"The Music Never Stopped"
String Cheese Incident: Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA, May 5, 2000
In spite of a flub on the PA system early in the show, this is one of my favorites of the incidents I never attended. It occured a mere eight weeks before my first live incident.
Saenger Theatre, in New Orleans, is one of those acoustically near perfect venues that we all have enjoyed so much. I don't know if Saenger survived Katrina, so if anyone has any information on that, let me know. It would be a shame if it was no longer around.
At this particular show, the band stands out in working together on the jams and "journeys" at a time when the Cheese was at its tightest. The individual musicians stand out as well, with an abundance of solo work from each band member, with the exception of bassist Keith Mosley, who seems content to hold the bottom together on the journeys. As always, he does that in a very interesting manner. Mosley, by the way, is now the bass player for the band formerly known as the "WMD's," which is Keller Williams' band on his new CD and when he decides to go on tour with a quartet.
Anyone who has listened to a lot of SCI knows that the band responds to its surroundings wherever they play. That makes every concert, or "Incident," as they call it, different from any other concert they perform. The Saenger incident is almost "new age" in feel, as the spirit of New Orleans dominates the band's creative energy. This particular performance is part of a jazz festival, "Jazzfest 2000," and the band proves they are just as capable in performing at a jazz venue as they are at a bluegrass venue.
The opening set begins with a shortened version of "Land's End," not a String Cheese original, but an instrumental that has been included in their repertoire since their very beginnings. It slips easily into a jam that features and introspective acousitic guitar solo by Bill Nershi backed by the ambient electronics of Michael Kang and keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth. The jam slowly picks up in tempo until it gets to the opening strains of "Search." This is where the PA snafu occurs, as somebody forgot to turn on the master switch for Bill's microphone, and the first few lines of the song are lost in a distorted pick up from the stage moniters. But that is quickly remedied, and the error is forgotten as the band plays the song in their technically precise manner. While technical precision is a trademark of String Cheese Incident, at the same time they have a down home feel that identifies so well with any audience that there is a feeling that they are about to sit down and have a beer with you during their next break. It's difficult to describe, so you almost have to be there to understand what I mean. They have a connection to the audience that definitely presents them as the host of a party, rather than the entertainment on stage.
In recognition of the venue, they next move to the pseudo-Cajun stylings of "Cottonmouth Joe," a very danceable number that makes the listener get up and move his or her feet even while listening to it at home.
The next cut is the first surprise of the show, when Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with the exception of drummer Futureman, are invited to the stage to participate in the jazz standard "Birdland." Saxophonist Jeff Coffen takes the lead with the opening theme, which quickly dissolves into an improvisational free for all. In this segment, all the musicians on stage sound as though they have been playing together for years. Bela Fleck, for those who are unfamiliar with the name, is a world class banjo virtuoso who first made his name with the legendary Colorado band, Newgrass Revival. Fleck is known as a Master of the banjo, and the instrument in his hands is as interesting and awe inspiring as is a guitar in the hands of Trey Anastasio or Eric Johnson. The Flecktones, featuring Victor Wooten on bass, Futureman (Wooten's brother) on percussion, vocals, electronics, and stage antics, and Jeff Coffen on reeds and flute. Together, with Bela Fleck, they are one of the most talented jazz quartets on the market.
Bill's acoustic guitar takes the improvisational segment of Birdland to a bluegrass feel, and then passes seamlessly to solo work by Fleck on electric banjo, augmented by Kang on violin. That turns into a call and response segment as Kang switches to electric mandolin and counters Fleck's banjo phrases. Then it is Kang's turn to solo on the mandolin, and the band returns to the Birdland theme. It is an amazing performance, and the meld showcases the high level of talent of every musician on stage.
Next is one of my favorites--"Sweet Melinda," a folky play song that drifts into a jam which includes the bass line from the Grateful Dead classic "Turn On Your Love Light," before evolving into a keyboardist's choice jam. The "let your live shine" theme continues seamlessly from the jam to "Shine," which features the bright and joyful rhythm of lively triplet chords, predominant in many of SCI's songs.
