Posts made by mdjabber

I'm recorded as in already, but confirming here...SO wish this was the forum of choice over FB, by the way, but I guess the worked being what it is, it'll be what it'll be.

All. In. Boom!

@Uncle-Ron Lancaster is SO good...but I still give the nod to Bend..or LA 11/10

Back atcha!

@FL-AF said in Review: 2018-12-30 - The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ:

Contingency

Finally got to read this! Great job, very inspiring learning about your story. Until the next one! Marc Jablon

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2018-12-31 - The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ

2018…what a year for our favorite band, Spafford!!! If there’s one major takeaway, it’s that this band grew leaps and bounds and is primed for major growth moving forward. With their growing songwriting creativity, a laser-focused, kick-ass crew running on all cylinders, and new management at their side, there’s nothing the band can’t accomplish.

Personally, I had the tremendous privilege of seeing 23 shows this year, spanning every tour, and 31 overall since 2017. I feel so fortunate for not only the music I’ve seen, but the shared passion that I’ve seen Nerds across America (documentary title, maybe??) bring to every Spafford show and, more importantly, to each other. This year, we supported each other in ways that, to some, might defy expectation. We raised money for sick nerds; we honored those whose families have suffered great tragedy, and we celebrated those that have reached new heights in their careers and lives. We’ve lifted those that were down and gifted those who have sought. We justified our Nugs subscriptions and our 14 hour drives and our seemingly endless hours. We left our families behind to feed our souls and, perhaps most importantly, our jones for Jon Rose prints. And hopefully, you brought something back for the kids…and no, a slap doesn’t count!

And after all that…NYE…where surprises abound and resolutions are made through a foggy haze of “party favors” and alcohol with bubbles. There is something about a NYE concert experience that defies explanation. For some, it is a turning of the page, an escape from the year’s trial and tribulations. For others, it is a celebration of the year’s milestones and accomplishments. Having set the precedent years before, bands like the Grateful Dead and, more recently, Phish, made certain the affair was (and is) replete with elevated displays of splendor and pageantry. So it’s no surprise that as rabid jam-band fanbases around the country settled in for their own calendar-turning dance parties, there would be surely be something special in the air at the Van Buren on this glorious Monday night.

Not that it didn’t have its challenges. After a few days of an unusually cold freeze that swept through the city, the sun managed to make it more than tolerable, but the low temperatures combined with rain this Monday afternoon cast a pall over the city. You wouldn’t know it from the Spafford faithful, however, as those in attendance the evening before were treated to an incredible night of bust-outs, new songs, and a sandwich that would make any weasel living in the Palisades extremely proud. (See what I did there? Shhh...I know…I know…)

I was especially nervous this day. My girlfriend, Shirley, was coming to town only for the NYE show and I had just spent the last two nights at The Rodeway Inn, the armpit of Van Buren Street. Shaking off the fleas, I pulled a Jeffersons and moved on up…to the (cough) luxurious 6-month old Hampton Inn, where I now felt like a provider and less like a crack addict and I was ready to roll, adult-style!

We entered the venue around 8:30. The excitement was palpable, as the Nerds swarmed the lobby buzzing about what was the night before and what would be the night to come.

The boys kicked off the historic evening with Stuck in the Middle With You…what a way to open the show for the hometown Nerds who have been hearing the band play the Stealers Wheel classic since 2012…but only 19 times since and twice in the last 12 shows (for those playing the home version of Spaffbase, brought to you by Spaffnerds.com). So although this is considered an anthem of sorts in Nerd-lore, it seems like it might be finally finding its way into the regular rotation, a welcome addition, I’m sure, to those who wondered what ever happened to it.

