REVIEW: String Cheese Incident - March 24th - The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

Review: I couldn’t make the Friday night show, so had to wait two days to get back to the Fillmore for another fix. It was a little bittersweet as I walked in knowing it would be the last time Boulder’s barefoot boys would rock the hall.

The evening kicked off with a less than stellar set of old fashioned single mic bluegrass from Chris Thile and How to Grow a Band. While each member of the ensemble is an amazing musician in his own right the sound just didn’t seem fitting of the evening. To be fair, this crowd was on edge and ready to explode and I don’t think that anything short of an extra set from the headliners would have satisfied them.

When the lights went down at 8:15 the excitement in the venue was electric and Jack Mento, longtime friend, spirit guide, and book keeper for the band came out onto the stage to offer an extended introduction that incorporated many of the bands album and song titles. It was a tribute to the crowd and the band and to all the incidents that the two have shared over the years. It was a fitting beginning to the last Fillmore Incident.

I have got to say that I am almost surprised that Billy waited until halfway through the third night of the Carnival to break “Smile” out as the closer of an eclectic first set. A letter home from the road, the message contained within the song served as a reminder to the exuberant crowd of why Billy is leaving and how hard it is to be in a band spending as much time on the road as these boys have over the past 15 years.

Maybe they had a good cry back stage or maybe they put the party hats on, but when they came back for set two they were ready to say goodbye to the Fillmore by blowing the roof off the place and I swear they almost did it. Welcoming Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny, Gabe Witch and Byan Sutton up to the stage the boys went back to their roots and picked out “Doin’ My Time” and “Wheel Hoss” with a fervor that I hadn’t seen all evening. Energy was simply coursing through the band.

Then came the moment that brought me back to Red Rocks in July of 2002 when Travis waved a sequin gloved hand in the air before dropping into the instantly recognizable beat of “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” midway through the second set. Keith let us all know that they were going to continue the tradition of “letting ‘Trav’ do something strange.” As soon as the red energy hats were passed out on stage I knew we were going to be treated to a bluegrass version of the Devo classic “Whip It!” Travis did not disappoint and even offered live whip cracks to the song. As they wound “Whip It!” down they effortlessly segued into “Orange Blossom Special” before reprising “Whip It!” to the delight of the crowd.

The crowd was another story entirely, while the band was doing their part to blow the roof off the place, the crowd was doing theirs as well as I have ever seen them. Every single person in the room knew they were witnessing something special and the band and the crowd were feeding off each other in a ferocious and organic way. Every flurry of notes or bass bomb was welcomed with deafening appreciation which was quickly rewarded, and so on and so on. For most of the set the air above us was filled with either glowsticks or balloons, it was like New Year’s Eve as at least a hundred brightly colored balloons bounced around the room for the last 40 minutes of the set.

To be honest I am not sure if it was the music or the crowd, but the feeling I left the Fillmore with on Saturday night gave me “the fever” again. I had it bad several years ago and I am glad that the boys brought it back. If they are gonna go, they might as well go out with a bang. If these shows at the Fillmore were any indication, they clearly intend to.

Setlist:
Set 1: Restless Wind, Cedar Laurels > Rhum 'N Zouc, Midnight Moonlight, Eye Know Why, Love Is Like A Train, Valley Of The Jig > Smile

Set 2: Doin' My Time*, Wheel Hoss*, Whip It!* > Orange Blossom Special* > Whip It!*, It Is What It Is, Galactic > Shine

Encore: Piece Of Mine, Sittin' On Top Of The World > Texas

* - with Chris Thile on mandolin, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Gabe Witcher on violin, Bryan Sutton on guitar


Energy: A+
Sound: A
Muscianship: A-
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: A

Overall: A

REVIEW: String Cheese Incident - March 22nd - The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

Review: So here I am, a couple of days removed from what was probably my last Winter Carnival at the Fillmore here in Denver and I’ve got say it’s a bit sad. Say what you want about this band but they always delivered their trademark bouncy sound in a manner that made nearly every face in the venue break into a huge grin.

Whether your passion be Bluegrass, Funk or Electronica, Cheese has something to offer each one of us and they are to be commended for that. Sure, the last couple of years haven’t offered the consistently stellar performances that were the norm between 2000 and 2003, but we have to remember that this is a group of people just like you and I that are changing and evolving everyday. I myself have never been in a band but I can only imagine what it takes to hold it together and persevere as a unit for nearly 15 years.

When Nershi announced last fall that he was moving on after the Summer of 2007, a noticeable ripple passed through the SCI community. I got phone calls from friends around the country and began checking in with the SCI website more and more frequently to ensure I didn’t miss the announcement of the dates for Winter Carnival. When they finally posted I was thrilled that I would be in town and I would get to be there when they said goodbye to the hallowed hall that is the Fillmore Auditorium.

When the Thursday show finally arrived I walked up to the Fillmore from my house and was greeted by a familiar scene at the corner of Colfax and Clarkson, hundreds of fans milling about muttering sweet nothings and holding fingers in the air. While it wasn’t immediately clear that these shows were the end of era, it was great to see the community pull together in support of their boys.

In traditional Winter Carnival fashion SCI had invited several special guests to join them in their celebration and the guests of honor on Thursday were The Polyphonic Spree. While their trademark gowns have recently given way to a more severe army costume, their psychedelic gospel sound has remained intact. It was a shame that so many fans chose the Colfax shakedown over the revival that was going on inside the Fillmore, but I suppose it’s understandable, after all the incident doesn’t really begin till Cheese takes the stage. That being said, by the time the Spree’s 18 members took their bows and said goodbye I was eagerly awaiting the ritual collaboration with SCI later in the night. As it turned out I wasn’t to be disappointed.

