Setlist-
Acoustic:
From Hank To Hendrix
Ambulance Blues
Sad Movies
A Man Needs A Maid (Neil on piano and organ)
No One Seems To Know (piano)
Harvest
After The Gold Rush (piano)
Mellow My Mind (6 String Banjo)
Love Art Blues
Love Is A Rose
Heart Of Gold
Electric:
The Loner
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Dirty Old Man
Spirit Road
Bad Fog Of Loneliness
Winterlong
Oh, Lonesome Me (Neil on acoustic)
The Believer (Neil on acoustic)
No Hidden Path
Encore:
Cinnamon Girl
Like A Hurricane
Headlights blind me as I stand on the median, watching cars fly past. The temperature reminds me that it is, in fact, November already. I quickly dart across the street at the first break in traffic. I wait in the frigid darkness for 20 minutes for a late bus crammed with annoyed people in suits, just released from their jobs. In no time I am in LoDo (downtown Denver). They are preparing for the Starz Film Festival next week, so strings of white bulbs hang suspended over the sparsely populated streets. Well to do yuppies look up from their $60/plate dinners and glare as I walk past restaurant windows. I am reminded of On The Road, and I wonder how Jack would react to how these streets have changed.
As I get closer to the venue, I am enveloped in a substantial herd following the arrows directing us to the “proper” entrance. The place reminds me of the Denver airport exterior; grey concrete and cold florescent lights illuminate the impersonal path. We are soon inside. The crowd has a mellow look to them, not unlike the restaurant patrons. Most opt to stand in the lobby and sip martinis for the opening act. (They were not allowed to bring their drinks into the theatre.)
My ticket said row 6, and my seat was in the 6th row………of the second section (which is actually the 3rd section) so I ended up being in row 25 or so, but I didn’t feel that I needed to see every wrinkle on the guy’s face, so I wasn’t disappointed. It was an aisle seat, so I had that to my advantage.
Pegi Young was the opener, and I must say, I was completely unimpressed. It wasn’t terrible, but it was very average at best. Catchy couple of tunes, relatively competent musicians, but I’ve seen it a hundred times at “heritage festivals” during the summer in countless small towns the country over. The most interesting to me was a song w/ an electric cittern, but as soon as they finished, she apologized for the song. I really don’t like it when performers do that. I liked it just fine before she said anything. Whereas Elvis’ opening set flew by in an instant a couple of weeks ago, this opener seemed to drag on and on. I half envied those drinking in the lobby.
Neil eventually took the stage to polite applause. Very few NEEEEEEEEEIIILLLLLs. For as big as the room was, I was surprised by the quality of the sound. He started things off w/ Hank to Hendrix, which was nice, but I was more excited for Ambulance Blues, which came next. His voice was strong and clear, which can be a refreshing change ;) . He moved over to piano for Maid, but also included some organ, which was very annoying and really did not need to be included. I smiled to think I would have to write that last sentence on a Dylan board haha. Crowd banter was kept to a minimum, but he didn’t seem to be in too bad of a mood. He started to play something, then said, “Maybe I’ll play that one later,” before picking up a 6 string banjo.
The crowd stayed in their seats for the whole acoustic set, which could be understandable. Overall, they were a very quiet crowd. Perhaps a bit too quiet.
When Neil returned with band, they gave him a brief standing ovation before retuning to their seats. About 50 or so people stayed standing for the next couple songs. I moved into the aisle so as not to block the view of the folks around me, though I doubt it would have mattered; I could have sworn they were asleep. I was happy to hear Dirty Old Man, followed by Spirit Road, which are my two favorite songs from the new album. The standing folks slowly dropped back into their seats for the next few songs, and I did so as well, so as not to be the only one up.
During the electric set, there was a man who brought large paintings depicting the title of the song being performed and set them up on an easel stage left. He could be seen behind the band working on new paintings as they played. He started a green one that I was really looking forward to seeing what it became, but it was never used.
The band broke into a rockin’ No Hidden Path, and I couldn’t sit any longer. I moved back into the aisle and danced throughout the song. Neil had been dancing around all throughout the electric set, and I figured if a balding 61 year old could do it, so too could I. When the song started, there were 3 other people standing, and while some others did stand for parts, only one other kid, down near the front doing some weird 90 degree jogging/twist thing sorta dance, stayed standing throughout the song. There was a woman a couple rows behind me who started dancing in the aisle in about the middle and stayed up till the end, but other then that, I was amazed at how impersonal and out of it the crowd was.
They did eventually all stand for the two song encore, but it seemed they did it only out of obligation. The folks from the nosebleeds that came down just sorta leaned apathetically against the handrails in the aisle. I kept track of the setlist after every song, and you’d think I was chanting a mystical incantation with all the strange looks I kept getting. Strange crowd.
When the show was finally over, everyone seemed more then happy to leave. When I got outside, I checked my watch. 11.56. I had 4 minutes to get to the bus station roughly 10 blocks away, lest I wait for another hour for the midnight bus. I’ve done that; it’s less than desirable, so I tore down the deserted street. The cold air stung my lungs, but it was completely worth it when I got to the bottom of the stairs to find my bus loading its first passenger! I dropped down into a seat, intending to silently reflect (and catch my breath haha), when I became aware that the folks behind me were talking about the show. So, for the next hour, I got to talk to some hardcore Young fans, which was a treat. (Though I do wonder how they got to the station w/o full out running).