After Brian kicks off the vocals with his typical non-Gerry Rafferty-esque bite, Red takes the first solo, cascading the keys over Cam’s drum fills as Brian and Jordan lurk underneath, waiting to explode. Right at the 4 minute mark, Brian takes the reigns for a brief moment before the boys settle in for what will be a major blastoff, Spafford style. By the time the band begins to crescendo, Cam leading the way, Jordan and Brian lead the band into what I like to call Spafford’s signature “song within a song,” where the jam takes on its own uniquely lyrical melody, proving once again how much this anthemic powerhouse of yesteryear deserves regular play going forward. What makes this so special is the “Stuck at Van Buren with You” lyric they ride through most of the end while weaving back in the original title lyric to close it out. We Nerds certainly didn’t feel stuck, but if we were, I’m sure all of us would happily be bound and gagged and held hostage for hours…provided, of course, the band was still playing…cuz otherwise, holding several people hostage is a felony and surefire career killer. Stuck finishes and Brian welcomes us with “What’s up Phoenix? It’s good to see you again.” Aaaaaaand we’re off!

Next up…When It Falls, a song which debuted live in studio on April 5th, 2018 (which just happens to be…anyone? Anyone? The anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah in 1986...put it on your calendar now, there WILL be a quiz later!) and which, like all of their new tunes, has seen tremendous growth since its inception. I have now seen 4 of the 9 played and it gets better and better every time. I almost forget everything that is happening in this rare “under 5 (minutes)”, from Cam and Jordan leading the syncopated breaks to Brian’s thunderous intermittent growls and everything in between.

Minds Unchained. Simply, this song never disappoints. One of the ways Spafford hooked me is through their hooks and this one is no exception. There is always a tasty treat waiting for us when Brian slides up the neck to the final refrain and tonight was tasty indeed. As I’ve now seen 10 Minds live and listened to another 30, this may not have been their most exploratory (the Karl Denson appearance notwithstanding), but it certainly hit the spot, with Brian twirling a magic axe full of arpeggios before sliding up the neck and bringing it all back home to a huge crowd-pleasing exhale. Mmmm…yummy.

And now for something…somewhat different. Listening to the opening chords, one might have thought…hell, I don’t know what anyone was thinking, but we would soon enough find out that Leave the Light On was being played in the key of E instead of the typical key of B, forcing Jordan’s vocals to plummet to the lower depths of his vocal register. The haunting sound emanating from Jordan pervaded the entire song and it might have even tripped him up for a moment, as he flubbed some lyrics in the second verse before having a chuckle with the crowd and then confidently regaining his composure with “But I keep you candle burning in the window.” That’s all we can ask for, Jordan…oh and that amazing bass solo that immediately followed to kick off the first jam. As Brian turns it up a notch or 3, everyone joins in on this expansively rich, tight jam, until Jordan re-enters with vocals to lay the foundation for the distinctly different second jam, which had the showed the boys once again strutting their stuff while stretching out in ways that made the LTLO unique different. Hey, it’s NYE, right??

I remember hearing the first Broken Wing at 420 Sweetwater Fest for my birthday weekend and while I wasn’t immediately taken with how the lyrics meshed with the rhythm of the song, I was certainly taken with the melodic structure of the song and how hard the boys jam it! After I saw the Red Rocks show, I was hooked. This is yet another new song from 2018 that has made all the right moves in its development and allowed the band, particularly Cam, to really stretch out and flex their chops. Clocking in at around 11 minutes, it’s a song that brings sheer delight to the crowd as Cam brought it a to a thunderous conclusion. It’s no wonder Brian likes to say after almost every version of it, “Lades and gentlemen, Mr. Cameron LaForest on the drums” to the roar of cheering fans.

Aaaaand it’s crowd control time at he The Van Buren as Red leads us into yet another rousing version of Salamander Song. With Salamander, you always know what you’re getting…until last summer, when the song took a somewhat slight turn, much to the delight of most and, frankly, the disappointment of some. The song typically features a rip-roaring solo by Brian that begins with his inimitable picking style and builds to a tremendous crescendo before the entire band whips the crowd into a frenzy with “I’m dancing the the whole way hoooooome,” but on a hot summer night in early July, at the High Sierra Festival, Jordan took the solo on what would have typically been Brian’s. This was a mere days after a fellow Nerd casually told me that the band had recently been taking jazz lessons. Hmmm….well, the jazz influence is apparent, as Jordan has taken his solo to new heights every time out of the gate and it has only gotten better and better. The song ended with the typical “Hey’s” in the correct place for a much larger percentage of the crowd than at most shows, but I’m sure to some it still needs work.

