I Do Stuff…

tour poster for The National

So all year I have heard the rumor that Widespread Panic was not going to tour after this year, but instead take a much needed hiatus after touring almost continuously for 25 years.  This has motivated me to get out and see the band before they do take an indefinite break.  Over the last couple of years I have gotten more into the band and my first show was great.  I have attempt to make it out to their shows at the Warner Theatre early this year but the best laid plans of man get changed sometimes.

Their fall 2011 tour is probably the last opportunity for me to see them, so I was excited they scheduled three consecutive nights at The National in Richmond.  Because of my school schedule I could only make the Monday show, seeing as it was the only night I didn’t have class.  Well my schedule changed and I ended up having class on Monday’s.  I already purchased my ticket, couldn’t sell it (show not sold out) and buying a ticket for Tuesday would have set me back another $54, so I decided to skip class and go.

Richmond is relatively close to work, traffic is always the unknown in traveling there so I got an early start and headed south about 4:30.  Traffic this early was heavy but fortunately accidents did no hindered my travels.  I made a quick stop in Fredericksburg to pickup my wedding band and from there on traffic was moving at speed.  I left early to catch dinner someplace in the capital, say Havana 59 just down the street from the venue, but ended up with fast food from Ashland because of time.

The entrance was smashed at 7:30 when I walked up for the “official” start time of the show.  Hundreds of last minute fans packed the cattle coral, waiting to be searched by security.  Taking everything out of my pockets, I made it pretty quickly through security and into the venue.  It has been almost three years to the day since my last visit so I familiarized myself again with the venue.

The venue is a classic theatre style, from the early 20th century.  Ornate wall coverings, drapes and carved wood every where you look.  The balcony has a good number of seats with a few box seats on each side.  Right in the forey there is a bar with a sky light to the second floor.  There is another bar on the second floor with a lounge.  I didn’t get a chance to explore the lounge, but it looked like a good place to relax and enjoy a drink if you don’t want to get down and dirty on the floor.  Finally there are two smaller bars on the ground floor, off to each side of the main hall.  This allows for the maximum amount of people on the floor while still giving easy access to drinks, something everyone greatly appreciated.

I should have immediately gone to the balcony when I arrived and tried to secure a seat there, but decided to stake my territory on the floor.  I was excited to see the band so close and took the opportunity to get down and dirty.  Panic fans love to dance so I knew the situation could get a little hairy as the night progressed.  I spent the next 20 minutes or so before the show chatting with people around me, but mostly just marveling at the crowd of people on a Monday night.  I love Phish, but the two crowds are completely different.

copyright Craig (Giarc80HC)

At 8pm the band steps on stage and the crowd goes wild, the cheering is defining.  I don’t know many songs from Panic but I was able to pick out Dyin’ Man, Space Wrangler and part of the encore, Pilgrims.  Pilgrims led into She Caught the Katy which I know from Phish, but I couldn’t make out the words and didn’t realize what it was till I saw the set list on paper.  All night the band would start a song and the crowd would cheer and clap.  I didn’t get the songs so this was over my head, just a funny observation of the crowd.  The entire nights performance was filled with energy, from the band and reciprocated by the audience.  Jimmy Herring would whale on his guitar during soles and on some songs so would Dave.  Down on the floor the speakers would kick and my whole body would vibrate.  During the set break I took the opportunity to get some air and do some more people watching from the second floor whole.

When the second set started I was down on the floor again but decided to head back to the sound board area for a little more space.  Here most of the tapers setup.  With a somewhat obstructed view there were less people which was fine by me.  Unlike the first set, the second flowed from song to song for most of the night with no interruption in music.  After a killer second set the house lights came up and it was time to go home.  Making it outside I was greeted by the cool fresh air that night and a group of people mingling about.  Many were strung out or drunk, other light up a cigarette.  Of to my right I could hear a drum circle banging away to some random rhythm.  I needed to find a bank for cash to get my car out of hook, come to find out the parking booth at VCU was unmanned that late so I could have saved almost an hour on my commute and $3 service fee.  I finally rolled into bed at 1:15 and promptly went to sleep.  With a slight ringing in my ears, soar legs and a smile on my face, I dreamed of the show.

I am not sure what the future holds for Panic.  They have announced dates up to and including New Years and Jam Cruise, after that I expect a year or two off before they hit the road.  Maybe they will work on a new album during the hiatus and I certainly expect some of the band members to do solo projects.  When String Cheese and Phish took their extended hiatus, members of both bands kept busy.  I wish the band the best of luck on the rest of the tour and hope to see them again soon.