All in all, it was a very good show, and I’d recommend going if you ever get the chance. The only minor disappointment was that they didn’t play Hey Hey, but other then that it was a great show.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
After 6 (Omaha, 10/26)
First appeared here-
http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21747
I somehow managed to squeeze my way down to the main floor, and my 3rd row seat. What you must understand about the people in Omaha, is that they are all very tall, and they are all very wide (among other things). My seat, 23, was directly in the middle, and since I had already missed Amos Lee, I was forced to crawl across the laps of 23 tall, wide people. I get to my seat, and not two minutes later, Costello appears, directly, I mean directly in front of me. He begins w/ Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes, and gets better from there. My suspicions about the audience aroused during my time in the lobby seemed to be actualized. Absolutely no one was standing, or even moving in their chairs. They just sat and starred at Costello, as though he were some sort of oddity on display. I sat too, as I would have felt too out of place being literally the only person standing. I swore that I would stand during Dylan, even if that meant standing alone. The tear in my sense of time really began to take hold of me, and Costello’s set felt as though it lasted 10, maybe 15minutes at most. It seemed he had just gotten started, and all of the sudden, he was taking a bow.
I have no recollection of how long the stage switch took, but it felt like 10 minutes before the new, less epic intro music was playing. Thankfully, everyone got to their feet, but there was a tall, wide Omaha-ian on either side of me, and an extremely tall, not wide one in front. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind switching places w/ his shorter girlfriend, to which they happily agreed.
I was very happy to hear Pill Box open, and even happier when Lay and Tom Thumb’s followed. I had never seen any of them live, and they were very energetic. I have been reading a lot of reviews about how the band has really “come together” and I really saw what they meant. Even Stu was dancing around, and everyone seemed to be having a really great time up there. I have never seen Donnie smile before, but he was really grinning and dancing that night. Perhaps there is a reason he doesn’t dance; he really looks like a chicken walking around when he does haha (W/ Dylan’s stage setup, Donnie ended up being the one directly in front of me). The next was Love Sick, which I’d really been looking forward to seeing. It was amazing, as I’d hoped. Stu really nailed it.
The audience, however, was far less energetic. Even those on the rails didn’t seem to move, they just stood there (there were a few dancers, but maybe like 6 at the most). Some even stayed seated in their front row chairs. I danced though. The tall’n’wides next to me stood in their place w/ their arms folded across their chests. Occasionally they sat back down, arms folded. WHATS THE POINT?!?!?! They also seemed a bit put off by me actually enjoying myself and as the show wore on, they inched their way towards each other, into my (very small to begin w/) area, as though that would make me stop moving. All that did was make me accidentally brush up against them more. No one actually said a word to me though.
After Spirit, the lights went down, and T and Donnie both ran over to pow-wow w/ Dylan about something. Donnie runs back, and I see him putting on his banjo……High Water!!!!! I’d been wanting to see this ever since I knew Donnie played banjo. I listen to it while snowboarding a lot, and I believe it was the song I was listening to at the moment I broke my collarbone. In any event, I was very excited to see it, and it didn’t disappoint. Ain't Talkin' was great, my first time seeing it, and it was lit beautifully, w/ only soft, warm footlights, a very eerie feeling which perfectly complimented the song. After what felt like 20 minutes, Summer Days came up. The whole show seemed to pass in a flash! During the jam, Bob and T kept looking at each other, and T dragged his bass over to the drum risers, like he was going to leap up on it as in the past L&C shows, but at the last minute, smilled at Bob and grabbed his back, faking pain and went back to his pocket between George and Denny.
Instrument news as follows- Denny is playing a new LP, a brown, wooden looking one. It might have been a Gibson, but my view of stage right was greatly obscured all night, and I never got a good look at it. T is also playing a different standup then the one he had this summer (I think). The one he played this time was the same one that’s in my avatar over there (perhaps his personal standup?), but I could have sworn the one he played this summer was newer and had a slightly bigger body.
*****
EDIT- Its been a year now, and what I thought was a once in a lifetime thing turned out to be anything but, so I dont really feel comfortable w/ this whole thing being pasted on the net for anyone to read. Check the cliffnotes, you're not missing much
Cliffnotes- Great show. I met Denny.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
a weekend of Phil Lesh and Friends
Let me preface this whole thing by saying I am not familiar w/ almost any of the Dead's work. I just recently got into them, and their work is still kind of touch and go for me. I bought the ticket to see Larry, since I was not a fan of Dylan when he was w/ him.
This whole experience for me started on Thursday, sitting in my last class of the day when I heard that there was a rumor Phil was playing a free show in the park that night at 5pm. My class gets out at 3 and I run down to the park, thinking a million folks are going to already be there. (Its a pretty small park). To my surprise, there is no crowd; there is no one to speak of. I ask a few kids milling about. Nope, they weren't planning on going, but everyone'd been asking them about it. I called the Parks and Rec. number on the side of the stage. They told me "no, it isnt happening" (in a rather harsh tone). I start to leave, but think to myself ,"You know, its only an hour and a half until 5 and if I find out they did play, and I wasnt there.........." so I stuck around.