Just when we thought the set might be ending…what’s this? Cam, Jordan and Red playing the opening chords of…wait…is it that Don Henley song? Why, yes it is…it’s Dirty Laundry! Now I have to admit, this is not a song to which I would typically stay tuned when it came on the radio when I was a kid, but as is always the case with Spafford, they make a fan out of me every time they play a song about which I was previously ambivalent! After Red does his best Henley impression, Brian takes a nifty solo to kick off the jammin’. The entire band joins in on the vocals before the boys modulate up a half step to finish off a tasty surprise for the faithful. The music drops out as we hear the boys, a cappella, sing:

“Kick ‘em when they’re up, kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re stiff, kick ‘em all around.”

End of set 1.

Looking back on it now, in this writer’s opinion, there was really no better choice to kick off the second set than America. Not that this crossed the band’s minds at all when they decided on the setlist, but the fact that our nation seems to be losing a lot somewhere across the fall, it was a fitting way to begin the end of 2018. And no sooner had they settled in for an expectedly extended jam when the boys had another surprise up their sleeves, this one in the form of perhaps the most American of rock bands, the good old Grateful Dead. I don’t think I’ve heard a 4 piece band tackle the Dead’s The Other One with such precision. Brian’s vocals were the perfect fit for Weir and Kreutzman’s cutting lyrics, Red’s keyboards evoked Tom Constanten’s haunting sound from the late 60’s, and Cam made sure nobody even thought for a second that a second percussionist was necessary to fill out the rhythm. 15 minutes is usually considered a long song, but not in Spafford time, 15 minutes was barely enough time for this spaceship to take off!

But wait…what’s this now?? Could it be that he spaceship is encountering…Aliens along the way?!?!?!? Why yes, I believe it could…well, either that or some perv Nerd brought their blow-up dolls to the show…unlike the hostage-taking, NOT a felony, but really kinda gross. With the band bringing some out-of-this-world vocal jamming, reminiscent of Phish’s vocal explorations (its okay, breathe, not a comparison, just a reference point), two green plastic blow-up aliens were tossed around the venue while the band kept the spacey undertones as the countdown to midnight began. Midnight struck and the boys burst into, of course, Auld Lang Syne, while each of their significant others walked onstage for a brief New Year’s kiss before the band wrapped up. I didn’t even notice the appearance by the ladies, as I was sharing may first New year’s kiss with my Shirley. And yes, it was spectacular!

Right out of Auld Lang Syne, Brian brings us back to America with the familiarly lyrical A minor arpeggio rising like a Phoenix from the ashes and marking the beginning of the end of this meandering exploration. Just as the song ends, we hear the familiar rhythmic beat of The Reprise, a fitting bookend and the funky compositional foil to America. But what typically turns into the slow, funky calm before the storm took an unexpected turn here and the band stopped and Brian played the opening riff of…Blister in the Sun! Are we really going THERE now?!?!? Welllll...not quite…after the opening guitar riff and the iconic double taps on the kit, Cam and the boys take us right back to The Reprise…nice fakeout, gents...for now, at least!!!!

The Reprise had seen better days by the time Fall Tour 2017 rolled around. During Cam’s early days with the band, what had traditionally been a lengthy buildup to its classic “melody” half way through the song felt a bit like Brian was trying to get to the finish line sooner than later…with a few exceptions, of course (see: 11/10/17 Fort Collins!!) But as 2018 went on, the boys seemed to relish once again in the patient methodical approach to what makes this jam well worth the wait. Reaching its climax, the crowd whipped into a frenzy, the set closer burned like a wildfire in Northern California before the tempo slowed, we all took a breath and the band brought it to its final resting place.

End of Set 2.