Set 1
Wondering >
C. Brown
Radio Child
Dyin’ Man
True To My Nature
Space Wrangler
Crazy
Airplane >
Second Skin >
Goin’ Out West

Set 2
Last Dance >
Stop-Go >
Cream Puff War >
Stop-Go >
Ride Me High >
jam >
I’m Not Alone
You Got Yours
Give

encore:
Pilgrims >
She Caught the Katy

Old Rag parking area

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Labor Day weekend has traditionally been a time to see Jimmy Buffett at Nissan Pavilion and party our asses off for a solid day.  This year he was having the concert a week early freeing up the weekend for other activities.  Because of hurricane Irene the show got rescheduled and with the change in policy on tailgating Nancy and I decided to get a refund on our tickets.

For the last week the weather has been moderate with low humidity, if it could hold out to the weekend it would be perfect hiking weather.  Nancy’s wedding dress came in and had an appointment for a dress fitting, so I was free for the day.  I decided to get up early on Saturday, pack some gear,  and hike Old Rag for the first time this year.  Before leaving the house I made a check of the weather and the temps were going to be in the low 80′s with a 30% chance of rain in the mountain.  The last few times I have gone hiking in the Shenandoah it rains, come close to raining, or has at least been over cast.  Usually summers around here are dry and clear with only a slight possibility of thunderstorms in the late afternoon.  I just couldn’t catch a break.

Using the GPS in my car it was only going to take 1:30 hours and the suggested route took me through the back country of Virginia.  Since I got my new Mazda I have wanted to take it out and stretch its legs on some twisty back roads.  I took Rt. 3 to Culpeper and then, via two lane roads, to the parking lot for Old Rag located just outside the park boundaries.

All morning the cloud cover was thick but the temperatures were cool.  As I approached the mountain the higher elevations were covered in a thick fog.  I was not sure if the fog would burn off by the time I reached the summit, but that wouldn’t matter.  When I got to the parking lot it was smashed with day hikers taking the opportunity over the holiday weekend to get out and do a little hiking.  Despite the dreary weather, large groups made the journey to conquer the mountain.  Upon seeing this, I decided to change my route and hike a different path to avoid all the people.  I love hiking, one reason is the solitude and communing with nature.  I certainly was not going to find that solitude on Old Rag.

I hiked up Weakley Hollow Fire Road and when I came to the first fork in the road, headed up Corbin Hollow Trail.  This trail I have not done before and figured 95% of the people I saw in the parking lot would be hiking up Old Rag so I could avoid them.  You immediately cross over Brokenback Run which in this section of trail is a large creek that can easily flood during a rain storm, I kept that in mind as I continuously monitored the weather.  The temperatures never got hot but it certainly was humid as hell and I quickly sweated through my cloths.  Heading up the mountain the trail narrows from the wide fire road I was on and becomes this narrow, overgrown, and steep trail.  To add an extra challenge there are rocks strewn all over which were slick as ice.  I kept running into spider webs strung across the path so I new I was the only person out on the trail which suited me just fine.

The further up the mountain I went the poorer the weather got, threatening rain but never actually falling.  It was not until I heard the first clap of thunder that I decided to turn back, long before reaching the end of the trail.  I have been caught in the rain before while hiking and it is never fun if you can avoid the rain.  I also reminded myself that I needed to hike down the mountain and back to my car so now was a good time to return.  I didn’t reach my goal of the Old Rag Fire Road and loop back to my car.  I was able to complete approximately 6 miles (my GPS said 6.75 but it is pretty inaccurate) but it was good getting out with nature.  I certainly felt alive as my thighs were burning and my heart wanted to burst out of my chest from circulating large volumes of blood.  I don’t exercise nearly as much as I should so the strenuous hike felt good in combination with the fresh sweet air on the mountain.

On hiking down the mountain I finally ran across other hikers headed up the mountain, the first couple I meet even commented “I bet you didn’t expect to see anyone” and he was certainly right about that.  Back on the Weakley Hollow Fire Road a bunch of people where headed down the mountain after their respective hikes.  Surprisingly I ran into a bunch of people headed up the mountain.  I know that on my drive back home it rained heavy for a good half hour so I can surmise that it must have rained in the park before reaching me on the road through Culpeper.

With summer coming to a close, the weather will slowly get cooler with zero humidity and I will try to get out to the park more often.  Unfortunately with the cooler weather comes the changing of the leaves and more people get out to the Shenandoah to enjoy the fall foliage.  This will make finding solitude hard, but that doesn’t mean I wont find it.