A small crowd began to build around 4 or so. It was really awesome, like what I'd imagine being around this area (Boulder, CO) in the 60s and 70s was like. Everyone had a different story to tell, who told them what, what "authority figure" had said yes, which had said no, who was going to what shows this weekend, etc, etc. Even what sparked the rumor was up for debate.
At 6, they still hadn't showed (they never did, but I dont think anyone REALLY expected they would), and I was getting pretty hungry, so I left, but not disappointed; it was a cool experience, one whose days I though would have been long gone by now.
Friday-
This is the show I had a ticket for. It was the place where I first saw Dylan, and I hadnt been to a show there since, so I was really looking forward to the show. I got there at around 1, again expecting a huge crowd...........
There were two people, and 3 empty chairs.
The one big issue I have w/ The Fillmore is that they do not make any attempt to actually enforce a line. When they open the doors, they just allow a massive blob to come squeezing through thier security checkpoint. As a result, I was smashed, and I mean smashed between two very tall, very fat, large men. Picture that Sprite commercial in which the two sumo wrestlers crash into each other, and put me in the middle.
Get checked, get in, and run to the front. I think out of pure instinct, I ran to directly in front of, and a little to the left of, a Casio keyboard. Alright! Rail spot right in front of........ (I stop to take in the entire stage)...."Wait, this isnt Bob. Damnit, the pedal steel is over there!"(No one in line had seen Lesh w/ Larry before, so they couldnt tell me where he'd be, so I had to guess on where to run to.) I am in no means a bad spot, and I do have a clear view of Larry so I'm not going to complain.
They started off w/ Friend of the Devil, one of my all-time favorite songs, so immediately I know this is going to be a good show. Jackie Greene, the other guitarist, does most of the lead singing. He looks about 19 or 20 (apparently he's like 27) and truly an excellent guitarist and vocalist. Third song is a powerful Wheel's On Fire w/ Larry on lead vocals. The rest of the first set was a couple of jams leading into many songs that, while very enjoyable, I didnt recognize in the least. (During the break, I learned one was Mean Mr. Mustard.)
The Fillmore is a notoriously warm venue, and by the time of the second set, people are going down right and left, which gives you a bit of breathing room. The second set is far more energetic, w/ Larry getting in some very nice lead breaks. Larry played pedal on only one song that night, which might have been Brokedown Palace, but I dont really remember. Other then that, he was on Strat the entire night, only playing a Tele for a song or 2. Again, dont really recognize any songs, but they're all pretty damn good. The end w/ an encore of Box of Rain. Even though Phil and Jackie were directly in front of me the entire night, it took until band intros for me to even notice that Phil was wearing glasses. I walk out of the place w/ a big grin on my face, and realize that I gotta get a ticket and do it again the next night, at Red Rocks.
Saturday-
I had planned to be up at RR that weekend regardless, as my film class's assignment is an avant-garde, experimental-bullshit, "cinematic essay" on a person, place or thing, me electing an essay on the experience of waiting for a show. I hadn't bought a ticket to this show because if Larry was good but the rest of the band got on my nerves, I didnt want to spend money on two nights. The show wasnt sold out (never did) so I figured if I had a good time the previous night, I'd just make a trip to the box office.
I plan to get up there at 8 or so, figuring there would already be enough of a crowd to start shooting, and I wasnt aiming for a "prime" front and center seat. I get to the top of the stairs at 8 sharp, only to find that I am number 7. Wow. It appears that all the DeadHeads have all died or left, either by choice, or at the court's decision. The line did grow steadily thought the day, but hell, the Dylan line this summer was way more "Dead-ish" then this one ever got.
The crowd is totally cool w/ being filmed, and I hike around inside the amphitheatre for 3 hours or so getting footage. W/i an hour of being there, I'm able to get a ticket for face, alleviating any stress.
I now know how the non-hardcores we drag to Dylan shows must feel listening to us talk........my G-d, is it ever intimidating haha. It was a great crowd though, saw some folks I met this summer, got my filming done, everything works out. The best thing about the Dead crowd (both here and last night) is that they are all old, and fat, and drunk, and stoned, so the mad dash up the stairs becomes a relaxing jaunt 8) I easily secure a spot in front of Larry's pedal.
The first set was again very enjoyable. I only recognized a couple songs, Larry sang lead on one (forget what it was), all in all very good. Larry was on Strat the whole first set, and already playing more solos then last night.
The second set was the apex; an acoustic set. It opened w/ Friend, Larry on fiddle. They played a really great version of some blues song (I'm sorry, but w/ the shape of the amphitheatre, and when 99 out of 99.1 people never stop smoking, I cant be expected to remember everything haha) in which Jackie totally owned. I swear, he was channeling the spirit of one of those old black blues masters. :shock: Incredible! Larry played fiddle on 2 or 3 more, mandolin on a great Ripple and one other, and guitar and lead vocals on Deep Elum Blues, which was, by far, the best song of any of the two shows I was at. Murphys law: the two behind me decide that this is the perfect opportunity to catch up. :evil:
Third set, again electric, kicks off w/ almost an RTR Hard Rain. This leads into an (at least) 2 hour jam, in which Larry owns in every sense of the word, from the beginning to the end. (He even played the cittern for awhile before going back to Strat) I dont know if they were playing any actual songs, or just cruising, but man, having been born too late to see any of the "masters", this was above and beyond the best electric playing I have EVER seen!!!! The wind was blowing hard all night, and w/ some of the poses he was striking, just really getting into his playing.......I wish I'd have had a camera; it was the most iconic blues guitarist imagery, just ineffably beautiful. People were taking pics all night and I'm hoping somebody happened to capture that, but it was the only time I've ever really wished I owned a camera.
