“My love is what this autumn brings.” Today as our calendars turn to October, we are introducing a new series for the Almanac. During tours, we will bring you a weekly wrap up of all the CRB happenings along with setlist geekery of all sorts. In this, our introductory edition you’re reading now, we cover a little more ground to play catch up with the current tour. PLEASE feel free to use the comments to post your favorite moments and experiences from the tour so far. Or ones you are looking forward to revisiting soon via Ravens Reels.
The September leg of the Barefoot tour stepped through the door of the “keen eyed keeper of sights unseen”, emerging in CR’s hometown of Atlanta. The fan boards and group texts were all abuzz with reports of some truly special things happening at these get downs. 4 sets marking the apex of 48 hours inside the CRB universe of groove, sound and love. Set 1 on 9/14 ended in such a way as to provide a warning shot to those on the fence or not buckled in. Meanwhile> Tulsa came seamlessly segued to Cali Hymn> Sunday Sound in a nearly 45 minute exploratory masterclass. Let me go on record now as being one who is over the moon for these 2nd set opening versions of Good To Know. They just hit the pocket from Tony’s first signal. And can we all throw some flowers on the stage for Mr Leone! He is a superstar every single night and along with our low end leader Jeff Hill, gives us the best rhythm section in this strange land. Driving Wheel returned in the encore slot to close night 1 helping add to the already growing excitement for night 2. 9/15 may not look as big on paper, but post show messages told a much more variated tale. An elevated aura where top 5 show they’ve witnessed from the band was being tossed around and even the most desensitized vet was speaking in luminescent tones and smiles. Old favorites like Reflections and Star Or Stone, fit nicely along with new additions like Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line. This cover heavy show also held groovy takes on Little By Little (paired with Lizzie Mae) and Bye & Bye. Good To Know clicks its dancing heels all the way through Narcissus> Ain’t Hiding. Tony, Neal and CR also managed to turn in a trippy performance down below the ocean as part of Adult Swims “Fishcenter” at the headquarters in town. You just need to see it!
It was then on to Macon on 9/16 and the Big House where even more CRB classics mingled with their shoeless younger siblings. Someday Past The Sunset, About A Stranger and a set closing Beggars Moon that kept peaking like a Beacon nearly took the roof off. A BIG closing Vibration> Hard To Handle had everyone floating in the vapors and the encore kept us there. The night ended with a Garcia Band styled Positively 4th Street for the books!
Next, the Big Easy Sunday jubilee was a real cosmic carnival and the site of the next stop on their march through the galaxy. Like the towns great people and food, the songs at the Civic on this night had a little extra of that undefinable stuff. The kind with no label, only a wink or a nod. Cali Hymn> Clear Blue> Jam> Sunday Sound only stoked the resin for more. It came as the band put the CRB swing into the Stones Let It Bleed and had the whole theatre bouncing. Neal Casal pulled the B-Bender for Hark and Heart To Break and the fellowship that followed continued deep into the southern night with our family.
A day off allowed some rest for the wizardly wicked and when they tore into Hello L.A. on 9/19 in Chattanooga, the evening had an obvious momentum from the start. A big jam out of Blue Star Woman helped them slide through the delta devil psychedelic blues of Poor Elijah/Robert Johnson. Later a 2nd set exploded with high points galore like Blonde Light of Morning, Till Your Well Runs Dry and a vortex opening Vibration> Seer> Rosalee!!
Another day off and it was down to Mississippi to turn on the square in Oxford at The Lyric. I can’t wait for this show to get released. It was one of the edgier CRB shows I’ve witnessed. Lots of angular exploration and almost every song had a shape shifting jam either into or out of the songs structure. It was very heart of the sun, driving and dark at times but ultimately always uplifting and redemptory. A very cool 1st set with two classics (Reflections and Beggars) surrounding a huge Meanwhile> Tulsa> Cali! The new launch countdown very well may be the set opening combo of Good To Know> Seer! Then Tuff Mama> Jam> Ain’t Hiding> Got Love?? Yes please! Again!!
