“Untethered, unbound, state of grace sold by the pound.” The CRB Winter 2017 tour opened in Denver at the Ogden before ripping through 2 nights in Crested Butte and Salt Lake. They returned to their second home state of Colorado for a dual evening dance off on February 11th & 12th at the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride. After opening the run with two sets of focused, song oriented rock and roll, the second night, covered here (2/11/2017), leaned more toward the heavier, open-aired jamming side of the band. It’s a show full of unique song placements and seamless segues. I highly suggest grabbing both nights, as they combine to give you both sides of the CRB Freak-America coin. But for this entry, come take this quick trip back to this fine Saturday Night in Telluride.
Jeff’s pulsing bass line highlights a tight and punchy Let’s Go Let’s Go and right out of the gate everyone is excited, smiling and groovin. The music and recording just crackles with all the energy in the air, the kind only a Saturday Night can deliver. What I like to call Tony’s cardiac-kick, drives us into this edgy version of Leave My Guitar Alone. Neal’s solo at the height of the songs flight has a little extra cut to it this year and it fits perfectly along with CR’s demonstrative demands, “Do whatcha want to but leave my guitar alone!” Tornado comes into the set riding Adams gospel, galactic like leads and sets up the first of many really cool moments of the night. Clear Blue Sky has been appearing without the Good Doctor section on the end lately. As much as I love the almost operatic feel of the full song, these standalone versions have been catalysts for some really eclectic intersections. Here it gives us a 15 minute awe inspiring segment that is a cosmic cross-pollination of cool. Clear Blue Sky > Never Been To Spain first came into the Brotherhood universe back in December at the Fillmore. The only difference there, for setlist geeks like myself, was they came back into the Good Doctor portion after Never Been To Spain. They kick into Clear Blue Sky and navigate its flying lead changes with ease, arriving at the little double-time outro jam where Neal’s guitar seems to cultivate the music. You start to hear them all sculpting the sound as they prepare for the coming groove. When it falls, they really let it ride out and it’s a smooth, laid back version with a very different feel than the ones from last year. They follow this highlight up with another seamless double shot in the form of Lizzie Mae > Can You Hear Me. The country boogie tilt is in full swing here and the best rhythm section in the business really shines. Jeff’s low end surrounds you while Tony’s jazzy shuffle pushes the songs second half. The playing is full of freedom and movement and that amazing rhythm section I mentioned does something really intuitive for the transition. Tony starts to tumble over the top of the original beat and the band takes his cue. Together they all move in flawless unison into the Kinks classic Can You Hear Me. The set has moved into a rock and roll carnival type feel with a really celebratory vibe. They downshift a bit for a vivid stroll through the breezy gait of About A Stranger and its beautiful blend of shimmering pastoral passages. The set closes with the band bombing downhill to the Delaney Bramlett soundtrack of Hello L.A Bye Bye Birmingham, giving us one last chance before the break to bask in the boogie of the CRB!
~setbreak~
The first full set Rosalee sandwich of the year bounces forth from the crystal prisms beam. Saturday Night in Telluride comes roaring in on Neal’s Chuck Berry riffs just after the “downhill to the beach from here” section and this amazing second set is off to an unstoppable start. Jump The Turnstile has some extra layers of that woozy sonic weirdness I love so much and is followed by the cosmic counterpoint of The Music’s Hot and it’s focused groove. The heart of the show comes in the closing stretch of Meanwhile > Silver Car, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, Vibration > Narcissus > Rosalee. This is an hour long segment that is worthy of a good pair of headphones or a long drive, paired with the correct headspace. It unfolds, seamlessly at times, like an organic musical odyssey. Full of stunning visuals and vistas, beautifully weird freak funk forays, and balanced soulful balladry. All coalescing into one mystical union. You will emerge on the other side a well decorated soldier in the Freak Flag fight. Every passenger taking the journey will have their own story, but I’ll touch on a few high points that everyone is sure to congregate around. The build into the jam in Meanwhile is always great, but this one seems to be leading the band almost. Seeking its own path among the infinite halls of our mind. And when it all melds into the hazy dreamlike hybrid, Silver Car, you’ll feel yourself tumbling backwards through memories old and new, “all my friends were there, all my friends were there”. Baby Blue gets a little funkier every time around and this one ends on a furious flurry of jam. The true mediation in madness is of course the beast that Vibration > Narcissus has become. Ladies and gentlemen this Vibration is a massive black hole, a dark star feral freak out 17 minutes long on its own. We are lulled into it by the peaceful cycling of the verse chorus. But at the 8 minute mark we embark on something I’ve not heard before in a Vibration. A restless path that reaches dizzying heights while weaving an ominous psychedelic thread throughout the lavish lineage. An adventurous awareness that makes this one of the best Vibrations ever IMO. There is magic in the way they cultivate one smoldering sequence after another, each player knowing the precise point to jump and soar, then circling the others. This is one of the biggest jams of all time. Just listen. Our dosed dive and decent eventually takes us to the pounding funk of Narcissus and one last breathless peak before ending back with the lady who started it all, Miss Rosalee. Leave it to the CRB to absolutely rearrange our bodies molecular structure with an hour of psychedelic goo, then drop us into an encore of Claude Rich’s 1960’s goodbye ballad There Won’t Be Anymore.
The year is still young but man have they set the bar high with this one. One of the all time great second set closing stretches. This is one you have got to have folks. Actually, the entire run in Telluride is perfect for your weekend soundtrack and it’s just a link away! It’s been a superb year of Ravens Reels so far with more great shows to come soon. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages full of encouragement and love. I couldn’t be anymore stoked to hear that you all dig the Almanac and most of all that it’s become a useful tool in finding songs and shows for my fellow Freak family. Some really special things are coming later this month so keep your eyes on this page for more CRB/Ravens Reels info. And as always, Freak On brothers and sisters!
Check out pictures from this night here:
https://ravensreelsalmanac.net/catching-dreams/live-on-stage/nggallery/2017/2-11-17—Sheridan-Opera-House—Telluride,-CO
#crb #chrisrobinsonbrotherhood #letthecrbsetyoufree #blissmerchants#ravensreels #freaktransmissions #crbismagic #crbeings#spaceisonthephone #dancefloorofyourdreams ✌️️👁
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Chris Robinson Brotherhood
2/11/2017
Sheridan Opera House
Telluride, Colorado
SET ONE:
Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go
Leave My Guitar Alone
Tornado
Clear Blue Sky>
Never Been To Spain
Little Lizzie Mae>
Can You Hear Me
About A Stranger
Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham
SET TWO:
Rosalee
Saturday Night In Oak Grove, LA Jump The Turnstile
The Music’s Hot
Meanwhile In The Gods>
Silver Car
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Vibration And Light Suite
Narcissus Soaking Wet
Rosalee
ENCORE:
There Won’t Be Any More
