Just got tix to the Outlaw Music Festival here, and I would not even consider going if AK wasn't gonna be there
So, yesterday was the day.
Keep in mind that I have never seen any of these acts before, and besides Willie's hits and a lot of AK, other than hearing of (most of) them, I have not heard maybe more than a song or two from each...also keeping in mind that I had my wife (who had one of her reallllllly annoying days leading up to this), and the SIL (who aided in driving me insane by her and my wife's multiple patented bickering battles throughout said earlier part of the day) with me, and I was in a rather foul mood going in...
In order of appearance:
*Local female singer - sorry, but we did not get there in time
.
*Dawes - they were...fine
*Old Crow Medicine Show - see my comments below.
*Alison Krauss - Couple of unusual things, here: 1) Before her set, they changed from the generic "Outlaw Music Festival" backdrop curtain and plain sets to apparently AK's current stage design, complete with props, etc.; 2) She was third on the bill...? Hmmm, although I would find out why later.
She did a "best-of" type set, focusing on her familiar hits. After the third song or so, she did request that the lighting guy turn the lights down a bit, as she "feels like I'm being interrogated up here"...well, anyway, she sang like an angel as always, her band (2/5 of Union Station, and the rest) were, of course, incredibly tight and perfect...but I don't know - I think maybe she was trying to bring intimacy into an arena setting, and it just didn't seem to work for me. It didn't help that my wife was talking to me throughout "When You Say Nothing At All", which is an all-timer for me. I would like to see her and US do their own thing in a theater setting down the road.
*The Avett Brothers - Yes, and I had heard of them, and I know one or two of you had mentioned them here before, so I was kind of looking forward to their set. My first impression: I wanted to punch them. Seriously. By the second song, though, I was hooked. They are definitely something different from any live band I had experienced before. Great songs, great energy, and just enough quirkiness that sets them apart. Plus, I did not know they were THAT popular - hell, the majority of the house were singing along with a lot of their stuff, and they got the biggest responses of the night. Would go see again... set the stage for
*Willie.
Hoo, boy...
A pox on me for not checking him out maybe a decade or two earlier. His set is what I had the most trepidation for, and unfortunately, I was not far off in my low expectations. Yes, he is a legend. Yes, it was good to see the man, but...sorry, he just doesn't have it anymore. His voice is gone, and as
@Wyatt said earlier in the thread, his timing is off. Having seen videos of his live performances in the past, I can't remember how his usual touring band was configured, but on this night, there was only one guitar player, and that was Willie. With "Trigger", and Trigger was mixed REALLY loudly, which was a huge detriment to the music, because you could hear everything coming out of ol' Trigger - and it was not good. While he could mostly hit the chords and notes, his rhythm and timing way just so far off, and with the guitar almost drowning out everything else in the mix, it just sounded horrible (side note: for all of the other acts, the audio mix was near-perfect; we had floor seats 20 rows back dead center).
Having been there for 7 hours, we decided to leave the fifth song in. We're old, it was getting late, and I had to be up early to hit the road for work this morning. While I felt a bit bad walking out early, we were far from being the only ones.
So, if you have come this far, let me bring you back to who IMO stole the show:
Old Crow Medicine Show.
HOLY BALLS, are these dudes FANTASTIC!!! Talented as hell, and man, do these guys know how to put on a show. A mix of bluegrass, old C/W, gospel and punk rolled into one big party. My quick research reveals that they have been around for 20-odd years or so, so why have I never heard of them?!?!?!!. We will be seeking them out and seeing them again for sure.
