Great show tonight.
Caught Doyle Bramhall's last two songs and his sound was a nice mix of Cream and Hendrix. In fact, he played a nice version Hendrix's Angel. No pyrotechnic leads but very nice sound.
Sharon Jones' band The Dap Kings opened Jones' set without her and played a great soul-horn instrumental. Then they played two songs with just Sharon's back up singers Star and Son (?) and they were equally as perfect. They were so good that out of all the bands I heard tonight I will probably be buying at least these two tracks from Star and Son (?)'s album. They, insanely, were not selling it at the merch tent.
Sharon Jones then came out and had some real Aretha-style burners and put on a real show. By show I mean she and the band talked it up a bit and Jones sang/wrapped through a number of different dances (The Turkey, The Twist, The Funky Chicken etc.) It worked and it was awesome. There were one or two tunes that were a little too "50's" for me but she still nailed them.
TTB just crushed it. Such a great band. I didn't think Derek was in the zone tonight and it shows how good TTB is that it was still a barn-burner show. Derek had peak-gear down pat tonight but on slower solos and even building some of the fast ones, it seemed a little forced and uncertain at times. Once again though, it was avery good show nonetheless. Almost ever seat in the pavilion was filled and no one on the lawn. There ought to be more next year because at one point there was such a surge of cheers and whistles in between songs that Susan and the band all looked at each other and laughed in disbelief. They had the Verizon Amp that fired up.
The encore of Sing A Simple Song/Take You Higher was Especially good because they augmented the band with the brass section and others from the Dap Kings, Sharon Jones and Doyle Bramhall so the sound was a lot "fuller" then when they usually do this medley. The encore was just bursting with energy. I hope they put out a recording of one of these Sly Medley's with both bands. It was so good.
Apologies for the rambling, but it was a great show on a perfect summer night in Atlanta and I had to share. Don't miss the opening acts if you see this show. Well worth seeing.
Set lists as best I can remember:
Made Up Mind
Do I Look Worried
Midnight In Harlem
I've Got A Feelin'
Get What You Deserve
Break In The Road
Jam>
Flute/Derek Jam
I Pity The Fool
Let's Go Get Stoned (With Tommy Dalton?)
Idle Wind>
Drums>
The Storm
E:
Sing A Simple Song>Take You Higher (with everyone)
[Edited on 7/18/2015 by axeman]
[Edited on 7/18/2015 by axeman]
Thanks Axeman. Good review! Glad you had a good time!
Is the Verizon Amphitheatre the old Lakewood?
No it's than new venue in Alpharetta.
Never been there. Hear it's nice. Glad you had a good time. Nothing like a good old fashioned music review!
Thanks BB.
I definitely recommend seeing a show there if you can. No public transportation and parking can be inconvenient (stay away from Lot N) but otherwise a very nice place. It is a small pavilion/lawn amphitheater and is also distinguished from similar venues by the fact that they have pine trees planted inside the amphitheater around and on the lawn area so it feels as if you are in the woods.
Thanks for the review Axeman. I did not go, but it was Cowboy's Tommy Talton who sat in.
They did not sell lawn tix for this show like some others. In those shows, they won't allow lawn access and protect it like the 18th green at Augusta! It is otherwise a great venue as you say.
Still feeling it from last night. They really need to release a professional recording of this:
Sony also needs to wake-the-f^&* up and let them sell downloads of these shows. I'd own a boatload of them by now.
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater is one of my favorite venues, have been several times the last couple of years. Matter of fact was there Wednesday night to see Rod Stewart and it was packed. I told my wife that TTB was going to be there Friday and she was like "they will have this many people here?" ( we had seen them in Macon earlier this year). Didn't realize they weren't selling lawn seats.
Great venue, clean, friendly staff, good acoustics. (parking and exit can be a challenge but we usually spend the night nearby and catch a shuttle back and forth).
Sony also needs to wake-the-f^&* up and let them sell downloads of these shows. I'd own a boatload of them by now.
So that's the deal? The corporate folks at Sony don't know how to inspire and excite the fan base. TTB needs to dump that record label. I'd own a boatload of shows too and would have them in regular rotation.
Sony also needs to wake-the-f^&* up and let them sell downloads of these shows. I'd own a boatload of them by now.
So that's the deal? The corporate folks at Sony don't know how to inspire and excite the fan base. TTB needs to dump that record label. I'd own a boatload of shows too and would have them in regular rotation.
The strategy of selling only the studio album in an age of of audience recordings, free streaming music services, youtube and effortless music sharing technology seems ridiculously antiquated to my non-expert eyes. Seems to me they ought to recognize the importance of having a studio record and label support as part of a larger whole by working out a way of sharing the royalties for all album material that is sold via live downloads? Would that be fair? My guess is the studio recordings process, finished album plus the marketing and other support a major label provides is worth the artist compensating the label and important but it also seems to me the Grateful Dead definitively proved that the more you grow your audience, even by non-traditional means, the more records you will sell. This was before all the different ways people can now get the album for free anyway. Sony is still following a model that started showing cracks in the 80s (The GD approach) and then took a massive hit with the advent of Napster from which it still has not recovered. Seems to me the best way for these labels to adapt and grow is to Partner with bands rather then limit their services and potential for growth to selling, what?, three albums/products. The more product you sell, the more money you make and the more people hear your product and in turn spread the word.
Sony is using a vinyl marketing approach in a digital world. Crazy and completely antiquated.
By the way, I just downloaded the Saul & Starr album and it is freaking awesome. You can get it here:
http://shop.daptonerecords.com/collections/digital/products/look-closer
[Edited on 7/18/2015 by axeman]
Great show. I didn't feel that Derek's solos seemed contrived or forced. Cracked me up a couple times how out he took it. I wish Doyle hat sat in more.
As for downloads, Derek has been vocal in the past about controlling what is released. He was saying this within the context of having a new band to present at the time, so take it for what it is.
Blooby
I was there too, my first adventure into Alpharetta territory & it went better than expected. good to see mike m doing "get what you deserve" from the old days. I noticed there was a female vocalist & female trombone player, not sure about these staff changes from when I saw them in macon a few months back. where I was sitting towards the back the crowd engaged in casual conversation and the concert seemed an afterthought, I guess that's how things are these days. ttb is certainly evolving as every time I see them things seem different, good but different somehow. good to see some folks from the old days, that's always nice. patrick
by the way susan and Sharon did "the letter" which is missing from the setlist above--I thought that looked short.
I was there too, my first adventure into Alpharetta territory & it went better than expected. good to see mike m doing "get what you deserve" from the old days. I noticed there was a female vocalist & female trombone player, not sure about these staff changes from when I saw them in macon a few months back. where I was sitting towards the back the crowd engaged in casual conversation and the concert seemed an afterthought, I guess that's how things are these days. ttb is certainly evolving as every time I see them things seem different, good but different somehow. good to see some folks from the old days, that's always nice. patrick
Alecia Chakour from the Warren Haynes Band is the female vocalist, she is touring with them for the summer.
