trek, Gordon says the nature of his tour with Kottke is a major change. "Traveling on the road with just two people, no road manager or sound man, is relaxing, actually. After years of paying our dues, things have gotten pretty comfortable with Phish, with tour buses and people to handle everything. When Leo and I get going with one of our jams, it's sort of a soft storm." Kottke admits that even he is a little surprised at how well the often-experimental vibe of the record translates to live performance. "The trick for me is finding out how to listen," he says. "It turns out [that] you wind up playing the other guy's instrument, and he plays yours, at least mentally. It takes on kind of its own momentum." And each performance took on a distinct, never-duplicated personality. "As far as I'm concerned, if you know exactly what you're going to do, it eliminates one of the elements of risk, and risk is essential to live performance," Kottke says. "If disaster isn't possible, it's not going to be any fun. And disaster doesn't ruin everything; it's just emotionally devastating." The tour was booked by Chip Hooper at Monterey Peninsula Artists, booking agency for both Phish and Kottke. "I thought this was a really great combination," Hooper says. "It was really interesting for Leo to do and for Mike to do. It was a real departure for both of them, and I think fans of both artists appreciated it." Hooper says the tour was routed and booked very conservatively. "We were very modest in our choice of venues," he says, adding that the strategy paid off and attracted fans of both Phish and Kottke in relatively equal numbers. Copyright © 2002 BPI Communications, Inc.