Just experienced my first earthquake, approximately 1:51pm.  What an experience.  I am at work and the walls start shacking, not unusual as military helicopters will fly over and shake the windows, but this didn’t stop.  Eventually the glass windows start shaking real bad like they will break so me and everyone in the building runs outside.  Standing there I could feel the ground move beneath my feet.

I know it sounds weird but I always wanted to be in an earthquake, it boggled my mind how the ground could shake so much.  Well now I know.  Everyone here at work is fine and nothing is broken.  Spoke to Nancy and she is good and her building is still standing.  It will be interesting to inspect my house later this evening for any damage, hopefully none.

UPDATE:
According to news reports it was a 5.8 magnitude quake centered in Mineral, VA.

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For Christmas I got Nancy tickets to a comedy show at the DC Improv, but the show got canceled.  Not to be disappointed she finds out 311 is playing locally and wants to see them instead.  She has wanted to see them for a while, last year we missed the show at Jiffy Lube because we were in San Francisco for the weekend.  In hind sight the trip to California was worth missing 311.  This turned out to be the perfect gift for Nancy.  Later we found out Saundra is a big fan and her birthday was on the same day as the show, so we invited her up for the weekend and bought her ticket as a gift.

We got an early start to the venue as Sublime with Rome was opening and Nancy wanted to see them.  We already know that tailgating was not an option after hearing Jiffy Lube killed the idea for Buffett.  Even with plenty of time before the show, getting past security was a trip.  We read online we could bring water, snakes, blankets, and chairs into the venue.  Halfway to the gate we found out no blankets or chairs allowed in, there went our comfortable seat on the lawn.  When we finally made it to the entrance there were 6-7 lines, each stretching 200 feet.  Security was methodical in patting everyone down and searching all bags making getting in extremely slow going.  Give me a break.

By the time we got through security with a beer in hand Sublime with Rome was already on stage.  We found ourselves a spot on the lawn and enjoyed the rest of their set.  Little did we know it would be hotter than last Friday’s Sweeney Todd show if that was even possible.  7:30 and it was well over 90 degrees and humidity around 60%.  The beer was cold so it made it a little bearable.  The weather would have been more bearable if Sublime with Rome was better.  I remember listening to Sublime in the ’90′s before Bradley Nowell over dosed on heroin and they rocked.  The new incarnation of the band lacks the spark that made the original lineup so great.  The playing seemed force with no creativity.  I also felt their take on the songs just sucked, much to slow and melodic.  I was hoping for more energy which the band just didn’t delivery.

Fortunately after Sublime with Rome left the stage security personnel were handing out tickets.  Upon further investigation they were giving out pavilion seats to people on the lawn.  The 300 section, especially the far wings, where undersold for the show.  To make the pavilion look full they upgraded people from the lawn.  After a quick discussion we decided to pack up our gear and head in for a closer perspective and actual seats sense we couldn’t bring out own in.  The only down side was the tin roof trapped the heat and humidity, raising the temperature by several degrees under the pavilion.  Even after the sun went down and well into the 311 set it was hot.

By show time the pavilion finally started to fill in.  The pit and the lower sections were full, however even with free upgrades the 300 sections remained rather empty.  The lawn was pretty full, but only in the center.  In all it was over half full but I am sure much fewer tickets were sold than anticipated.

Nancy and Saundra loved the show and I was impressed.  I have heard a few of their songs over the years and recognized them when played.  I am not much of a rock fan but it was still a good show.  They would change the tempo often from fast to slow and back again keeping the audience engaged.  A couple of things struck me during the show, one was the drum solo Chad had.  Everyone left the stage and he kicked the shit out of the drums.  Slowly the roadies started wheeling out covered drums that the rest of the band played with Chad, forming a giant drum circle.  Really cool.  Later P-Nut had his own solo, sitting on the stage lip whaling on his bass.  Again, I was very impressed with his performance.  I know I don’t have much detail, it was a good show and I enjoyed it.  Most of my enjoyment came from watching Nancy and Saundra who are true 311 fans.

After the show ended we headed to the car and got out of the venue rather quickly which was unusual for the place.  On the way home I got pulled over for the usual sobriety check point, stupid and un-necessary.  For Buffett they even check you on the way into the show.  This past year this venue has gone down hill and I personally don’t want to see a show there again.  All forms of tailgating are banned, security is a bitch, they hassle you all the time, and getting into and out of the venue still sucks after 16 years.  Every show I have seen at Jiffy Lube, previously Nissan Pavilion, has been great.  Over the last few years the venue has killed the experience.  Way to go Live Nation.