Waiting to hear what the boys will play for an encore is always one of the most anticipated moments of any show, especially on NYE. Spafford may not have yet ventured headfirst into the aforementioned splendor and pageantry of other more well-known jam bands, but they had already proven that they had plenty of tricks up their sleeve, made even more obvious from the opening chords of Blister in the Sun. Blister is a crowd pleaser at just about any party from the time you were, like, 13...at my Bar Mitzvah (yes, that's right, on April 5th, 1986, good memory, fellow Nerd, you passed!). Let’s face it, if this song doesn’t get you at least a little pumped, you probably lack a pulse (also may affect sex drive, which is even worse that not having a pulse). When you get a bunch of Nerds in a room on NYE and the boys bust it out for the first time EVER, it’s something special. A rousing rendition of The Violent Femmes classic gave way to what has become a Spafford classic, Slip and Squander. After two nights of channeling Gregg Allman and Don Henley on Whipping Post and Dirty Laundry, respectively, it was time for a return to the sweeter side of Red, as the gently tread vocal verses gave way to temporary overdrive before settling in for a classic build on the shoulders of Dr. LaserFinger himself, the honorable Professor Moss.

Photo courtesy of Carson Church Media

One might’ve thought a two-song encore was just enough to satisfy the Nerd faithful, but when those opening chords of All In ring out from Jordan’s bass, you are guaranteed at least 15 more minutes of multi-genre, mind-bending jamorama! And what a rendition it was! All In got a LOTTA play over the festy summer tour and suffered from, according to some, at least, maybe a wee bit of overkill as it was assumed the tune is seen as a good cross-section of both their songwriting but also their multi-dimensional jamming prowess and thus a great way to draw in new fans in a limited time frame at festivals. But this Nerd never gets enough of it, as it is truly one of the great jam band anthems of all time. The crowd was certainly all in it for the ride…and holding on ever so tightly…because the “might as well drive” line, so beloved by Nerds everywhere, rang ever so true for the many who had driven from all over the country to see this spectacle of spectacles. Brian was in full force here (is he ever NOT?) as The Raven seemed to pull him towards the front of the stage for the song’s final movement, a tour de force of nastiness unmatched in the band’s entire repertoire. Red takes a nice solo here, accompanied by a powerful build with Cam before Brian begins his methodical climb to immortality. This song is living proof why you shouldn’t talk at a Spafford show. It’s not because it’s rude or because it’s annoying to those who “pay good money not to hear you talk,” as we have all seen on the boards. No…it’s because if you talk during what you think are the quiet moments (when conventional wisdom says that not much is going on), you will miss some of the most unique, precision picking you’ll ever hear waxing lyrical from a guitar. You will miss the seeds of a mind-bending extravaganza, with each member of the quartet adding layers upon layers of what grows into a monster climax, Brian fanning, Cam pounding, Jordan bomb-dropping and Red sustaining until they bring it all back to the final movement’s theme. WOW!!!

And…AAAAAAND…if that wasn’t enough, let’s do one more, shall we?

I used to think that The Traveling Wilbury’s End of the Line was an okay tune, nothing special. But, true to form, I will never listen to this song the same way again. When the boys started using it as their outro music, I used to joke on the boards that it was my least favorite song because it meant the Spafford show was over…and ya know, THAT kinda sucks, right? So how fitting that as the year closes out, we get to hear the boys perform their traditional outro song live for the very first time! Everyone got in on the fun here, with Brian and Red taking lead vocals and Cam lending his oft underutilized - and underrated! - vocals to the harmony. A light-hearted bonus romp left a nice tasty treat on our tongues as we cheered the boys for what will go down as an historic two-night reign on their home turf.

Well…that’s a wrap for 2018, folks. I know the anticipation is already super high for what it is to come in 2019 and beyond. The sky is the limit, so raise your Brooklyn/Denver VIP cups and toast to the wild ride that is…SPAFFORD!!!

@NicholasMakaveli SO sorry to hear that, Nick! Yeah I was PISSED, if you couldn't tell. And the worst part was that they were just so LAZY! Anyway, onward and upward. Looking forward to hearing about your first real Spaff experience!!

@Johnny-Love YEEEEEEESSSSS! It's SOOOOOO goooooood. (drool)

@Lopez That entire second night of Chicago is SIIIIIIIICK! And yes to that Weasel.

GOOD review...would've been great had you now referred to Diana as a "pee-break song..."

Great fucking show!!!! We caught a good one, indeed!!!

@officious-Tort Dude....siiiiiiiick, Marc! SO good. Can't WAIT for the boards!!!

@mccuem Seriously...I always do!!

Boom...bringing a local singer/songwriter friend...see you there!!! Thanks!

@damian Thanks, Damian!