Once the jam had concluded, they might have played one other song before I Know You Rider, which was a song I was really hoping to hear, Larry on lead vocals. Their encore tonight was a scorching Not Fade Away, a fitting end to an unbelievable night.
If you ever get a chance to see Lesh when Larry's w/ him, do! Dont ask questions, just go. Check into Jackie Greene as well, incredibly talented guy.
This whole experience for me started on Thursday, sitting in my last class of the day when I heard that there was a rumor Phil was playing a free show in the park that night at 5pm. My class gets out at 3 and I run down to the park, thinking a million folks are going to already be there. (Its a pretty small park). To my surprise, there is no crowd; there is no one to speak of. I ask a few kids milling about. Nope, they weren't planning on going, but everyone'd been asking them about it. I called the Parks and Rec. number on the side of the stage. They told me "no, it isnt happening" (in a rather harsh tone). I start to leave, but think to myself ,"You know, its only an hour and a half until 5 and if I find out they did play, and I wasnt there.........." so I stuck around.
A small crowd began to build around 4 or so. It was really awesome, like what I'd imagine being around this area (Boulder, CO) in the 60s and 70s was like. Everyone had a different story to tell, who told them what, what "authority figure" had said yes, which had said no, who was going to what shows this weekend, etc, etc. Even what sparked the rumor was up for debate.
At 6, they still hadn't showed (they never did, but I dont think anyone REALLY expected they would), and I was getting pretty hungry, so I left, but not disappointed; it was a cool experience, one whose days I though would have been long gone by now.
Friday-
This is the show I had a ticket for. It was the place where I first saw Dylan, and I hadnt been to a show there since, so I was really looking forward to the show. I got there at around 1, again expecting a huge crowd...........
There were two people, and 3 empty chairs.
The one big issue I have w/ The Fillmore is that they do not make any attempt to actually enforce a line. When they open the doors, they just allow a massive blob to come squeezing through thier security checkpoint. As a result, I was smashed, and I mean smashed between two very tall, very fat, large men. Picture that Sprite commercial in which the two sumo wrestlers crash into each other, and put me in the middle.
Get checked, get in, and run to the front. I think out of pure instinct, I ran to directly in front of, and a little to the left of, a Casio keyboard. Alright! Rail spot right in front of........ (I stop to take in the entire stage)...."Wait, this isnt Bob. Damnit, the pedal steel is over there!"(No one in line had seen Lesh w/ Larry before, so they couldnt tell me where he'd be, so I had to guess on where to run to.) I am in no means a bad spot, and I do have a clear view of Larry so I'm not going to complain.
They started off w/ Friend of the Devil, one of my all-time favorite songs, so immediately I know this is going to be a good show. Jackie Greene, the other guitarist, does most of the lead singing. He looks about 19 or 20 (apparently he's like 27) and truly an excellent guitarist and vocalist. Third song is a powerful Wheel's On Fire w/ Larry on lead vocals. The rest of the first set was a couple of jams leading into many songs that, while very enjoyable, I didnt recognize in the least. (During the break, I learned one was Mean Mr. Mustard.)
The Fillmore is a notoriously warm venue, and by the time of the second set, people are going down right and left, which gives you a bit of breathing room. The second set is far more energetic, w/ Larry getting in some very nice lead breaks. Larry played pedal on only one song that night, which might have been Brokedown Palace, but I dont really remember. Other then that, he was on Strat the entire night, only playing a Tele for a song or 2. Again, dont really recognize any songs, but they're all pretty damn good. The end w/ an encore of Box of Rain. Even though Phil and Jackie were directly in front of me the entire night, it took until band intros for me to even notice that Phil was wearing glasses. I walk out of the place w/ a big grin on my face, and realize that I gotta get a ticket and do it again the next night, at Red Rocks.
Saturday-
I had planned to be up at RR that weekend regardless, as my film class's assignment is an avant-garde, experimental-bullshit, "cinematic essay" on a person, place or thing, me electing an essay on the experience of waiting for a show. I hadn't bought a ticket to this show because if Larry was good but the rest of the band got on my nerves, I didnt want to spend money on two nights. The show wasnt sold out (never did) so I figured if I had a good time the previous night, I'd just make a trip to the box office.
I plan to get up there at 8 or so, figuring there would already be enough of a crowd to start shooting, and I wasnt aiming for a "prime" front and center seat. I get to the top of the stairs at 8 sharp, only to find that I am number 7. Wow. It appears that all the DeadHeads have all died or left, either by choice, or at the court's decision. The line did grow steadily thought the day, but hell, the Dylan line this summer was way more "Dead-ish" then this one ever got.