Start time 8:58pm
01. Hive
02. All Mixed Up
03. You Wouldn’t Believe
04. Sunset In July
05. Jackpot
06. Champagne
07. Wild Nights
08. Beautiful Disaster
09. Don’t Let Me Down*
10. Applied Science
11. Weightless
12. Do You Right
13. Freak Out
14. Amber
BASS SOLO
15. Nutsymtom
16. Come Original
17. Beyond The Gray Sky
18. Time Bomb
19. What Was I Thinking
20. Creatures (For a While)
Set ends 10:26pm

encore:
starts 10:29pm
21. Omaha Stylee
22. Down
house lights 10:38

* Last played 3/11/2008

copyright John Hagarty

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My dad turned 65 over the weekend so we helped him celebrate another year on earth by going to Foti’s in Culpeper, VA.  Pat got a room at a B&B in Remington with dinner at Foti’s to complete the celebration.  Pat coordinated with the family to get as many of us as possible to show up for dinner and it turned out wonderful.  We have done this in the past so it was not a big surprise when he saw everyone there to help him celebrate.  Matt, Tracy, Bobby, Nancy and myself all made the trip out for the evening.

We were told to meet at the only pub in town by 7pm for drinks before heading to the restaurant.  Pubs have always been a “go to” place when we get together for drinks.  Usually the beer selection is good and the atmosphere is relaxed.  This place was anything but, in fact it was a dump.  Our caravan of merry people arrived right on time to find the place not officially open, the staff was getting ready for some beach party that night.  We grabbed a drink and headed to the upstairs balcony to relax where we meet the folks.

At the appointed time we headed down the block to the restaurant for our reservations.  Walking into the place it was well appointed with just enough light to see things but dim enough for perfect ambiance.  The restaurant was full but not crowded which was nice.  Looking over the menu it was not extensive but the selection looked amazing.  Chef, Frank Maragos, worked at the Inn at Little Washington before opening Foti’s and put together an good menu of diverse dishes.  He obviously has talent if he worked at the Inn and put this menu together.

a good turn out for dinner

We sampled several of the appetizers and they all where amazing.  I got the special appetizer for the night, shaved lamb on toasted bread and what looked like bruschetta topping.  This was a cold dish with the meat tender and the flavor pairings worked nicely.  Nancy wanted to try the escargot, I know they are snails but I have never eaten them before.  On Nancy’s recommendation I tried it and was impressed, they were tender and flavorful.  The last appetizer for the table was vanilla roasted Maine lobster and it was huge.  It must have been a 1/2 pound of tail and call with a hint of vanilla flavor, tender and not rubbery.  So far things are off to a good start, I have quelled my hunger paints a little yet still wanting more.

For the main course I got the black pepper corn encrusted salmon and it was amazing like everything else.  It came with roasted local vegetables and couscous as the sides.  Everyone’s food was amazing and for about 15 minutes there was silence at the table as we all ate our meals and drank our wine.  Nancy got the chicken, Matt the rib eye, Pat and Bobby the beef tenderloin, my dad the duck (he’s a sucker for duck), Tracy scallops.  Everyone raved about their choice and some even licked their plates clean it was so good.

After such a great meal it would be a shame to not have some dessert so we ordered that to finish the night off.  I got the hazel nut ice cream with cookies and because it was my dad’s birthday they gave him a special “Happy Birthday” dessert which he at least sampled.  We even got a visit from the chef which was really cool.

Happy Birthday Dad

By now we could do little more than just sit there and enjoy the last few sips of wine and marvel at the exceptional dinner we just completed.  I can’t stress enough how good the food was that night.  It was certainly not cheap but for a nice evening out it is a real winner.  Being Culpeper we closed the restaurant down just after 10pm but the night was not complete yet.  We headed back to the pub which was in full swing as a night club, complete with trashy woman and pumping music.  We instead went to the only other open place that night the Smoking House just down the street.  It is a real country bar with country music, I saw a guy with spurs on his boots and several pin ball machines.  Here we had a few drinks before closing this bar down as well around midnight.  I was not to thrilled with this after party and was looking forward to get back home.

We said our goodbyes and piled into Bobby’s 4Runner for the hour drive back to there house.  It was past 1:30 when we arrived but the party was still going.  We sat on the deck to enjoy another round of drinks and I was enjoying the mostly full moon on a clear night.  By the time 3am rolled around it was finally time for bed.  All we can hope for it to wake up the next morning and enjoy another day.  My dad has been saying these words for years now and I am inspired by this simple outlook on life.  He doesn’t require much, just wants to get up each morning.