Guest Book

Hey now! Some great photos, Marley. Thanks for sharin'. One thing, though, in the the photo of you and the gang in front of the big house in Macon, I do believe that is Bluefox Carol to your left, not Betty. So yesterday morning, I was trying to decide whether or not to make the drive to Nashville to see the Derek Trucks Band. I knew that CeeCee would be there, which was pretty much all the motivation I needed. But just to be sure, I put on Derek's set from the July 4th Nashville show while I was getting ready for work, and that did it. Was there ever really any doubt? :love: So I "hit the streets as soon as I could" after work. About halfway there, I got a call from CeeCee, who had already arrived at the venue with Shannon, her travelling companion from Montgomery. The two of them had been to Macon on Saturday and driven straight to Nashville that afternoon. Road warriors, they are! Even as we were talking, I could hear Kofi in the background saying, "Hey, girl, what's up?" Still a couple of hours from showtime, but a good time was already being had by all. I got another call a short while later and got to hear a little bit of the soundcheck. Fun! I arrived about half an hour before showtime and found CeeCee and Shannon up in the balcony, directly in front of the stage. Arriving early had paid off for the two of them, as they had secured us the PERFECT spot! 3rd & Lindsley is a fairly cramped little joint, but our corner of the balcony was primo. Just enough room to cut some proverbial rug, although I couldn't do any of this... :bounce: ...or I surely would have banged my head on the ceiling or else knocked over Nick Graham's taping rig, which was right next to us. Can't wait to hear this one! Nick said he got a real good copy of the show. Yessss!! The band opened with "Pedro" and then slid directly into a rollicking version of "Joyful Noise." LOVE that song! Around that time, we noticed that Johnny Neel was making his entrance to the side of the stage. What a treat to see him groovin' on the Derek Trucks Band! He was rocking back and fourth, and even letting out the occasional yell. At one point I glanced over at CeeCee, who had her head back and her arm raised in front of her, like she was at an old-time gospel revival. I looked down at Johnny, and he was doing exactly the same thing. Tell it, Brother!! Me and CeeCee's combined effort of a setlist got a little sketchy (and a little waterlogged, I might add) after that, although I think I got all of the songs on there, just maybe not in the correct order in a couple of spots. Everyone looked and sounded great. Yonrico seemed to be having a grand time on his birthday, but then Yonrico always seems to be having a grand time! Mike warmed to his role as co-frontman a lot more in the club setting, I couldn't help but think he looked a little nervous when I saw Derek's band opening for the Allmans a couple of weeks ago. Todd sounded a lot more prominent in the mix, which was great, as his subtle stylings often get lost in the shed shows. And Kofi never fails to amaze me, especially on the B-3. He really has become a vital part of the group. A real highlight was hearing "Evil Clown." Kofi was doing his Fender Rhodes thing, and Derek was bending some serious strings, doing all sorts of spacey, distorted stuff on the guitar. The sort of ominous, atmospheric sound of that song almost made me think I was listening to Joe Zawinul and John McLaughlin for a few minutes there. Just amazing! Jazz fusion at its best. Another highlight was getting some rap in with Yonrico, Todd and Derek after the show. A funny moment came when I told Derek that I would be seeing him again the following weekend in Indianapolis and then a couple of weeks after that in Newport, Kentucky. He cocked his head sideways and said, "We're playing Newport?" :boomerang: Of course, I should have done my best Lana impression: "Derek, all of the tour dates can be found in the calendar on the Hittin' The Web homepage. Take care, and know that you are loved..." :boomerang: :boomerang: Overall, just a tremendous evening, well worth the trip. Can't wait to do it all over again with Josh and Leon (and hopefully Savannah and others--Tattoo Neil, how 'bout it, buddy?) next weekend in Indy. Big thanks to the divine CeeCee, who makes any show that much better with her mere presence. Thanks to Nick for taping. And of course, thanks to Derek and the boys for another superb performance. If these guys are coming ANYWHERE near you, I urge you to get out there and see 'em. They are the real deal. EAPFP .