I Do Stuff…

Last night I saw Medeski, Martin and Wood at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA and I must say I am impressed.  The venue completely blew me away, the music not so much.

MMW

Every Thursday the garden has a series they call Groovin’ in the Garden right on the grounds of the garden.  They have this great little pavilion along side a lake where the stage is setup.  The seating for the venue is all along a gradually sloping hill that leads up towards the conservatory and the other buildings on the ground.  They allow you to bring chairs in so the hill is perfect for setting up a chair and enjoying the garden.  If you want to dance you can get in close to the stage and dance around on a small stone patio.

Just getting to the venue was a bit of a challenge.  Doors open at 5:30 and the show started at 6, with MMW going on at 7.  This is rather early for concerts that I usually attend.  Add to that driving south on 95 at the height of rush hour IN THE RAIN and it was a mess getting there.  Luckily leaving work at 5 I was able to get there just before 7.  Enough time to catch one song from the Wood Brothers and see them walk off the stage.

With 30 minutes to kill before MMW took the stage I took a walk around the gardens for a quick tour.  I was thoroughly impressed with the grounds.  Two of the areas I got to see were the Japanese and, don’t laugh, the kids area.  The Japanese section of course had all sorts of plants from Japan, but also tried to mimic the atmosphere of a garden located in Japan.  There were several creaks with small bridges crossing over them and bamboo everywhere I looked.  This area also has the Tea Garden, a small cafe open for lunch that I would like to check out one time.  I sat at one of the benches and marveled in the visual and audible sounds around me.  Even though it was raining there were a ton of birds signing and the sounds of cascading water added a feeling of peace to the place.  Very zen like.

copyright Paul H. Barkely

Further back on the grounds I found kids section designed with hands on activities in mind.  Everything was closed but there were still a lot of plants to look at.  They also have a small water park and a large covered deck that over looks the lake.  By the time I finished walking around this area it was time to head back to catch the show.  The band was scheduled for a 7:30 start and I figured they would keep to that exactly.

When I got back I picked a spot dead center to the stage just in front of the sound board.  I was kicking myself for not bringing a chair, but then I didn’t know you could bring them in till after I arrived.  Right on cue the band walks on stage to start their performance.  The show as a whole was so-so.  They played a few older songs which definitely got the crowd moving, I certainly was.  They also included several songs from their new album, Radiolarians 2, including Amber Girls, Dollar Pants, Flat Tires.  These being the ones I could pick out.  Again the crowded was jumping when they played.

The show had this ebb and flow feel about it.  There would be points of great excitement and energy interspersed with moments of peace and tranquility.  Maybe it was the rain that was present for the entire concert that caused the melon collie feel, or maybe it was the venue.  The venue does have the peacefulness about it that makes you forget about your troubles and just want to relax.

copyright Scott Crittenden, looking across the lake towards the "venue"

Needless to say I was not amazed by this show like I have in the past when seeing MMW, Bonnaroo 2003 or Rams Head Live May 15th 2005 are two that come to my mind first.  The weather and venue played a key part in the concert and it was great, certainly had a great vibe about it. Everyone in attendance didn’t care about the rain and simply enjoyed the concert.   I even got out at a reasonable hour and got home about 10:45, again very unusual when I see a show.  Only issue was the rain that got progressively heavier the closer I got home.

With this review done it is time to head to Baltimore for another MMW performance, this time at the Rams Head Live.  This should be a rockin’ show and I am really excited about this one.

Setlist 7:25pm start

encore 8:56pm:
Crosstown Traffic (Jimi Hendrix cover)
9:01 they walk off stage

Lewis Ginter conservatory

Not to long ago I saw that Trey Anastasio was putting together a fall tour.  He got back together with the original TAB members and put together a small tour, the tour closer was scheduled for The National in Richmond, VA.  After missing out on Trey’s first tour in the Fall of ‘99, I definitely wanted to see this show.  It would be the four piece band, in a small local club, and tour closer, I just couldn’t pass up on tickets.

