On Tour

After kicking off what some are calling the Fare Thee Well Tour with two nights at Red Rocks, it was clear walking up the ramps that there was a sustained energy ready to boil over on Saturday night. After three consecutive late summers on the rocks, Furthur brought out all of the tricks on this run, and finally decided to not only give us the best of, like they had in previous years, but also lots of songs they’d never dusted off in Colorado.

In the midst of his Many Rivers Crossed Tour, Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Cliff made his way into recently devastated Boulder, Colorado for a show filled with his politically and culturally distinct classics, and a history lesson not only about his life but the music through which he‘s seen the world.

1. Gregg Allman looks like the kind of people he sings about. This isn’t meant in a disparaging way. The man just has a lot of miles on his face – character lines, you could call them. And you feel that each line and crag in that face could tell a hundred stories. I’m not sure if Mick Jagger lives a single line in any of his songs anymore. But you get the feeling Gregg Allman still does. “I don’t own the clothes I’m wearing, and the road goes on forever.”2.

Type I: “I highly recommend getting this show. It blows night one out of the water. Man, now I can't wait for tomorrow after that display.” - Red

Type II: “Not bad 3 day run. expected way more from the boys knowing the 2012 shows were epic. Highlights: Sand, Piper, Chalkdust, legalize it, divided sky, moma dance. other than that tho average shows.” – dude

Friday, August 16th, 2013, at White River State Park in Indianapolis was perhaps my favorite night of the STUMS9 tour so far.  Maybe I love it so much it’s because it is in my hometown, but White River State Park is a great place to see a show. It was a beautiful summer night, not too hot, like it was last year, and there were wispy clouds in the sky.  The stage is set in downtown Indianapolis off of the canal that runs through the city.

Bruce Hornsby is an American treasure who continues to be more than obliging when it comes to giving the people what they want.  From 1980’s pop star to worrying some folks at a nearby outdoor venue in 2013 regarding this show drawing “too many Hippies”, his career achievements stretch far and wide.  The collaborations over 30 years are truly impressive, varied and extensive with prime examples being Don Henley,

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers’ self-titled sophomore album doesn’t drop until next week, but if the crowd at her sold out album release show on Tuesday night is any indication, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers is already a smash. The San Francisco-based band took the stage at the Lodge at the Regency to hearty cheers that began when guitarist Tim Bluhm (husband to Nicki and co-founder of The Mother Hips) stepped out to fine-tune his guitar.

The need to represent some sort of social responsibility is a fundamental ethic for Newgrass quintet Infamous Stringdusters. Instead of throwing an occasional benefit concert with proceeds going to a certain charity, they decided to call their Summer 2013 Tour the American Rivers Tour.

Yonder Mountain String Band is celebrating its 15th year as a bluegrass quartet and, as I awaited its tour closer at Red Rocks, I started reflecting on another 15-year anniversary: my own. The Music and I have been married for 15 years now.

It was Sunday night, and the proud nerds were lined up to get into the Boulder Theater to see Weird Al Yankovic on his White & Nerdy Tour. It was an all-ages show, and I was surprised to see so many children in the audience.

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