Better late than never...
To say I was excited for this show is an understatement. I threw this trip together at the last minute and acquired a traveling partner, my longtime friend, Andrew, to join me so everything dovetailed together perfectly. The long ride from western NY went smoothly. We rolled into Hartford a little road weary but ready for some musical sustenance.
Our hotel was a five minute walk from Arch St, which was ultra kind. I love these kind of arrangements because I can cut loose and not have to worry about driving. Cheers!!
Arch St. is a nice little venue. I especially liked the patio. It was beautiful out and the door was open and you could be outside and hear everything. Choice. We settled in as the boys were setting up and soundchecked the Chase. Oh yeah! It's happening. I am finally seeing the band since June 2019.
The drink was catching up with me. We adjourned to the patio for some fresh air and wait for the show to start. We met a colorful character or two and the band was out there too. Just relaxing, chatting with fans.
I was kinda Lit at this point. I turned around and the Branch is standing there. I muttered something unintelligible and guttural and he politely nodded. I decided to spare him my drunken ramblings and slid over the the outside bar. Andrew was talking to some cat and he hands me a one hitter. Now, herb and alcohol, for me at least, is a volatile mix. The sweet spot is sweet, but the dark side is not so much fun. Bam! The spins hit me. What a noob!
Just then I hear sounds from the stage. Oh shit, the show is starting. I am feeling ROUGH. This sucks. I spent most of the first set outside because of what shape my condition was in. I needed space and air. Slowly, I gathered my bearings as the set went on, and I'll get back to that.
The band started to jam and it sounded very relaxed. Later did I find out that Adrian was playing with a bad back. To this day I still don't know how he played. I have had back episodes, and I couldn't imagine trying to play drums like that.
Sundance emerged and that struck a chord in me. A Sundance opener is about as ser as you can get. A few other tunes also qualify, but I immediately felt that we were in for a great show.
Dig was a surprise treat, and what was even better was the jam that followed. You don't always hear a jam after Dig, and this flowed into a great Puppetry. Chris kicked off Slack with some fat bass. Check it! Rufus was excellent and wrapped up an eclectic set quite nicely.
By setbreak I was feeling 1000 times better. My feet barely touched the ground when the opening notes of TFA emerged from the PA. I love Language. I always have. I always hope to hear it at every show. It was mind bending how they wove into the Funk Affliction.
Joe Scialla then stepped up to give Adrian a break, and I was impressed with his playing. I don't think just anyone can keep up with these maniacs.
Question Mark was simply beautiful. Man, we got treated to some nugs tonight! The end cascaded into the highlight of the night: The Grand Over Exposure of Things! It was every bit as good as you would think. I was in awe drinking in every moment the best I could. It's these moments that make me happy beyond words.
No encore was needed tonight. They said everything that they needed to say. My soul felt full. I love this band! See you in '22.
Listen to this show!!
