New England Summer 2010

[pam_q_la]

Delightful evening in Salisbury Massachusetts!

Love that venue, directly on the ocean.
Shared a table with Margie, Frank & Rowena, lovely.
I can't really comment on sound 'cause, so close to the stage, we missed most of the speakers.

Great opening entertainment by Los Straitjackets!
I'm a new giant fan.
I think they were down one guitar (just 2).
I love the Mexican wrestling masks too - just a tiny bit of schtick - really appropriate!

Sonny, Dave and Brian - on fire!

Switched around setlist a bit - exciting!
I always hate that things must be dropped.
No South of I-10!

New Hendrix cover "I Don't Live Today".
Really want to hear that again!!!
Those may be the darkest lyrics...
Sonny said he chose it 'cause it captured something of the grief of the gulf oil disaster.

They were still recovering from the trip to Italy.
Sonny was totally pumped by jammin' with a particular guitar player in Italy during the Hendrix tribute..
Can't remember the guy's name and can't find it.
(William - any guesses?)

Sonny mentioned Crossroads 2010, he was honored to open, and delighted that Eric chose to sit in again.
They are working on producing the track for the DVD.

No word on guests for the new instrumental CD, but they are recording next week!

PS - In case anyone else had the impression that Congo Square is back
revamped, I asked and I guess it ain't.

[Mona Lisa]

Amen to what she said. Really enjoyed getting to meet the UKrewe reps in attendance. Frank got a birthday song from Sonny.

Sounds like the Hendrix cover will be a fixture in the set list for a while, so everyone should get a chance to hear it. It sounded great. I love it when new stuff shows up!

Los Straightjackets were a trip. The masks are a bit more than a "tiny bit" of a schtick, IMO. The ones with eye holes are pretty unnerving, when you can see them looking right at you from the stage. But they were a lot of fun and the surf music is so different from what you usually hear before Sonny! I think they may be the only opener for him that I've ever seen get an encore.

[pam_q_la]

Another fabulous evening!
We couldn't have had better weather for this short New England run.
Tupelo's had a full house (only holds about 250).
We were front row, feet on the stage.
Jimmy offered us ear plugs, but they weren't necessary - sound was great.

I'm so lucky to see this band so often - this time was not routine - it's all shook up.
They are doing segues between songs now - love that!
New intro to Promised Land was great.

I'm looking forward to hearing the reviews after the PA show.
Is that new sound equipment?

Can't wait for a tape of I Can't Live Today to come out...
It gelled for me tonight - most awesome new song - and Brian totally owns this!

Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say
Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say
But I know for sure
I don't live today

Sonny didn't sing the middle verses.





And, please note the eleve´ in this pic - Sonny was on his toes quite a bit!

[zeke1]

Los Straightjackets are ok once....more times and they get old. the masks really keep you from "connecting" with the musicians...they are like robots...their only personality is in their playing. I've seen them 4 times, and the best time was a cobill with the Iquanas...and the Straightjackets have Big Sandy (from the Fly right boys) as a guest vocalist. THAT set was great, funny, and had a lot of personaility to it. the other 3 times with no unmasked vocalist were mechanical...good, but mechanical

[jacquelinj]

Thank you Pam and Margie!!! Just loved your take on the shows, all the newsy tidbits, AND the wonderful pics of Sonny riding about 2 inches above the stage.

[HelterSkelter]

As Pam says, what a *wonderful* weekend.
The Friday night show at Salisbury Beach was only a warm-up -- the Saturday night performance at the Tupelo Hall was wonderfully out of this world. No support act so we got a longer Sonny set (yaay: that's what Frank and I crossed the ocean for) with a couple (three?) of extra tracks, inc Gone Pecan and Zydecoldsmobile, plus all the usual suspects in their finest plumage, and a magnificent rendition of some Hendrix*. Dave and Brian were on top, top form too. It probably helped that we, the audience, were less than five feet away from the band, so could see every single fingerpick and pull-off -- the boys were definitely playing to the crowd. Who loved it. Heckuva a positive feedback loop going on there!

Really pleased to meet Pam and Margie and Lianne too, and I must send apologies to Judy cos (just call me dimwit) I forgot to take the thing I was supposed to be delivering! Too much excitement.
Thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome. And special thanks for the lovely gesture of Frank's birthday song. We're all still warm and fuzzy (or mebbe that's the jetlag!).
Now looking for the next trip. Can't make the Netherlands in Oct, which is downer!

Oh, and if anyone else ever goes to this venue in Londonderry NH, we can thoroughly recommend the Tiffany Gardens B&B which is about three miles away. We nearly didn't come home...

R


*But so, so sad. Yes, I know it's the blues. But 'I don't live today' is more like the Bitters than the blues!

[Mona Lisa]

So glad to get to meet you two. Any chance you can find Sonny a venue in Cornwall???? I want to see the fake Tintagel.

[pam_q_la]

JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE "I Don't Live Today" 2/24/69 @ Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZomgpDd1ZmA

[pam_q_la]

From Frank's camera:





Rowena Rocks!

[HelterSkelter]

<< Any chance you can find Sonny a venue in Cornwall???>>

Hey. Stranger things happen. As it goes, we have an annual week-long JazzFest in our local seaside town (which is nothing like Salisbury Beach!) every August. Frank and I were thinking that our fave bottle rocket combo would feel right at home...

http://www.budejazzfestival.co.uk/