The second set opens with "Rivertrance," a piece that was relatively new to the band's audience at the time, and in the experimental stage, where it stayed until SCI's final concert at Red Rocks Ampetheatre in 2007. "Rivertrance," after the opening Irish Folk theme, transcends to a "journey," String Cheese Incident's version of Grateful Dead's "Space" segments, then returns to the Irish theme for the finish. Anything can happen during the journey, but it almost always results in a feeling of well being in the listener. The journey recieves energy from the audience, and gives it back in the form of several inticate themes that weave in and out of each other, at the whim of each individual musician. "Journey" is an apt description for the segment, as it takes us far away from the theme for a while, then takes us gently back. The "New Age" feel of this particular journey is another example of the diverse styles of which String Cheese Incident was capable. No matter what happens during the journey, we are always guided through a satisfying excursion.
Every veteran Cheese stringer knows that, "Roll Over" always means a good jam to come. Even in the studio version, the song included a jazzy interlude. Here, the band plays the first segment of "Roll Over", slips into the jam segment, then, instead of playing the "Roll Over" reprise, the band seems to get "Lost," which is the name of the song to which the jam segues. If SCI had been a top forty type band, "Lost" would be a viable release for top forty radio. It's unabashedly rock 'n' roll, and it is another song to which the listener can not help but to dance. Fortunately, for the Cheese stringers, SCI was not a top forty band, and the song remains a part of our personal treasure trove.
After the obligatory "Group Hoot," The band drifts away with their jazz offering "Drifting." "Drifting" is one of SCI's songs that was originally intended to have a New Age/Jazz feel to it, featuring Kyle's piano and Michael Kang's electric violin, that sounds earily like Carlos Santana's guitar in this case. This is a mellow, relaxing song, but not so laid back it would be called "easy listening," It is merely a chance for us to let our adreniline settle down a little before the pace of the concert picks up again.
Pick up it does, with the bluegrass flavored "Restless Wind," a song about dealing with the loss of a loved one. This song has had special meaning to me, personally, after a good friend of mine suddenly and unexpectedly passed away last year.
The initial verses of "Restless Wind" express the narrator's feelings of loss, lonliness, and remembrence, then give way to a dramatic acoustic violin solo by Michael Kang. Although it is never repeated in the same way each time the song is played in concert, the solo always begins with the haunting feeling of loss and trying to cope with the loss. It gradually picks up as hope and faith take over, as if the spirit of the departed is telling us everything will be alright. There is a brief piano interlude, and Michael returns on electric violin with a high energy theme full of hope. The ending verse contains lyrics full of faith and conviction:
"As I turn back towards home/
I'm no longer alone/
Like I was when I left for the night/
Because you're here with me/
And now I can see/
The Soul and the Spirit never die!"
Another popular SCI jam song, "Outside and Inside" follows. "Outside and Inside" disolves into yet another journey, with some tastey percussion work by virtuoso Michael Travis, overlaid by ambient sounds from Kang and Hollingsworth, aided by Bill on one of his infrequent electric guitar stints. The journey solidifies into a Jazz/Funk motiff with Kyle on electric piano and organ. The pace continues to pick up while the band continues to demonstrate how tight they could be. The jam is definetly headed into a new direction toward the end, and sure enough, turns into the "Roll Over" reprise. Every incident brings surprises, and the reprise brings a surprising end to a set I consider to be one of the best in the history of String Cheese Incident.
The first encore is introduced with a heartfelt thank you from the band, which then plays the heavily reggae flavored Ziggy Marley tune "Bend Down Low," featuring more electric guitar from Bill, as well as electric mandolin from Michael Kang. The band seems as much at home with reggae as they are with any other genre of music, more testimony to the extreme level of talent SCI featured. The finishing touch to the incident is the ever popular "Texas," a "tragedy averted" tale of a road trip through the state named in the title. "Texas" is the finishing touch to many of the incidents I have been to and listened to, but, again, the jam that closes out the song is never played the same way twice. This particular jam is a surprising return to the general New Age/Jazz theme of this particular show, featuring Bill on acoustic guitar with ambient sounds from Kyle and Michael Kang. The jam crescendos to a grand finale featuring Michael's "Carlos Guitar" style on electric violin. That is the beauty of any String Cheese Incident incident--things are never the same, and there are always surprises in store, no matter how many shows you have heard or been to.
Streaming Audio
Download and information
.
