“We’re gonna have a whole lot of fun, we’re gonna greet the risin’ sun!!” No lyric could get us off and running any better than this one. This Denver show from July, 13th 2012 has a pretty overt theme, or thread connecting the song choices and setlist from start to finish. See if you can pick up on it as we go.
Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s GO!! On this warm mid summer evening in The Rockies, a Hank Ballard and the Midnighters R&B jumpstart gets us MOVING out the door. The Tomorrow Blues sets in as we “can’t believe what my baby say, her lips are movin’ all I hear is goodbye.” We say our sad farewells and we barrel into the rock and roll roadshow and don’t look back, at least not for awhile. It’s Badlands Here We Come on a Sluppick shuffle that’s in full effect as Muddy rumbles us deep into the canyons of this treacherous terrain. Adams contributions here have always been a highlight for me. “A dirty end to a darker need.” And I mean that is the most grateful way possible. “Cause sometimes it just goes like that. Falling or flying, star or stone”. Neal’s solo is one that I have highlighted in my notes and I return to often for that tectonic teleportation I need for my spirit. CR keeping a complimenting rhythm the whole time, as Neal just levitates into the laughter and calls of joy from the crowd. Then we pass West Virginia via Goodbye Wheeling and things sure WERE groovin’ and we all ARE movin’ to this kindly greeted and flawlessly executed Mel Tillis classic! Our theme continues with this oldie of CR’s that the guys breathe new life into. Adam of course knows his way inside and out of this one and he leads the charge. We just close our eyes and get carried away. “Yeah the wind, it is a simple friend. What brought you here can take you home”. Then we move onto Do Right Woman, Do Right Man and what may be the definitive version. With an opening line like “Take me to heart and I’ll always love you,
and ain’t nobody can make me do wrong”, you can’t help but grab that soul you love and pull them closer. The vocal from CR just drives the lyric deeper than they’ve ever gone before. Aretha would be more than proud of this one. I know I am as listen. The whole band slows even further down but doesn’t stop, then takes us nicely into Tulsa Yesterday. We travel in all directions as once as this one get really moving to bring this great first set to a close.
We greet our neighbors within these now hallowed halls and then the light go down and we’re asked to Try Rock and Roll? I think I will, again!! Always a fun start to any set and it’s obvious that little “California Break” did the band all kinds of good. We are still moving along in our traveling show, this time jumping things, Turnstiles to be specific. “No one’s a stranger when it’s raining outside. If there’s a hole in your shoe then come on inside”. More than just CR’s lyrics are inviting here, this version warms us back up after the break and the second set really starts to take shape. Neal hits a pedals and knob and we are OFF!!! Listen to his big solo in the second half push of this wonderful song. We slow down a bit as we move together into Pacific Standard Time and together we come knock on that door. 100 Days is one of those songs that always seems to light up a setlist. The perfect tempo and tone to enjoy, as they explore the quiet visions this song projects. “Blow a kiss and wave goodbye to me. Soon I’ll be outside your door”. As the set moves on it seems we are getting closer to that Golden Shore. Still seeing/hearing the theme here tonight? Neal again just shows why he’s every bit the best on ANY stage on ANY given night. Can we all just listen and be grateful we have him on board?
Next, the guys and CR tell us where they’ve “Never Been”! And where they are going. Never Been To Spain is hands down without a doubt one of THE top 3 covers they offer up. And on a night like this one, it’s the best of the best. The crowd hanging on every verse and chorus until CR’s rhythm pokes Neal and he blasts into that mid song solo. The band locks in for the chorus as the rhythm section brings that beat back and we all start to boogie and smile even harder. How can this band be THIS GOOD!?! Let’s keep listening and learning. I know I’m not skipping a single master class, aka “show”! Adam comes roaring in on the beat and we aren’t in Kansas or Oklahoma anymore. Or Arizona. 😉Listen to CR on this last verse/chorus, laying into that harmony and just growling the Hoyt Axton classic into the cosmos. Wow, WOW!!! And then it’s time for the freeway section! The 8 lane interstate to our head. The heart of this set and show. Tailor made for our Hallucination Nation! Sunday Sound gives each member a path to dodge and weave and float and breathe. “Warm your feather in the sun”, before shifting into that California Traffic of this cosmic call. With every member taking turns showing what makes them the best on the road today. This song just begs for breathing deeply and exhaling joy. So many twists and turns that I won’t try to get you lost. It’s too fun to do and see on your own. And then we move to maybe the ultimate “traveling” song in the repertoire, Vibration Love & Light has on and off ramps for the mind. A steady stream of blues and greens, reds and whites, stars and moons, dives and flights. Trying to describe the twists and turns of any version of this song is an impossible task. But the group mind and vision when experienced live tells the story all too well. Next time just look at the smiles and gleams on the faces all around you. Your brothers and sisters in our cosmic congregation can tell it all in dazzling detail with just a look! We don’t stand still and gaze very long because the rhythm section carries us seamlessly into what we are all literally and figuratively doing with this show and it’s music, Ride!!!! Sunday Sound > Vibration > Ride??? All those funky back roads that the first two songs in this travel sequence didn’t take, this song does. And again, we are along for the Ride. Muddy accents CR’s solo and vocal scat and George lays it on thick as Adam gives it touches of stars in all the right places. Neal’s bursts and chimes were never more fitting. You would think after all that, that we are gliding in for a soft landing at our destination, but not, just, yet! A pulsating bass line tells us we are approaching some lights and familiar territory. We didn’t get lost on those twisting two lane roads. We are back and Ain’t Hiding!! “Do the rest in the car” we gotta move. We finally arrive at our destination and what a glorious one it is!! CR ain’t lying when he says “it’s all down hill to the beach from here”! Our boots dry as we bask in the sugar sweet beauty of our Miss Rosalee. That little country thing. A celebratory “sing along” of those familiar lines “is the air getting thinner, or are we getting high?” We all answer emphatically in unison and bring this absolutely top tier shows second set to a close.
See the pattern? All songs contain visual and imagery of traveling and even the setlist song structure leans to a start and a finish. Another little psychedelic Easter Egg to keep us on our toes!
The encore is a tasty one. As our traveler, finally home, laments of tales from the road, away from his love, with the heartstring pulling, Driving Wheel. If you love like I love, you know this yearning for holding that special someone. This song makes me want them even closer than my heart holds them now. “Gave my promise I’d be right there with you, by Saturday night.” This one is special. Very, just listen. The reunion solidified, we start the celebration and things get a little rowdy with the Hunter/Garcia classic Sugaree. They all gather around the traversing troubadours and “shake it shake it” deep into the night, at least until that “bring that wagon round”!!!
This is just another of the many amazing shows to come, so stay tuned, and thank all of you for the overwhelming and humbling support you’ve shown this little Almanac from the start! Oh, and hurry and get the show from the link! Your soul will thank you!!
Freak on brothers and sisters!!
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
7/13/2012
Denver, CO
SET ONE:
Let’s Go Let’s Go
Tomorrow Blues
Badlands Here We Come
Star Or Stone
Goodbye Wheeling
Roll Old Jeremiah
Do Right Woman
Do Right Man
Tulsa Yesterday
Try Rock N Roll
Jump The Turnstile
100 Days Of Rain
Never Been To Spain
Sunday Sound
Vibration & Light Suite
Ride
I Ain’t Hiding
Rosalee
ENCORE:
Driving Wheel
Sugaree