The crowd is totally cool w/ being filmed, and I hike around inside the amphitheatre for 3 hours or so getting footage. W/i an hour of being there, I'm able to get a ticket for face, alleviating any stress.
I now know how the non-hardcores we drag to Dylan shows must feel listening to us talk........my G-d, is it ever intimidating haha. It was a great crowd though, saw some folks I met this summer, got my filming done, everything works out. The best thing about the Dead crowd (both here and last night) is that they are all old, and fat, and drunk, and stoned, so the mad dash up the stairs becomes a relaxing jaunt 8) I easily secure a spot in front of Larry's pedal.
The first set was again very enjoyable. I only recognized a couple songs, Larry sang lead on one (forget what it was), all in all very good. Larry was on Strat the whole first set, and already playing more solos then last night.
The second set was the apex; an acoustic set. It opened w/ Friend, Larry on fiddle. They played a really great version of some blues song (I'm sorry, but w/ the shape of the amphitheatre, and when 99 out of 99.1 people never stop smoking, I cant be expected to remember everything haha) in which Jackie totally owned. I swear, he was channeling the spirit of one of those old black blues masters. :shock: Incredible! Larry played fiddle on 2 or 3 more, mandolin on a great Ripple and one other, and guitar and lead vocals on Deep Elum Blues, which was, by far, the best song of any of the two shows I was at. Murphys law: the two behind me decide that this is the perfect opportunity to catch up. :evil:
Third set, again electric, kicks off w/ almost an RTR Hard Rain. This leads into an (at least) 2 hour jam, in which Larry owns in every sense of the word, from the beginning to the end. (He even played the cittern for awhile before going back to Strat) I dont know if they were playing any actual songs, or just cruising, but man, having been born too late to see any of the "masters", this was above and beyond the best electric playing I have EVER seen!!!! The wind was blowing hard all night, and w/ some of the poses he was striking, just really getting into his playing.......I wish I'd have had a camera; it was the most iconic blues guitarist imagery, just ineffably beautiful. People were taking pics all night and I'm hoping somebody happened to capture that, but it was the only time I've ever really wished I owned a camera.
Once the jam had concluded, they might have played one other song before I Know You Rider, which was a song I was really hoping to hear, Larry on lead vocals. Their encore tonight was a scorching Not Fade Away, a fitting end to an unbelievable night.
If you ever get a chance to see Lesh when Larry's w/ him, do! Dont ask questions, just go. Check into Jackie Greene as well, incredibly talented guy.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
T-ride (Telluride, 7/19)
First posted here-
http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18891&p=227501&hilit=telluride#p227501
I left right after the show to get to T-ride at 9am the next morning, when I was scheduled to set up. I had volunteered to help a couple of months previous, having been told that once my shift ended, I would be allowed to stay in the park, therefore bypassing the line.
Since Wednesday, I had gotten less then 10 hours of sleep and eaten only an Egg McMuffen (have those things ever gotten small and expencive) and a tube of Ritz crackers, but man, I moved fences (Jesus Christ, those things are heavy!), schlepped the rails out from under the stage in a iron-rich red muddy quagmire, errected huge floodlights, you name it, if it was heavy and NOT enjoyable, I did it; for 5 hours. I felt it was worth it to bypass the line, but I also wanted to maybe run into Tony and ask him about Cry Awhile (or rather, Ballad, since they had played Cry Awhile 2 days ago).
I got done w/ my shift, got a spot in line for the relatives of a friend, got something to drink, and went back to go wander the park and maybe catch a soundcheck or something. I walk through the gate.
Security stops me. "Park's closed"
"Oh, ok, hang on." I dig out the pass they gave me.
The security man thrusts out his hand. "I need that now"
"What?!"
"We have to take your laminate now"
"Wha-wha-wha-wait-well-what-why?" My mind froze.
"The park's closed" He grabs my pass and speeds away in his golf cart.
I have never been so livid in all my life. I wanted to hit this man more then I have ever wanted to hit someone. I went down to the next gate, shaking, and asked the guard there if they were taking passes. They were. I was a bit relieved that this wasnt a random act, but I wanted to know what. This guy, a much nicer guy, told me that the shifts were over, so they were kicking everyone out of the park.
I went back to the spot w/ the friend's relatives still shaking. I was better then the back of the line, but it wasnt the front where I shoud have been (either from working or just driving strait through from Red Rocks). The folks at the front were the awesome folks I'd been hanging out w/ on the steps of Red Rocks for the past two days, and they agreed to try and hold a spot on the rails if I could get up there fast enough. When they finally let us in, I ran as fast I as I could, but days of no sleep, no food and 5 hours of manual labor slowed me down. I still managed to get a saved rail spot, directly in front of Bob's keys.
We sat on the ground, talking of the previous shows and my royal screwing at the hands of Telluride. A woman to my right said to me "Tony pointed right at you last night" confirming that it want just my imagination, or him straighting his cuff or something.
Just then, George comes out on stage in his street clothes followed by a drum tech. They tap the snare a few times, twist some dials, and are off. I sit for a second, thinking of how strange it was to see one of the band on stage w/o costume, when here comes Tony, who fiddles w/ his amp for a minute. The crowd seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the band was leaking onstage (it was FAR from a hardcore crowd), so I didnt know if I should stand up and yell at him or not. I didnt, though looking back, I probably should have.