Saenger Theatre, in New Orleans, is one of those acoustically near perfect venues that we all have enjoyed so much. I don't know if Saenger survived Katrina, so if anyone has any information on that, let me know. It would be a shame if it was no longer around.
At this particular show, the band stands out in working together on the jams and "journeys" at a time when the Cheese was at its tightest. The individual musicians stand out as well, with an abundance of solo work from each band member, with the exception of bassist Keith Mosley, who seems content to hold the bottom together on the journeys. As always, he does that in a very interesting manner. Mosley, by the way, is now the bass player for the band formerly known as the "WMD's," which is Keller Williams' band on his new CD and when he decides to go on tour with a quartet.
Anyone who has listened to a lot of SCI knows that the band responds to its surroundings wherever they play. That makes every concert, or "Incident," as they call it, different from any other concert they perform. The Saenger incident is almost "new age" in feel, as the spirit of New Orleans dominates the band's creative energy. This particular performance is part of a jazz festival, "Jazzfest 2000," and the band proves they are just as capable in performing at a jazz venue as they are at a bluegrass venue.
The opening set begins with a shortened version of "Land's End," not a String Cheese original, but an instrumental that has been included in their repertoire since their very beginnings. It slips easily into a jam that features and introspective acousitic guitar solo by Bill Nershi backed by the ambient electronics of Michael Kang and keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth. The jam slowly picks up in tempo until it gets to the opening strains of "Search." This is where the PA snafu occurs, as somebody forgot to turn on the master switch for Bill's microphone, and the first few lines of the song are lost in a distorted pick up from the stage moniters. But that is quickly remedied, and the error is forgotten as the band plays the song in their technically precise manner. While technical precision is a trademark of String Cheese Incident, at the same time they have a down home feel that identifies so well with any audience that there is a feeling that they are about to sit down and have a beer with you during their next break. It's difficult to describe, so you almost have to be there to understand what I mean. They have a connection to the audience that definitely presents them as the host of a party, rather than the entertainment on stage.
In recognition of the venue, they next move to the pseudo-Cajun stylings of "Cottonmouth Joe," a very danceable number that makes the listener get up and move his or her feet even while listening to it at home.
The next cut is the first surprise of the show, when Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with the exception of drummer Futureman, are invited to the stage to participate in the jazz standard "Birdland." Saxophonist Jeff Coffen takes the lead with the opening theme, which quickly dissolves into an improvisational free for all. In this segment, all the musicians on stage sound as though they have been playing together for years. Bela Fleck, for those who are unfamiliar with the name, is a world class banjo virtuoso who first made his name with the legendary Colorado band, Newgrass Revival. Fleck is known as a Master of the banjo, and the instrument in his hands is as interesting and awe inspiring as is a guitar in the hands of Trey Anastasio or Eric Johnson. The Flecktones, featuring Victor Wooten on bass, Futureman (Wooten's brother) on percussion, vocals, electronics, and stage antics, and Jeff Coffen on reeds and flute. Together, with Bela Fleck, they are one of the most talented jazz quartets on the market.
Bill's acoustic guitar takes the improvisational segment of Birdland to a bluegrass feel, and then passes seamlessly to solo work by Fleck on electric banjo, augmented by Kang on violin. That turns into a call and response segment as Kang switches to electric mandolin and counters Fleck's banjo phrases. Then it is Kang's turn to solo on the mandolin, and the band returns to the Birdland theme. It is an amazing performance, and the meld showcases the high level of talent of every musician on stage.
Next is one of my favorites--"Sweet Melinda," a folky play song that drifts into a jam which includes the bass line from the Grateful Dead classic "Turn On Your Love Light," before evolving into a keyboardist's choice jam. The "let your live shine" theme continues seamlessly from the jam to "Shine," which features the bright and joyful rhythm of lively triplet chords, predominant in many of SCI's songs.
The second set opens with "Rivertrance," a piece that was relatively new to the band's audience at the time, and in the experimental stage, where it stayed until SCI's final concert at Red Rocks Ampetheatre in 2007. "Rivertrance," after the opening Irish Folk theme, transcends to a "journey," String Cheese Incident's version of Grateful Dead's "Space" segments, then returns to the Irish theme for the finish. Anything can happen during the journey, but it almost always results in a feeling of well being in the listener. The journey recieves energy from the audience, and gives it back in the form of several inticate themes that weave in and out of each other, at the whim of each individual musician. "Journey" is an apt description for the segment, as it takes us far away from the theme for a while, then takes us gently back. The "New Age" feel of this particular journey is another example of the diverse styles of which String Cheese Incident was capable. No matter what happens during the journey, we are always guided through a satisfying excursion.
