The Flatlanders Save My Soul
Jason and the Scorchers may have cured the common cold at the Castle Theatre in Bloomington but the Flatlanders saved my soul. JESUS H. CHRIST (sorry Debbie)....they were fanfreakinTASTIC. Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. I whooped, I hollered. Ernie whooped, he hollered. Our faces hurt from grinning through the entire show. I stomped my feet in joy. I DID! When Jimmie Dale started introducing Lefty Frizzell's Saginaw, Michigan (from his great covers album) I started flailing my arms around and chirping until Ernie put his hand on my shoulder and said, "steady, girl."
Oh my. Oh, and Heather, Heather, HEATHER....I enjoyed it enough for you too I promise. I've seen some great shows in the last couple of years but this one.....ohhhhhh....this one......
We got there and found they had tables on the main floor which was nice. We sat a couple of rows back at a big old table with a couple of older guys with impressive cowboy hats. Opening act was the guy from Backyard Tire Fire. I've heard a song or two of theirs but that's about it and I gotta say I was pleasantly impressed. Worth investigating. I was sorry to see there wasn't a bigger crowd---primarily because I want the place to do well---they're booking such great shows (not all just my kind of stuff---but other stuff as well---go look at their website...it's a great place to see a show!). As soon as they guys came out and did their first song though the crowd went nuts. "We're small but mighty," I leaned over and told Ernie....and indeed, the crowd was as crazy about them as we were. Oh, oh, oh....and Butch Hancock! I know him mostly through songs of his done by others---and by reputation---but he was wonderful! I loved his voice and his whole presence. In fact....if I was at a party with all three of them I think I'd want to hang out with him and listen to his comments from the side of his mouth every so often. Of course maybe that wouldn't work because I'd be staring at Jimmie Dale the whole time just the way Owen did when we saw Jason. Sometimes there are no freaking words.... And of course Joe Ely has that incredibly powerful presence and he looked happy....sometimes when one of the other guys were singing it was nice to watch him watching them. And the whole band sounded great----with the great Robbie Gjersoe, a bassist I didn't catch the name of, and a cute drummer who brought down the average age by quite a bit.
I told myself I wasn't going to video any songs because I don't do that good a job and then I have to think about that rather than just wallowing in the moment....but I couldn't help myself when they started Colin Gilmore's "The Way We Are." So forgive the bad quality and cut off intro....this is just for me and Heather.
Oh, and Heather...now go watch this one at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass because Jimmie Dale looks so cute when Colin is singing and he's positively dancing!
Amazing, amazing, amazing show. I hope you all get to see a show that makes you this happy.....