Freedom & Family: First Days Of The Fillmore – Part 2
From my partially obstructed side stage view I could still clearly see the impact of CR’s rhythm guitar. I was aware, alive and witnessing in real time the physical manifestation of this Freak-American Songbook. Compositions so deeply engrained into my personal chemistry and synapse charts through hours of endless listening that even the slightest of variance in structure would cause a ripple in the signal. From my post I watched waves of music lift and pull smiles, tears and personal inflection from the faces of those gathered along the rail, our front lines, our proving ground. Like a juke-joint correspondent on assignment, I watched their expressions melt as they instinctively inhaled the convergence of musical destiny coming from the stage. Clusters of three or four friends who’s frames would soften together in similar time signatures and exhale pure love and light to the cosmic candled, CRB slanted opening blast Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go. Our Fillmore “Freak-In” was now far passed all the build-up and hype, and my mind quickly focused and said goodbye to all the posters, plans, receipts and reservations that had brought us all there safely together. It only mattered now in the sense that it was part of this sensitive yet strong, psychedelic web of wonder. I had moved beyond it, even if temporarily, and felt connected to every note previously pushed from a lip or lung inside the building. I felt the spark of every amp and the agitation of every tube loaded in our out of the backstage doors. An electric and early Vibration & Light was now happening all around us, exploding spectacularly above the rooms omnipresent chandeliers. Encouraged by all and aiming its hail of sparkling sound showering down upon the sea of swaying souls. The philosopher was not alone and our medicated movements all seemed synchronized to the same symbiotic source as Venus In Chrome pushed the energy through the crowd to the very back wall of the auditorium. Neal and CR trading off turns driving the band through the nights first real dreamlike passages during 100 Days. A vessel within a vessel and by the time Adams ethereal synthesized layers had settled over us, we found our bodies already gearing up to groove through Never Been To Spain. The celebratory vibe really started to come alive around this point and it was here that I decided to move through the magic and take a spot near the back of the house where I could watch the entire scene unfold. See I’d broken one of my only concert rules earlier in the afternoon and looked at a setlist taped to one of the green room walls. So I knew one of the nights most delicate and dynamic sections was coming in Beware, Oh Take Care and I wanted to coordinate myself with Sean, Raven and Betty while I watched them work and lost myself in their results. It was everything you are imagining right now and more. Audience, band and crew all locked deep inside their own unique and cosmically critical dances together. Poor Elijah has been such an absolute beast on these last few tours and this Fillmore edition roared to life out of the last orange embers of a Blue Star Woman jam. Neither the assembled or mission control had any trouble transitioning through the changes and the set closing slide and rave-up gloriously blurred the setbreak conversation into the anticipation of the nights second chapter readings.
Forever As The Moon put Tony’s rhythm fully in charge as the second set opened with the songs powerful but cutting leading edge. CR and Adams’s accents alongside Jeff’s foundation, perfectly painting every mood and note. If anyone you know has made a show lately then I bet you’ve heard the name/song Chauffeur’s Daughter in breathless post show messages or deciphered it’s lyrics in jumbled mid show texts. One of the new, unreleased originals in rotation, It’s already clearly a crowd favorite. Generating tremendous buzz as the community embraces its levity and ethos. Neal Casal stepped next to the airlock-bay, ready to blast off with the rest of the quintet close behind and CR’s esoterica on full unfiltered display. Meanwhile> Tumbleweed centered the second set with twisted, dusty tales of flowers on the stage and ancient verse. Climbing up, over and around musical ridges and sailing across seemingly endless auditory astral planes. Landing in time with the bop and bounce of The Music’s Hot was definitely a preferred destination of descent and it prefaced the emotional tale of a season in despair, Heart To Break. A place to sway slowly to the ballads bending lead and prepare our legs for one last push for the sets summit. Beggars Moon, sometimes a closer itself, got the setup call in this particular organic order of operation and marked the second lunar lament of the night. With all the love and light emanating from the community up to and during this first night, it’s no wonder or coincidence we wrapped it all up with a rowdy Got Love that was reduced, at times, to mere background soundtrack for the party of free minds going on so many spirits strong! We knew the Fillmore shows always held special encores and now, with the correct set of eyes you could see the front lines soaking up those first opening chords, running them through their brain for identification, then smiling with a sort of satisfied acceptance. The crowds conformational murmurs fading and giving way to Neil Young’s, World On A String. The multiple tempos they’d tested earlier all gone now but one. We felt that sun soaked string, the world and each and every one of our places in it. In that very moment it was the highest of heights. And after the first, final farewell of the run we all walked with eyes glazed back up Post with Shakey’s Roll Another Number taking all the heavy from our load. Every square inch of pressure from every freak family member hug felt every step of the way. And as our approach finally reached the Kabuki Hotel, I was reminded of the two full nights still yet to come by the anticipation and excitement still present in the voices and the eyes filling the hotel lobby. I don’t think there are many better sleeps than the ones between shows of a multi-night run. The nights memories still echoing in your ears and the promise of many new and adventurous musical portals to come. Day two would soon prove to be just as magical as the first, but for now we had a return trip booked back through that dream curtain from which I’d emerged almost twenty-four hours before. A new day was quietly preparing it’s embrace as we closed our eyes and slipped into the cosmos, you and me.
(Part 3 Coming Next!)
#crb #chrisrobinsonbrotherhood #sleepinpeacewilddarkriders#freetheillegalplants #letthecrbsetyoufree #freakfamily #barefootinthehead#freakflag #blissmerchants #ravensreels #freaktransmissions #crbismagic#crbeings #spaceisonthephone ✌️️
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