Tony leaves, and about 2 minutes later, Denny wanders on and just sort of stares blankly out into the crowd. They have no idea who is standing there looking at him. He stays on for a minute or so (perhaps looking at the mountains?) then returns a few blown kisses from the women next to me and disappears.
I was prepared for MMJ this time, and brought earplugs, making them a far less irritating and more enjoyable band. However, a group of drunk kids managed to push their way through to the second row (like I said, not a hardcore crowd), directly behind me and a Red Rocks friend. The girl behind me was completely wasted, to the point where her beer was pouring down my leg. She kept screaming in a loud, high pitched voice about how her mother was “Bob Dylan’s number one fan” which somehow entitled her to be on the rails, after showing up 5 minutes before gates opened. The man next to her asked her very politely to respect those who paid to hear Dylan and stop screaming, which immediately put her in bad-drunk mode. Her equally drunk boyfriend challenged the man to a fight, of which only the girl seemed to be participating in, verbally.
I was very happy to finally hear Cats In The Well, but the stage was so high, and they had set the rails up so close, that I couldn’t see him below the waist, missing his dancing. That was the least of my worries, however, as Drunk Asshole began to lean on my RR friend and I. We continued to dance, and the more we danced, the more she pushed. We asked her to kindly step back, which didn’t seem to sit well w/ her. I was able to ignore her as best as I could and concentrate on the music (which was quite good, if a bit more subdued then Red Rocks) until she started reaching her hand up trying to grab the rail and pull herself up between us. We kept grabbing her arm and throwing it back, which had to have been visible to the security guy 2 feet in front of us. He was just some stupid 17 year old redneck, so he did absolutely nothing. Finally, she realized that tactic wasn’t going to work, so she began beating on my shoulders. She was drunk and weak, so it was nothing more then annoying, until she started slapping the back of my head.
That was it. I started yelling and trying to wave down Young Redneck to remove her. He looked right at me and didn’t move. Since we were right in front of Dylan, I didn’t want to yell “Security” any louder then I already was, because I didn’t want this to bring down his energy down. Finally, the whole section was able to wave down the Redneck, who informed me that he could “do nothing, just push her back”. As if I was mad before.
The adrenaline from fighting her off did help me enjoy the rockin song like H61 and Honest that much more though. During one of those, I was really into myself and the music, just dancing around, and I look up and Dylan is looking straight down at me, laughing.
Drunk Asshole then sticks her hand in my pocket and starts pulling at the fabric, I don’t know whether her goal was to rob me or hit me in the crotch, either way it wasn’t working, so she starts reaching for the rail again. We one again take her arm and shove it back, this time violently enough to attract the attention of a competent security guard who threatens to kick her out if he sees it again. We don’t feel her again, but not two minutes later, the security guard who yelled at her leaps the fence and tears off into the crowd.
Lightning had been illuminating the stage the entire night, but about 30 seconds after Dylan sings “I think the rain has stopped” in Nettie Moore, it begins to rain. The rain gets stronger and stronger, and being so high in elevation, it gets colder and colder (you could see his breath after every line), so they opt for the short encore w/ no band intos.
My friend from Red Rocks knew one of Dylan’s roadies, so we yelled at him to bring us a setlist. He put his finger to his lips, but waited until the stage was less crowded and tossed Denny’s pick down to him. There was a fair bit of wear on it, but I wonder how often they change picks. I wonder is Denny will be pissed about the lack of his best pick in New Mexico tonight haha
I really cant wait to hear the boot of this one, because I’m sure I will be able to enjoy it a lot more without a shoe full of beer and a drunk in my pocket. I am highly disappointed w/ the way T-ride handled the show, from start to finish, and if this was anything like 01’s show, they are lucky Dylan came back at all. There was a rumor that Paul McCartney was in town (maybe that’s who Denny was looking for, but he wasn’t scanning the crowd) but I didn’t see anything to suggest he was. All in all, it was a great show.
Since Wednesday, I had gotten less then 10 hours of sleep and eaten only an Egg McMuffen (have those things ever gotten small and expencive) and a tube of Ritz crackers, but man, I moved fences (Jesus Christ, those things are heavy!), schlepped the rails out from under the stage in a iron-rich red muddy quagmire, errected huge floodlights, you name it, if it was heavy and NOT enjoyable, I did it; for 5 hours. I felt it was worth it to bypass the line, but I also wanted to maybe run into Tony and ask him about Cry Awhile (or rather, Ballad, since they had played Cry Awhile 2 days ago).
I got done w/ my shift, got a spot in line for the relatives of a friend, got something to drink, and went back to go wander the park and maybe catch a soundcheck or something. I walk through the gate.
Security stops me. "Park's closed"
"Oh, ok, hang on." I dig out the pass they gave me.
The security man thrusts out his hand. "I need that now"
"What?!"
"We have to take your laminate now"
"Wha-wha-wha-wait-well-what-why?" My mind froze.
"The park's closed" He grabs my pass and speeds away in his golf cart.