The path next headed to Charlotte for a smoker at the Neighborhood with two of my favorite moments of the tour. The first set About A Stranger that was flawlessly fluid in every detail and Clear Blue Sky WITH the return of the Good Doctor serving his medicine. Vibration> Ride> Shore Power and it was off for a blistering 8 song single set at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville. A set that gave new fans and old 6 fresh pickings from the new album sandwiched between setlist mainstays Let’s Go and Rosalee.
The Bijou in Knoxville always seems to get a hot show and that once again proved the case. Star Or Stone specifically sounds amazing off those walls and Neal and CR’s guitar interplay in this one is something to experience. The return of the Beach Boys Sail On Sailor opened the second where we soon found New Cannonball on a run and really morphing under the heat. A bouncing Beggars Moon blissed the blessed with sound. The 25th wasn’t a show day but the trip taking trio of Neal, CR and Tony joined the stage of Michael Jonathan’s Wood Songs, Old Time Radio Hour to play a few songs and share some wisdom and insight into the CRB world.
A quick trip back into the Tar Heel State for a twanged out hippie helping of Freak California helped keep the tour in the highest of vibes. A unique set with Heart To Break placed deep in a show with a building cosmic collage of grooves. The real talk was about Roy Orbison’s classic Dream Baby floating into the encore on the bands full rhythm and golden western harmony.
In Charleston an old friend to most all of us showed up and joined Neal on stage, Garcia’s TB500 Travis Bean. By the time another steady Star Or Stone had sailed to life, past, present and future seemed to clearly converge. Little hints of the Dead echoing in and out of notes. A good old rollicking second allowed CR and the band to really stretch their lysergic legs on a Vibration> Ain’t Hiding combo that set the kids feet to the cobblestone, happy and high.
And that fellow freaks leads us to Raleigh! The ink isn’t even dry on this run as of writing and it’s already getting Atlanta sized love. New covers (Seven Nights To Rock – Moon Mullican), a big Tulsa sans Meanwhile or Cali Hymn and a lush life Sunday Sound to close. And that’s again just the 1st set. The opening of the 2nd is just still hard to wrap my head around. Good To Know, Tuff Mama, Behold The Seer?? The beautiful passages of 100 Days Of Rain and a Shore Power exclamation point are just the surface level terrestrial pleasures. The deeper joy as always is in your own trip. Night 2rewarded the returning freak faithful with a night that I’m sure will be a reference level show for years to come. The sway and soul of Do Right Woman and the 1st set closing Blue Star Woman> Cannonball> Beggars proofed to be only a precursor to a 2nd set lift off that just kept climbing. A few very unique placements for all my fellow setlist nerds. Meanwhile exists here without any of it’s usual partners in high crimes. And Rosalee and Ain’t Hiding swap normal spots around Vibration. Cheers to all the hometown freaks and California family who made it to these Raleigh shows. Travel safe back home and we will meet again in December for a CRB west coast wonderland!
Like I mentioned in the open, this first edition covers a little more ground than future ones will. Weekly during tours we will post a wrap up and we encourage everyone to comment and share your show experience and memories of this run! Next Sunday we will choose 5 people randomly from the comments and they’ll get a special sticker from Ravens Reels Almanac! Winners will be posted in each weeks installment. Let’s all love one another!! Freak On brothers and sisters!!!
Be sure to check out the pictures from the tour!
#crb #chrisrobinsonbrotherhood #sleepinpeacewilddarkriders#letthecrbsetyoufree #barefootinthehead #freakflag #blissmerchants#ravensreels #freaktransmissions #crbismagic #crbeings#spaceisonthephone #alanforbes ✌️️
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Good stuff! Looking forward to the show at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT Thursday night. Peace.
Was really curious as to what a single one hour set from the California Reality Brokers would sound like. I was not disappointed. The shorter songs of the new album played well. That being said I can’t wait to get back to epic double sets.
Will look forward to the weekly recap! The Lincoln Theater crowds scene looked great–hope to make a Raleigh trip next time…
Nice musical scenes to read about on a terrible day… ☮