Heyyyy....I'm right here!!! Who dat, @officious-Tort ?

Nerds…the August 10th, 2018 show at The Chesterfield Amphithteater might not be remembered as the set of the summer…after all, they played their first Bonnaroo and are gearing up for Lockn’. Peach Fest ushered in the mythically unforgettable whipping rains that caused Brian’s pedal to fart out, leaving Jordan to lead the rhythm section of All In jamming’. Surely it wouldn’t have the mystique of the Element Festival with the Cressman/Hartwick and Hann sit-ins and the best Lonely to date…in CANADA!!!! They used their PASSPORTS, for heaven’s sake!!! And I’m sure that for those lucky enough to catch the late night set at Hi-Fi in Indy, it couldn’t possibly touch THAT Nerdvaganza, not only for it being the lengthiest of the summer sets (1 hour and 45 minutes, I’m told), but for the sole fact that it was an opportunity for the Nerd faithful to gather, as they often do, to show appreciation with our own kind for our favorite jam quartet. It’s a Spafford late night set…need I say more? Actually, I think I will…

It MIGHT have even been forgotten except for one simple fact. I was in the audience…and I will certainly never forget the “Major Rager,” aptly named for it having occurred the same weekend as the PGA Championship Golf Tourney, which, if you’re not a golf fan, was also one for the ages. And any time I can unexpectedly snag a really cool print; when I have the opportunity to meet the man, the myth, the legend himself Chuck Johnson; and when, in the same evening, I can convert a new Nerd…well…it’s a memorable night.

And given the circumstances surrounding the security staff at the venue and the weather that had plagued the area all day, it MIGHT have been dubbed The Chesterfield Chafing (best I could do), The Missouri Uncompromise, the Show-Me State ShitShow, given how it began. Sheets of pouring rain battered my cousin’s white Infinity Mom-mobile as I drove 15 minutes north to the home of my college friend, musician/producer extraordinaire Lenny Mink. The entire drive I’m thinking, “Rain? Again? I JUST went through this at Peach…at least I was prepared for that.” Then again, it’s Spafford, so all I could think of was Bill Murray in Caddyshack. “I don’t think the heavy stuff’s gonna come down for quite a while.”

Lenny and I hung out at his place for a bit, hung out at his studio, a puff and vodka. Lenny is Russian, so vodka is always on tap…though this one was from Hawaii. Who knew?? At about 5:45, I’m so antsy to get to the venue but also to play him some Spafford in the car to warm him up. My jam du jour? ETS sammy from Terrapin Crossroads, of course! I was so frustrated because the Infinity wouldn’t connect to my phone via bluetooth, so I kept holding it up so he could hear exactly what they were doing as ETS gave way to Alternate Ending, then back to the reprise of ETS, those joyful climactic major changes kicking it just as we hit the seemingly sparse parking lot scene.

The Chesterfield intimate outdoor venue nestled conveniently in this midwestern suburb’s Central Park, in front of a small lake and around the corner from a YMCA.

The venue had one sidewalk on which the main line eventually formed but was completely empty when we arrived. I soon realized that because of the heavy rain, which had since slowed to a steady but harmless drizzle, most people stayed in their cars to party. When we finally made our way towards the entrance about 15 minutes later, a line had formed of couple of hundred people. Since Lenny and I had to pick up our tickets at Will Call, we left the line and headed over to the window. That was the first sign of trouble.

The ticket window peeps couldn’t seem to find anyone’s tix. I heard them ask at least 3 other parties in front of me “When did you buy your tickets?” Good God. Well, I got the same question and when she finally “found” mine, she handed me a paper ticket, saying to me, “Ok now I’m going to have to give you a paper ticket.” I’m thinking…okaaayyyy…how else would you have given it to me, on a sandstone tablet? Bar code tattoo?” Suffice to say these people had some issues to sort out.

We go back to the line…Spafford was set to take the stage at 6:30. 6:15, 6:20, no movement…6:25…we moved up maybe 15 feet. At 6:30 I’m thinking, “Well, they’re not going to take the stage with all these people standing out here. I mean, that would be ludicrous, right? Breeeeeaaathe….