As we waited for the boys to appear the excitement in the venue increased dramatically. By 8pm the floor of the Fillmore was packed and people were still streaming in. At ten after 8 the lights went down and the crowd went through the roof, what a welcome home!

Any doubts of a great evening were immediately smashed when the bluegrass stomp of “Johnny Cash” filled the venue. A rare opener from the old days, it’s songs like Johnny Cash that so many of us fell in love with. It is a great old timey song that has been given the SCI treatment. It was quite a treat it was and it certainly signaled a hell of an evening to come!

The highlight of this show for me came at the beginning of the second set when Tim DeLaughter and the horn section and chorus from the Polyphonic Spree army joined SCI on the stage and added their psychedelic gospel sound to mix. There were some puzzled faces in the crowd when the band broke into the smooth 70’s sound of Blue Image’s “Ride Captain Ride,” but all faces showed recognition when the chorus rolled around. While the song may not have been chosen for it’s lyrics they sure were appropriate for the vibe that the String Cheese Incident manages to conjure up everywhere they go.

“Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship, be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip. Ride captain ride upon your mystery ship, on your way to a world that others might have missed.”

Nershi’s vocals were a little rough at the beginning but everyone was warmed up by the time DeLaughter and his disciples took the reigns for the chorus. His voice fit in perfectly and the acapella breakdown that wrapped up the tune featured the crowd singing so loudly they almost drowned out the band. It was one of the moments where everything seems to fall into place and I wondered why these two bands waited so long to share the stage.

Setlist:
Set 1: Johnny Cash, Round The Wheel, Black And White, Farther, Black Market > Mouna Bowa, Close Your Eyes

Set 2: Ride Captain Ride*, Best Feeling > Can't Stop Now, 45th of November, Solution, Joyful Sound, Way Back Home

Encore: Outside and Inside > Jessica

* - w/ Members of Polyphonic Spree

Energy: A
Sound: A
Muscianship: A-
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: A

Overall: A

PICK OF THE WEEK: Cracker - Thursday & Friday, March 29th & 30th - The Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO

Why You Should Go: David Lowery and Cracker have been rocking everything from mainstream radio to college burnouts for more than 15 years. Their brand of fuzzed out Alt-Country has paved the way for countless other bands to take their stab at fame.

According to Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt), Cracker claims that they are the only band ever to open for both The Ramones and The Grateful Dead. Take that for whatever it is worth, but it definately gives creedance to the ecclectic nature of their music.

The Soiled Dove should be a great venue to catch these veteran rockers doing their thing. After playing rooms like The Gothic and The Bluebird for years, Lowery and company have decided to play smaller venues in town in recent years. A year and a half ago they jammed themselves onto the tiny stage of The Lions Lair and this time it is the more roomy and much less seedy Soiled Dove.

Make your plans soon, the tickets are going fast!

Venue: The Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 E. 1st Ave, Denver, CO 80230 - (303) 366-0007

Doors:
7:00 PM

*Approximate Set Times:
Railbenders: 8:00 PM
Cracker: 9:00 PM

*Price:
$25 - General Admission (Online Sales Sold Out for Thursday)
$37.50 - Reserved (Online Sales Sold Out)
PURCHASE

*All times and prices are gathered from other sources and I am not responsible for mistakes or inconsistencies. They are intended only as guidelines. Please, always call the venue if you desire the most accurate information possible.

PICK OF THE WEEK: TV On The Radio - Tuedsay, March 20 - The Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO

Why You Should Go: TV On The Radio's recent album Return to Cookie Mountain has vaulted them into the upper echelons of today's Indie Rockers. Their layered sound, at times industrial and at times soothingly soulful, takes a little bit of getting used to but will slowly work its way into your regular rotation.

They have been criss crossing the country since the album came out and their live show has drawn rave reviews. They have played the Fox and even Red Rocks as the openers for Nine Inch Nails last summer. This time around they stop into the The Ogden and while it may not be the best room in town for a show, it will be an intimate setting in which to catch this band from Brooklyn before they graduate to venues like The Fillmore.

Venue: The Ogden Theatre, 935 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80218 - (303) 830-2525

Doors:
7:00 PM

*Approximate Set Times:
Subtle: 8:00 PM
TV On The Radio: 9:00 PM


*Price:
$20 - General Admission
PURCHASE

*All times and prices are gathered from other sources and I am not responsible for mistakes or inconsistencies. They are intended only as guidelines. Please, always call the venue if you desire the most accurate information possible.

I'm Back

After a couple weeks off for vacation and a business trip I am back to posting. The vacation was to Hawaii and it was fantastic. I have been a little out of the live music loop for a little while but this week will jumpstart things. I was looking forward to Viva Voce at the Hi-Dive tonight but apparently that show has been cancelled. Very dissapointing. Tomorrow night TV On The Radio will rock the Ogden and then String Cheese will stage the final Winter Carnival at the Fillmore on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There's a lot going on and I am thrilled to be back reporting on it all.

PS - If you haven't checked out Endless Highway: The Music of the Band do so immediately. The standout contributions include My Morning Jacket doing "It Makes No Difference," Jack Johnson doing "I Shall Be Released," Widespread Panic doing "Chest Fever," and Steve Reynolds doing one of my favorite Band songs: "Stagefright." It is a truly a great tribute album that is worth picking up.