I had the great pleasure of visiting the new Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Sunday for The Black Crowes and Phil Lesh and Friends concert. I was so excited to be back at the "circus" which I hadn't really seen since 1992 when The Grateful Dead rolled through Chapel Hill and my parents had no clue who they were so they let me go. What an experience; though part of me felt sorry for the dirty hippies and more sorry for their children and their dogs. We saw all sorts of amazing spectacles while we were pre-gaming in the parking lot. A hippy with wings, bowls made out of slate, a VW bus park next to a brand new Infiniti and of course my favorite, the grilled cheeses, burritos, and veggie burgers. Greg was more interested in finding balloons, but that is a discussion for a different day.
Phil played with his friends. One included the talented Jackie Greene who I had never heard of before and I now feel like a better person (musically) because I do. Watching him was worth the price of admission.
I have not seen The Black Crowes perform before this show and I didn’t know what to expect. I was thoroughly impressed! It was southern rock meets jam band. It was soul meets country. Watching Chris Robinson do his little chicken strut and step back out of the spot light to just take in the music made it even more of spectacular. I think I even saw a smile between the two brothers! How could you not be moved when the band clearly was?
The show was over and I was smiling ear to ear (and not because of magic brownies, as I was the DD). Much to my surprise I heard the unthinkable as I passed through the gates and spilled into the parking. Someone in the crowd was mumbling that they were disappointed in the show. Excuse me? According to this person, the show was too "jammy" and they didn't get to hear all of the songs they wanted to hear. I am sorry if you are at a concert and you are expecting to hear the greatest hits, then you might as well sit in the parking lot and pop in their CD or become a fan of Mariah Carey.
Isn't the reason you go to a live show to see what the band can do in front of an audience, to hear the creative license they bring to their own music and if you are lucky to a few songs they borrowed from their colleagues? Isn't it to watch how they perform together, and to experience how they explore their talents? In my opinion I would say if there wasn’t some “jam” as this patron mentioned, then it wasn’t a heartfelt performance. It was more like another day at the office.
I remember going to a Steely Dan show a couple of years ago. I spent over $100 a ticket to see icons of rock perform and have a chance to show me why they are who they are today. Instead, i swear i hit "play" on the tape player and was sitting on the lawn with my jam box. I was stunned and completely disappointed. If i am paying good money to watch you play live, you better show me more than what i can purchase at the local best buy.
So thank you Phil Lesh and Friends and The Black Crowes. I thoroughly enjoy your performance.
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