5/13/2005
The Brothers opened up with a spirited Revival. Ain’t Wastin Time No More was very lovely with solos from both Warren and Derek. Gregg delivered an outstanding piano solo on Statesboro Blues. Warren was a lion on Worried with The Blues. Midnight Rider and The End of the Line may have been a bit familiar but The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down was anything but. Gregg and Warren harmonized seamlessly, their two voices blending together like brothers. Gregg lost the lyrics for a few bars after he sang the line “like my brother above me”. He reclaimed the beat and turned the song into a sermon. Stand Back was another highlight with Warren and Derek weaving their guitars. The Brothers stretched out on Rockin Horse. Warren took turns jamming face to face with Derek and Oteil. Gregg gave a soul stirring reading of Dreams. Derek danced all over a fresh Mountain Jam creating colors with his slide guitar. The band thumped and found yet another groove on One Way Out which ended with Gregg jamming on the last verse repeating the “there’s a man down there” verse several times in his authentic blues fashion. Oteil gave the band a strong heartbeat. He spent most of the evening swimming in the deep end with his four string. Frequently he laid the foundation with a circular strumming technique similar to Allen Woody. Butch was strong, tight and on time. Jaimoe was full of constant fills. Marc was all over the place. A couple of times the techs came on stage to apply repairs. The drums were melodic thunder. It felt like my head was in the center of a revolving figure of eight. When Oteil played solo on his 4 string I felt my spine vibrate when he hinted at the Other One. The lion roared once again for the encore Southbound. There was only the one encore but smiles from everyone. There were no tapers to be seen and when I inquired at the board if an instant live was going to be available I could not get an answer. One can only hope that there was a stealth taper in attendance. It was a lovely spring evening with the real deal in the air.
An open plea to Gregg, please reconsider allowing us to trade audio via the web, and thanks for a wonderful evening last night. Cheers!