I have never been so livid in all my life. I wanted to hit this man more then I have ever wanted to hit someone. I went down to the next gate, shaking, and asked the guard there if they were taking passes. They were. I was a bit relieved that this wasnt a random act, but I wanted to know what. This guy, a much nicer guy, told me that the shifts were over, so they were kicking everyone out of the park.
I went back to the spot w/ the friend's relatives still shaking. I was better then the back of the line, but it wasnt the front where I shoud have been (either from working or just driving strait through from Red Rocks). The folks at the front were the awesome folks I'd been hanging out w/ on the steps of Red Rocks for the past two days, and they agreed to try and hold a spot on the rails if I could get up there fast enough. When they finally let us in, I ran as fast I as I could, but days of no sleep, no food and 5 hours of manual labor slowed me down. I still managed to get a saved rail spot, directly in front of Bob's keys.
We sat on the ground, talking of the previous shows and my royal screwing at the hands of Telluride. A woman to my right said to me "Tony pointed right at you last night" confirming that it want just my imagination, or him straighting his cuff or something.
Just then, George comes out on stage in his street clothes followed by a drum tech. They tap the snare a few times, twist some dials, and are off. I sit for a second, thinking of how strange it was to see one of the band on stage w/o costume, when here comes Tony, who fiddles w/ his amp for a minute. The crowd seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the band was leaking onstage (it was FAR from a hardcore crowd), so I didnt know if I should stand up and yell at him or not. I didnt, though looking back, I probably should have.
Tony leaves, and about 2 minutes later, Denny wanders on and just sort of stares blankly out into the crowd. They have no idea who is standing there looking at him. He stays on for a minute or so (perhaps looking at the mountains?) then returns a few blown kisses from the women next to me and disappears.
I was prepared for MMJ this time, and brought earplugs, making them a far less irritating and more enjoyable band. However, a group of drunk kids managed to push their way through to the second row (like I said, not a hardcore crowd), directly behind me and a Red Rocks friend. The girl behind me was completely wasted, to the point where her beer was pouring down my leg. She kept screaming in a loud, high pitched voice about how her mother was “Bob Dylan’s number one fan” which somehow entitled her to be on the rails, after showing up 5 minutes before gates opened. The man next to her asked her very politely to respect those who paid to hear Dylan and stop screaming, which immediately put her in bad-drunk mode. Her equally drunk boyfriend challenged the man to a fight, of which only the girl seemed to be participating in, verbally.
I was very happy to finally hear Cats In The Well, but the stage was so high, and they had set the rails up so close, that I couldn’t see him below the waist, missing his dancing. That was the least of my worries, however, as Drunk Asshole began to lean on my RR friend and I. We continued to dance, and the more we danced, the more she pushed. We asked her to kindly step back, which didn’t seem to sit well w/ her. I was able to ignore her as best as I could and concentrate on the music (which was quite good, if a bit more subdued then Red Rocks) until she started reaching her hand up trying to grab the rail and pull herself up between us. We kept grabbing her arm and throwing it back, which had to have been visible to the security guy 2 feet in front of us. He was just some stupid 17 year old redneck, so he did absolutely nothing. Finally, she realized that tactic wasn’t going to work, so she began beating on my shoulders. She was drunk and weak, so it was nothing more then annoying, until she started slapping the back of my head.
That was it. I started yelling and trying to wave down Young Redneck to remove her. He looked right at me and didn’t move. Since we were right in front of Dylan, I didn’t want to yell “Security” any louder then I already was, because I didn’t want this to bring down his energy down. Finally, the whole section was able to wave down the Redneck, who informed me that he could “do nothing, just push her back”. As if I was mad before.
The adrenaline from fighting her off did help me enjoy the rockin song like H61 and Honest that much more though. During one of those, I was really into myself and the music, just dancing around, and I look up and Dylan is looking straight down at me, laughing.
Drunk Asshole then sticks her hand in my pocket and starts pulling at the fabric, I don’t know whether her goal was to rob me or hit me in the crotch, either way it wasn’t working, so she starts reaching for the rail again. We one again take her arm and shove it back, this time violently enough to attract the attention of a competent security guard who threatens to kick her out if he sees it again. We don’t feel her again, but not two minutes later, the security guard who yelled at her leaps the fence and tears off into the crowd.
Lightning had been illuminating the stage the entire night, but about 30 seconds after Dylan sings “I think the rain has stopped” in Nettie Moore, it begins to rain. The rain gets stronger and stronger, and being so high in elevation, it gets colder and colder (you could see his breath after every line), so they opt for the short encore w/ no band intos.
My friend from Red Rocks knew one of Dylan’s roadies, so we yelled at him to bring us a setlist. He put his finger to his lips, but waited until the stage was less crowded and tossed Denny’s pick down to him. There was a fair bit of wear on it, but I wonder how often they change picks. I wonder is Denny will be pissed about the lack of his best pick in New Mexico tonight haha
I really cant wait to hear the boot of this one, because I’m sure I will be able to enjoy it a lot more without a shoe full of beer and a drunk in my pocket. I am highly disappointed w/ the way T-ride handled the show, from start to finish, and if this was anything like 01’s show, they are lucky Dylan came back at all. There was a rumor that Paul McCartney was in town (maybe that’s who Denny was looking for, but he wasn’t scanning the crowd) but I didn’t see anything to suggest he was. All in all, it was a great show.