I’m wearing my Spaffnerds on the Rocks shirt…yes, so the band can see that I will go anywhere, anytime to see them and for other Nerds to recognize me and maybe say hello. Heck, maybe Cam will see my shirt, recognize me as the guy who caught one of the sticks at Red Rocks and, like Mean Joe Green in the old Coca Cola commercial, walk through the crowd and hand me a stick, patting me on the shoulder, saying “To match the other one.” (Spoiler alert…that didn’t happen.)

Suddenly, the boys take the stage…opening chords of People…my blood is now on full boil.

Some backstory…3 days prior, Tuesday, was a travel nightmare. 14 hours from LA to Winston-Salem, up at 6 the next morning to work all day on my feet at a BMW dealership training people, then a 6 hour drive to Atlanta in the worst thunderstorms I’ve ever seen…and I mean EVER…then overnight at a friend’s house in Atlanta, then a flight Friday to St. Louis, so now I FINALLY get to relax…orrrrrr I am in the midst of yet another nightmare. W. T. F!!!!!

I walk past the patrons up front. I approach the security staff. I’m clearly upset, but keep telling myself “What would Buddy Pierce do?” (see Solana Beach 2/28/18) Well, Buddy ain’t here, so I am pleading w them without getting TOO angry, that it’s insane they can’t process us through any faster, that some of us are here JUST to see the band that is now playing one of my favorite songs. AND they’re only playing for an hour…or so I thought.

Long and short of it is…the security team just didn’t give a shit about expediting people into the venue. Regardless of whether the weather almost canceled the show and there were delays and a curfew, that’s all fine and good. But as a team, they should’ve adjusted to the situation. And THAT’s…one to grow on…

NOW…getting back to that paper ticket?…Yeah, I found out as we finally approached the entrance that they processed the e-tickets first and made those with the paper tickets wait, which seemed rather ludicrous, but I’m tired of talking about the staff, let’s get on to the music!!! I finally reach the entrance and, as an extra little F-U, the dude takes about 15 seconds to put my paper bracelet on my wrist. Try counting out 15 seconds while missing Spafford jamming out on People and see if your head doesn’t explode…(spoiler alert: it WILL!)

I dart into the venue , Lenny following close behind, looking on like I’m his unruly child run wild at an amusement park. This is what I love about Spafford…I make a Bee(jam)line right for the front middle…and within 30 seconds, I’m right behind the guy on the rail, Lenny behind me, my eyes locked on Brian (and he on mine, twinkle twinkle) as he is building towards the climax before lyric re-entry, Dunh duuuuuunnnhh…dunnnnhhhhhh….duuuunnnnhhh “People like me and youuuuuuuu…” It is, as it always is…a sublime opening number, the syncopated funk beckoning to the primarily Umphrey’s crowd to reconsider if they were only half listening to the boys from Prescott. A smile and a sigh washes over me. I feel awful for Lenny not having experienced the complete song, but it’s out of my control. I surrender, I breathe, all is well. It’s time to get funky.

It might have been serendipitous that we missed half of People because, apropos of a FB conversation last week about what song to play if one is introducing another to Spafford, they played what I consider to be the ultimate song in the Spafford starter kit…The Remedy!! In my opinion, it has all of the ingredients to make an instant Nerd. Great lyrics, a great hook, a great jam, a funky beat, a thrilling climax and, most importantly - and the reason why they set themselves apart from so many other jam bands - HEART!

Now mind you, I’ve seen The Remedy live 5 times (Bing, Spaffbase!) and it never disappoints…but there was something about this one that was different. I don’t recall Brian being this inventive up and down the neck as he was on this take and it reinforced why I stalk his fingers (that sounds so vile) throughout every show. You just never know what’s coming next. I remember throwing my hands up in disbelief several times during the jam thinking “I just…I can’t even…what is going ON and why can’t I have this every day?!?!?!” I turn to Lenny, a guitarist of 30 years, who says “These guys can JAM! And his tone is amazing…you just don’t hear that kind of tone from a lot of these bands.” I agree, of course.