Trey Anastasio

I headed south to Richmond from my house in the early afternoon.  I wanted to get down long before the show and just chill and relax for a while.  Take a walk around the city and get some food at a great Cuban restaurant, Havana 59.  Since the following day I was headed to False Cape State Park for a few days of camping, I got a hotel room at the Crowne Plaza in downtown, right on the water.

The weather driving down was rainy and just plan miserable the whole way.  Even with the heavy traffic and rain I made it to downtown Richmond in good time.  I checked into the hotel land took a stroll around the downtown area.  What always amazes me is how few people there are downtown Richmond.  It was late Saturday afternoon and the place was a ghost town.  Everyone works in the city but lives in the burbs.

After a depressing walked I headed over to Havana 59 for some good food, a few drinks, and a cigar.  I have eaten here several times and the place is great.  The food is a little expensive, but drinks are reasonable and I just love the atmosphere.  Things are so laid back in this place, this is why I keep coming back.  Well the food too.  I had the pork chop with pineapple salsa, peanut mashed potatoes and grilled portobello mushrooms.

The National

After one last drink and a short smoke it was time to walk over to the venue, The National.  When I got there I was a little worried.  There was no crowd outside or line waiting to get Will Call tickets.  I knew the show time was 8pm, but rarely does any band start on time, especially Trey/Phish.  So when the time was 8:45 I thought I had time before the show started, so I quickly got my ticket and walked into the venue.  There were of course police and security but I was like a ghost in the night to them.  When I got inside I could hear Trey and the boys already ripping it up on stage.

In my 14 years of seeing concerts I think I have arrived late three times, this being the third time.  I was disappointed but could only blame myself for my tardiness.  The place was packed and I was late, so the only open spots were in the back.  Trey was ripping a sweet version of Sand, so at least I had not missed much.

I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to see Trey in such a small venue.  He played a lot of great songs from his career as a solo artists.  I was a little disappointed that more Phish songs were not played, with the upcoming reunion and all, I was hoping for more.  I got shut out of tickets so this was my best chance to hear some Phish.  I guess in some ways it makes sense not to play any.  But I did hear some new songs from Trey and his new album.  I must say they are…..different.  They don’t suck or anything.  These new songs are much more thought out, the lyrics and music.  More….mature.

I wish that every band I see could be how I remember them.  But as artists I can’t ask them to do that, and I would not like it if they did.  Artists are continuously changing and reinventing themselves.  Sometimes it’s a good change, sometimes it’s not.  <cough>Soulive adding various vocal members of the band.<cough>

By the second set I was able to move much closer to the band.  Between sets there is always a mass exodus of people.  Mostly they want to go smoke, so they piled out front into a small quarantined section.  The other half gets in line for beer.  I was able to do all this early.  By the start of the second set got some fresh air outside and had a beer in hand, 20′ from the stage.

The second set was very different from the first.  More new songs with a much slower tempo than the first set.  Trey also played several acoustic songs solo.  This is reminiscent of the first Trey tour where he would play the first set acoustic and the second set electric with the full band.

It was a great show that night and a wonderful tour closers.  I found some simple stats of the tour and it would appear this show was a little better than average.  Actually it looks like the entire tour was the same.  Pretty much the same set list every night, nothing to special any night, etc…  As for any word on Phish there was only one mention of the upcoming reunion.  Trey mentioned that Hampton was a short drive away and that we should all start camping out now.  You could feel the energy in the room build when Trey talked “Phish”.

What a perfect way to spend a Saturday, some sight seeing, good food, and a kick ass concert to end the evening.

Set 1
Push On ’til the Day
Sand
Ooh Child
Tube Top Flop >
Cayman Review
Drifting
Backwards Down the Number Line
Money Love and Change

Set 2
Sweet Dreams Melinda
Mr. Completely
Gotta Jibboo
Sitting in Limbo
Alaska
Shine
Water in the Sky*
Strange Design*
Sample in a Jar*

Encore
Burlap Sack and Pumps
First Tube

Note:
*Trey solo acoustic