Every veteran Cheese stringer knows that, "Roll Over" always means a good jam to come. Even in the studio version, the song included a jazzy interlude. Here, the band plays the first segment of "Roll Over", slips into the jam segment, then, instead of playing the "Roll Over" reprise, the band seems to get "Lost," which is the name of the song to which the jam segues. If SCI had been a top forty type band, "Lost" would be a viable release for top forty radio. It's unabashedly rock 'n' roll, and it is another song to which the listener can not help but to dance. Fortunately, for the Cheese stringers, SCI was not a top forty band, and the song remains a part of our personal treasure trove.
After the obligatory "Group Hoot," The band drifts away with their jazz offering "Drifting." "Drifting" is one of SCI's songs that was originally intended to have a New Age/Jazz feel to it, featuring Kyle's piano and Michael Kang's electric violin, that sounds earily like Carlos Santana's guitar in this case. This is a mellow, relaxing song, but not so laid back it would be called "easy listening," It is merely a chance for us to let our adreniline settle down a little before the pace of the concert picks up again.
Pick up it does, with the bluegrass flavored "Restless Wind," a song about dealing with the loss of a loved one. This song has had special meaning to me, personally, after a good friend of mine suddenly and unexpectedly passed away last year.
The initial verses of "Restless Wind" express the narrator's feelings of loss, lonliness, and remembrence, then give way to a dramatic acoustic violin solo by Michael Kang. Although it is never repeated in the same way each time the song is played in concert, the solo always begins with the haunting feeling of loss and trying to cope with the loss. It gradually picks up as hope and faith take over, as if the spirit of the departed is telling us everything will be alright. There is a brief piano interlude, and Michael returns on electric violin with a high energy theme full of hope. The ending verse contains lyrics full of faith and conviction:
"As I turn back towards home/
I'm no longer alone/
Like I was when I left for the night/
Because you're here with me/
And now I can see/
The Soul and the Spirit never die!"
Another popular SCI jam song, "Outside and Inside" follows. "Outside and Inside" disolves into yet another journey, with some tastey percussion work by virtuoso Michael Travis, overlaid by ambient sounds from Kang and Hollingsworth, aided by Bill on one of his infrequent electric guitar stints. The journey solidifies into a Jazz/Funk motiff with Kyle on electric piano and organ. The pace continues to pick up while the band continues to demonstrate how tight they could be. The jam is definetly headed into a new direction toward the end, and sure enough, turns into the "Roll Over" reprise. Every incident brings surprises, and the reprise brings a surprising end to a set I consider to be one of the best in the history of String Cheese Incident.
The first encore is introduced with a heartfelt thank you from the band, which then plays the heavily reggae flavored Ziggy Marley tune "Bend Down Low," featuring more electric guitar from Bill, as well as electric mandolin from Michael Kang. The band seems as much at home with reggae as they are with any other genre of music, more testimony to the extreme level of talent SCI featured. The finishing touch to the incident is the ever popular "Texas," a "tragedy averted" tale of a road trip through the state named in the title. "Texas" is the finishing touch to many of the incidents I have been to and listened to, but, again, the jam that closes out the song is never played the same way twice. This particular jam is a surprising return to the general New Age/Jazz theme of this particular show, featuring Bill on acoustic guitar with ambient sounds from Kyle and Michael Kang. The jam crescendos to a grand finale featuring Michael's "Carlos Guitar" style on electric violin. That is the beauty of any String Cheese Incident incident--things are never the same, and there are always surprises in store, no matter how many shows you have heard or been to.
Streaming Audio
Download and information
.
Comment
-
Comment by Clance' McClannahan on January 10, 2009 at 9:14pm - Saenger Theater survived with minimal damage...in fact Bryan Adams is there tonite!
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by Revvin Jim G on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of Eclectic Jammys to add comments!
Join this Ning Network