Whenever the double tap of the opening chords of Backdoor Funk ring out with just enough space and just enough time to hear those “in the know” to cry out in delight, I am instantly reminded of the 7 I’ve heard live (Bing AGAIN, Spaffbase stats!) and the dozens on my phone that, wherever I am, transport me to another planet. When I hear those chords, my entire body is jolted into excitement and I am instantly excited not only to hear my 7th Backdoor live, but also for Lenny, who gets to hear another quintessential Spaff tune with yet another great hook and some killer funk. Lenny may have had accolades for Brian, but he was gaga over Cam on the kit. This one also never disappoints, but again, there seems to be some higher level that these jams are achieving this summer which is preparing us for fall tour of limitless exploration. Whether we will get more of these so-called Type 2 jams, I can’t say, but the freedom and inventiveness in their builds are reaching new heights of exploration.

Right in the middle of the jam, I had the first of two heartwarming moments for a dyed-in-the-wool Nerd. Guy BEHIND me...tall, dreads, we had exchanged a few knowing glances, he's checking out my shirt, finally he is right behind me, I can feel his breath in my ear and I’m thinking, “I’m either 1) being offered drugs, getting hit on or stabbed to death with a letter opener…slow, methodical, bloody, silent death. He whispers in my ear “Shhh…don't tell anyone, I’m leaving right after these guys, they're who I came to see.” I look at him. "Me too, though we’re gonna stay for a bit, my buddy wants to see a little Umph....but I hear ya, man!" He gives me the thumbs up. I turn back a moment later and say quietly (don't wanna be a chomper, after all!!) "They're the best." He yells "The BEST! I haven't been this excited about a band in 20 years!" I mouth back "Me too." Hey, its not a knock on the closing band, but I was there specifically for Spafford.

After Backdoor ends, Lenny is hooked. The guy in front of me…bald, mid-40’s, turns to his friend, lets out a sigh like he has just had the shit kicked out of him in the best possible way, then turns to me and says, "I haven't had my face melted like this in 15 years." I shed an invisible tear of pride and joy.

We all take a much needed breath…the crowd is all…in. The opening chords of Electric Taco Stand kick in, I am both elated and racked with guilt. I just played this for Lenny in the car!!! Doh!! Why didn’t I pick the Solana Windmill or one of 15 amazing In the Eyes of Thieves, that would have covered the entire 20 minute drive from his house!! I turn to Lenny, apologizing profusely. He doesn’t give a shit, he’s lovin’ it!!!

But what I thought would be a delicious taco sammy smothered with Alternate Ending demi glace or Dis Go in 5? aioli turns out to be a mere appetizer…but…like…a crab cake appetizer at the best seafood restaurant in America that you choose to eat for dessert because you like sweets, but you loooooove crab.

They bid us farewell…wait, it’s only 7:15! A 40 minute set?!?!? Guess the rain and the curfew forced their hands...)But what a 40 minutes…

Epilogue: Lenny and I walk up to the mercy table. I introduce myself. “Hey, I’m Marc. How’s it goin’? What’s your name?” “I’m Chuck.” “Oh cool…Chuck…(as I’m trying to think of a way to basically ask “Why are you here?”) And he says “Chuck Johnson.” “Oh cool, great to meet you, Chuck.” And I start in on how amazing the set was and a quick debrief of the door situation and that’s when he says, “Up until 5:45, we didn’t think the show was going to happen at all.” That’s when the pre-show events started to create some kind of narrative in my mind. And every time he spoke about the band, he said “We…” Finally I realized, okay this guy is an integral part of this organization, I should probably know him. And then 30 seconds later, it hit me. I’m talking to THE Chuck Johnson! Chatted for a few more minutes, bought the Major Rager print and was on my way.

All in all, a fantastic set with a few hiccups pre-show, but what a tight, albeit short, set, with some surefire highlights. Please forgive the lack of band photos in this post, as I try not to take my phone out when Spafford takes the stage and I figure everyone else is taking pics for me. Guess I'm old-fashioned.

See you in Chicago October 5th, Nerds!!!!!!

Hmmm...INNNNNteresting...I MAY be down for that. I'm a singer. What day are you thinking?

Awesome review!!!

@PhillySpaffnerd Haha...didn't even notice that...and you probably won't ever read this...but it's all good!

@Fine-Gina What time do you anticipate this meetup starting??