Red Rocks 2 (7/18)
First appeared here-
http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18890
Got up to the place at 5.15 or so on Friday, and this time was the 4th in line. Watched the sun rise (and subsequently move across the sky...not a cloud to be found for day 2) A little after 6, a few more folks came w/ a copy of the Denver paper's review. We were all glad to see the reviewer was enough of a fan to get the titles of the songs correctly. It was scorching hot in line this day, but seemed like a shorter wait.
The dumbass broad in charge of ticket scanning was a fuckin moron(dont get me started on that), and let the upper trough go far too early, so we were a little left of dead center, but still first row (seat 54 the first night, seat 63 the second, I'm not complaining!). They actually ended up being better then dead center.
This time Dylan played 4 on guitar. A most predictable setlist, but the band was so tight, it was incredible! Denny was on fire the whole night, far more animated then I've ever seen him. Dylan sort of boogied out from behind the keys and made like he was going to pick up the guitar on Summer Days, but decided against it at the last second and cruised back behind his keys. The energy was insane for that song, with Dylan so into it that he started just shouting rather then singing (trust me, it was a good thing) towards the end. I dont know how I managed to move around like I did, the folks behind me spilled thier drinks and I couldnt have been more stuck to the floor.
They closed the main set w/ a kick ass Ballad of a Thin Man. I was so into the show that I forgot this was another song I was close to on bass and forgot to watch T, but who cares, the song was insane.
During band intros, Tony pointed at me and smiled, which made my night that much better. I used to think people were insane when they talked about making eye contact w/ Dylan, but now I see what its all about.
This was the best Dylan show I have ever seen. Last nights setlist was insane, but the band was just so tight tonight that it was enough to put this show ahead.
The dumbass broad in charge of ticket scanning was a fuckin moron(dont get me started on that), and let the upper trough go far too early, so we were a little left of dead center, but still first row (seat 54 the first night, seat 63 the second, I'm not complaining!). They actually ended up being better then dead center.
This time Dylan played 4 on guitar. A most predictable setlist, but the band was so tight, it was incredible! Denny was on fire the whole night, far more animated then I've ever seen him. Dylan sort of boogied out from behind the keys and made like he was going to pick up the guitar on Summer Days, but decided against it at the last second and cruised back behind his keys. The energy was insane for that song, with Dylan so into it that he started just shouting rather then singing (trust me, it was a good thing) towards the end. I dont know how I managed to move around like I did, the folks behind me spilled thier drinks and I couldnt have been more stuck to the floor.
They closed the main set w/ a kick ass Ballad of a Thin Man. I was so into the show that I forgot this was another song I was close to on bass and forgot to watch T, but who cares, the song was insane.
During band intros, Tony pointed at me and smiled, which made my night that much better. I used to think people were insane when they talked about making eye contact w/ Dylan, but now I see what its all about.
This was the best Dylan show I have ever seen. Last nights setlist was insane, but the band was just so tight tonight that it was enough to put this show ahead.
Red Rocks 1 (7/17)
First appeared here-
http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18889
Got to Red Rocks at 6 the first day, only to find 10 or 11 folks already there. Cloudy all day (though I somehow managed to get a wicked sunburn) and a really easy wait. They soundchecked Love Sick, what sounded like the bass part to the album version of Cold Irons Bound, When The Deal Goes Down, and Rainy Day Women (which they appropriately opened with). When it came to the mad dash up the stairs and into the place, the guys in line ahead of me got the seats dead center, first row, and saved me one as well! MMJ are all very talented musicians, but need to put thier talent to work in a far less irritating fashion. They played for over an hour, allowing the wind and the rain to finally reach the venue. Dylan was delayed a bit because of the rain but finally came on. The wind started to kick up, threatening to remove T's hat a few times, so he ducked by his amp for the first 3 songs. His bass had been developing some problems, coming to a head on Every Grain Of Sand. So they threw him on standup and played Cry Awhile. I had talked to Denny a couple times though email, and last weekend, I asked him if he could ask Tony how he played Cry Awhile on the album, mentioning in the same email that I looked forward to seeing them in Colorado. He said he'd ask Tony, but I got this feeling that they were going to play it at at least one CO show. I almost went on here to proclaim it, but I didnt want someone from the Dylan Camp to read it and think that was why I asked. Amazing version, but T was not playing it how he did on the album. However, he didnt move the bass at all during that song, kept it facing forward and fretted very clearly, so I guess I'll just have to settle for learning the new bass part. (Thanks a million!) Friend Of the Devil came out of nowhere and took the crowds energy to a new plain (RR was always a huge Dead venue). T got really into it as well, even mouthing the words w/ Dylan. The energy stayed up there for H61 (the most rockin version I've ever heard) and the next three songs, so much so that during the instrumental verse of Most Likely, Dylan let his arms just fall at his sides and sort of swayed a little, clearly exausted. Masters of War was extremely intense. Best setlist of all of 07, and an amazing show to boot. The storm moved past us, but the flashed of lightning lit up the band for the rest of the night. Absolutely beautiful. They were going to have a hard time beating this one the next day. (On a side note, they FINALLY changed the picture on the posters! Did the KC show have new posters as well?) |
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