Dawgs and Cats
It felt strange walking down the block to a 6 pm show - with the sun fully out on the first day of Daylight Savings. Having no idea what to expect musically from the band (they have only one Spotify album), I was curious to hear what was in store.
Walking in, I had forgotten what a warm and welcoming room Park City is (300 cap).
As we got our spot in the space Sam Grisman, lead singer, bassist, and son of legendary mandolin player David (Dawg) Grisman stood in front of us, casually watching a camera being installed with a ladder in the center of the room. Job finished, someone snapped his photo and the band took the stage.
It features an eclectic assortment of songs, including two Beatles covers "I Got A Feeling" a first set highlight, and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" as an encore. An early "Brown-Eyed Women" in the first set that got the Deadhead crowd excited.
We took advantage of set break to move even closer, landing in the second row. If you haven't experienced a show from this vantage lately, it can't really be described. Not only does the music sound better, but you also catch every interaction between band members. You may as well be in the band. And for that time, nothing else in life matters. You are in the experience.
Other highlights included "Sitting in Limbo", a fantastic cover of Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away" (the band was due for a 15-hour road trip the next day), and of course a healthy dose of Garcia and Grisman songs including "Russian Lullaby" and "Birdsong". My favorite jam of the night came during was a beautiful "Cat's Under the Stars" to close the show - featuring Jack Brownstein of Eggy -who played on a number of tunes.
"Cats on the bandstand, Give'em each a big hand,
Anyone who sweats like that must be all right.
No one wants to fight; no blackeye,
Just another cat beneath the stars tonight"
For all the talk of inflated tickets and big stars, this show was wallet-friendly, in a beautiful venue with no lines and clean bathrooms, access to the stage, with a band full of talented men playing songs mostly familiar, with a new twist. Trading licks and smiles. All that and home by 10 pm - that's my kind of Dawg.
Comentários