The California transmissions we’ve been receiving this past month had me craving a jump back into some recent music from our gang today. One of my favorites of this past summer was this heater from St. Pete Florida on July 19th, 2016. A show that has a second set that’s played flawlessly with some really cool twists on the usual setlist suspects. One of the things I love so much about the band is how even their most inauspicious setlists can turn into something very special. The CRB was certainly magic on this evening down in the summer heat and humidity, but their cosmic cool helped lead to a near perfect evening.
The hard charge of Leave My Guitar Alone gets things started and as I’ve said before I really dig this song in the set opening slot. Forever as the Moon provides the perfect tempo for Jeff and Tony to drop into that pocket and they really shine here. The bass work on this song is a thing of beauty. Reflections follows in all its “walk through the clouds” imagery and feel. Chris commented in an interview recently how he still loves singing these early songs as much as ever and it really shows here. The first big moments of the show come in Star or Stone. Neal plays some utterly gorgeous passages that sound as if they were being played underwater at times. Not just the fluid way he connects the valleys and peaks but his guitar seems to almost bubble to the surface at times. He then lets the lead explode and the whole band takes off with him like the comet the lyrics suggest. The live CRB debut of The Band classic, Wheels On Fire is next and this one sure doesn’t suffer from being new to the set. As you would guess, Tony leads this one from the start with plenty of that Levon ramble while our Wizard, Adam turns in some truly psychedelic sounds leaning more towards Rock Of Ages than Big Pink. Making both Garth and Richard smile down for sure. But CR may be the MVP with great rhythm playing complementing Neal’s leads perfectly. Man did they ever nail this one right off. They make fine use of the energy building and blaze into Lizzie Mae with a real extended groove that moves smoothly into our congregations California Hymn! This psychedelic salvational song just lights up my heart and soul and I’ll never tire of hearing it, especially Adam’s beautiful piano work. Neal steps forward and gives a big Blues heavy solo that moves right into a really cool jam to open my favorite Beggars Moon of the tour. I really dig Jeff’s walking bass line and how it holds the whole song in place as the rest of the guys do that cosmic thing. They take advantage of this set closing placement to rev it up a little. But the best is absolutely yet to come!
~setbreak~
Whatever transpired at the break sure was the proper potion. They return with one of the best played sets of the year. A rolling New Cannonball leads off and gives Neal and Adam a forum to toss solos back and forth much to the crowds reward. This also marks the start of all the second set songs having really unique little jams and sections at the end that aren’t always there. The crowd on this night was insane and no doubt was feeding the beast. 100 Days is just a springboard for Neal and his beautiful tone. Maybe it’s the name but this song always felt like a Sweetheart Of The Rodeo outtake. Never Been To Spain has the most infectious laid back groove with Jeff dropping some serious low end. I love the Brotherhoods take on this song and CR’s vocal always kills. What can I say about Shadow Cosmos that I haven’t already said. I can’t rave about this song enough and until the studio version showed up I used to wear out this one, false start and all. Can we ever get enough of Neal’s steel guitar sound on this track live?
Now it’s time for the truly magical part of this show. It’s hard to describe the band and their performances without using the word “groove” excessively. A lot of that falls on Tony and Jeff and the way they were able to gel so quickly. The set ends with a wild stretch that’s impossible to not be in constant motion for the duration. Ain’t It Hard> It’s All Over Now/Baby Blue> Vibration & Light> Narcissus. This run of songs is incredible. You will feel you are strapped to the nose of a space shuttle ascending into orbit. There are times you are dancing and bopping with eyes closed. Times you have to open your eyes to make sure you’re still actually on solid ground. And times you are hanging on for dear life while the Freakifornia style G-Forces pull that blissful smile around your head. 😬 They use this run as their own musical playground and every member takes turns leading. The show really explodes into thousands of colors during this 45 minutes of freak-folk-funk. The Vibration>Narcissus alone is 30 minutes of mind expanding music. The kind that keeps us coming back show after show and listening to every recording we can get our hands and ears on. Rabbit Fighter helps the crowd boogie on home with the T-Rex on and brings one of my favorite shows of the summer to a close. Grab this hot one at the link in the bio and take this trip down to the swamps for some soulful excursions into your own head! Spread a little extra love today my fellow CRBeings and see how much joy and happiness it brings back to ya. And as always, Freak On brothers and sisters!
Check out the gallery from this night here: https://ravensreelsalmanac.net/catching-dreams/live-on-stage/nggallery/2016/7-19-16—State-Theater—St-Petersburg,-FL
#crb #chrisrobinsonbrotherhood #letthecrbsetyoufree #freaktransmissions#crbismagic #crbeings #spaceisonthephone ✌️️👁
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Chris Robinson Brotherhood
7/19/2016
State Theater
St Petersburg, FL
SET ONE:
Leave My Guitar Alone
Forever As The Moon
Reflections On A Broken Mirror
Star Or Stone
This Wheel’s On Fire
Little Lizzie Mae
California Hymn
Beggar’s Moon
SET TWO:
New Cannonball Rag
100 Days Of Rain
Never Been To Spain
Shadow Cosmos
Ain’t It Hard But Fair
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Vibration And Light Suite
Narcissus Soaking Wet
ENCORE:
Rabbit Fighter
