Then after much anticipation, the curtain was lifted to reveal Jason Hann and Michael Travis elevated above the stage and enclosed by the giant lotus flower.  For the next hour and a half it was non-stop EOTO madness.  They shifted styles throughout the night, turning on a dime and varying the music from dubstep to house and everything in between.

It was a special show, being the debut of their new stage rig and also due to the film crew who documented the whole show for a later release.  Musically, the boys delivered what I’ve come to expect from an EOTO show: organic, hard, bass driven music.  Much like a String Cheese Incident show, this show was just as much about the friends in attendance as it was about the music.  It was tough to do a 360 turn without seeing a familiar, glowing, smiling face.  If you’re reading this page, no doubt you have experienced the same thing at an EOTO show too.

Thank you to Jason, Travis, Zebbler, Encanti, Chris, Shibby and the rest of the crew for doing what you do.  Till next time…

Photos by Margaret Quigley

Photos by Margaret Quigley

12/31/11 (Sat)  Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO 

Set 1: Railroad Earth, Happy Song, Carrying Coal to Newcastle, Mission Man, Everything Comes Together

Set 2: Right in Tune, The Green Roofs of Eireann > Birds of America, Dance Around Molly > Dandelion Wine, The Cuckoo, Sometimes a River (A), Gold Rush

Set 3: Railroad Earth Jungle Jam > Mayan God Kukulkan Countdown to 2012 > Son of Mr. Green Genes > Spring-Heeled Jack, Give That Boy a Hand, Magic Foot > Luxury Liner, Warhead Boogie > Storms, Water Fountain Quicksand, E: Hard Livin’, All Things Must Pass (B), Peace on Earth

Comment: (A) With Keith Moseley on electric guitar and shared lead vocals with Todd Sheaffer. (B) First time played, written by George Harrison.

Photos by Elizabeth Drews

Railroad Earth with Kyle Hollingsworth and Dumptruck Butterlips 12-30-11

For the second time in two years I headed down to the Ogden to catch Railroad Earth for a night of their New Year’s run. Last year I saw them with Great American Taxi on NYE, this year I headed down on the 30th mainly because the show included a sit-in with Kyle Hollingsworth. Including my trip to Chicago this would be the fifth time in a month seeing Kyle live. Amy picked me up from work and we headed out to a nice sushi dinner before heading over to the box office. We hit up Pete’s Monkey Bar to catch a bit of the Phish live stream from MSG before walking back to The Ogden to see the opening act. On the MusicMarauders Live podcast Tim Carbone talked highly of Dumptruck Butterlips so I figured we should get in early to catch them.

Hailing from Lawrence Kansas, this four-piece acoustic act was interesting to say the least.  With an odd lineup consisting of three ladies on accordion, washboard, and upright bass and a gentleman on guitar. The most striking element of Dumptruck Butterlips was their vocal harmonization. They had a Midwest hometown feel to their sound. They sang about heavy drinking without fear of throwing an f-bomb or two into their lyrics. At times musically they showed their freshness to the scene, but the overall effect of their performance was enjoyable. They finished their set with Tim Carbone and Adam Goessling. They were a good choice for the opening act and a group I will keep an eye on in the future.

Railroad Earth came onto the stage around 9:30 PM. Kyle’s keys were set up but he waited a few numbers before making his way to his rig. They opened with a funky Walk Beside Me led by Andrew Altman on electric bass. Here is the rest of the setlist from Archive.

SET I: Walk Beside Me, Lordy, Lordy, Bread and Water, Little Bit O’ Me, Stillwater Getaway, The Hunting Song, Mourning Flies, Said What You Mean, Long Way To Go

SET II: Old Man and the Land, Head> Will it Go Round in Circles, Bringin’ My Baby Back Home, The Forecast> The Man Who Invented Sin> Mighty River> Like a Buddha, Elko

Encore: I’ve Just Seen a Face, Bird in a House

Note: Kyle joined on The Hunting Song and stayed for the remainder of the show.

The audience recording is available on ARCHIVE, thanks to Gerry Gladu for posting.
http://www.archive.org/details/rre2011-12-30

The first stet ebbed and flowed as far as the energy level was concerned. The 16 and up age limit made for an interesting mix in the crowd. From screaming x-handed noobs to old deadheads the fanbase was as diverse as the music performed. The rolling and tumbling Lordy, Lordy got everyone’s juices flowing. The Bread and Water succeeded keeping the vibe at a fever pitch before the Little Bit O’ Me deflated the room a bit. Musically Railroad Earth sounded as tight as I’ve seen them, but without the urgency of their opening set at Red Rocks this summer. They meandered into the show with a confidence and comfort often reserved for night two of three nights run. Carbone played the fiddle beautifully on Stillwater Getaway jumping back and forth between an almost symphonic presentation and an outright hoedown. Kyle Hollingsworth took his place at the keys on The Hunting Song. Kyle added the ragtime feel of an old-timey saloon. Inherently there are certain gaps in RRE’s sound; them being a Newgrass band, Kyle’s keys filled them in nicely. It was great to see Andrew Altman really stepping it up on bass. He alternated between electric and standup and really seemed to be finding his footing in the band. I was also truly impressed with Sheaffer’s vocals, which went from clean and crisp to almost Dylanesque as in Said What You Mean. They closed the set with a raucous sing-along on Long Way To Go.

The second set overall had a much more consistent flow and vibe. Railroad eased into set two with a bouncy and scenic Old Man and the Land before ripping into a massive 18 minute Head. The jamming showed some serious tightness and ability from all of the members including Kyle. Everyone was ready to lock in and take the ride. They ripped into a Kyle-led version of Billy Preston’s Will It Go Round in Circles. The haunting melody of The Forecast segued into the instrumental The Man Who Invented Sin. The Mighty River went quickly before RRE exploded into a powerful Like A Buddha. Again clocking in at over 18 minutes this was by far the highlight of the entire show. They closed the second set with an equally strong Elko. It was like the band just turned on the turbo boosters on the last four songs of the show.

They encored with a quick I’ve Just Seen a Face and fun Bird in a House. The crowd left happy and energized from this stellar show. While the first set came on slower, the second set, particularly the end, more than made up for it. As we exited into the cold night of Denver we were stoked on the whole experience. Railroad Earth has a habit of performing remarkably. They have such a strong fanbase and have continued to play exceptional shows out on the Front Range that I see nothing but good things for them. I was happy to catch a night of RRE’s New Year’s run and would recommend that everyone do the same. However it was time to head home because I opted to see The Motet and Euforquestra for New Year’s Eve in Fort Collins. That would prove to be another solid choice.

Review, Photos and Videos by Nicholas Stock

They jammed seamlessly into Missin’ Me, a great Kyle song that I had never heard live before. They pulled out a few songs I had never heard them play before, including Dudleys Kitchen and my personal favorite Hotel Window. The only part of the first set that rubbed me the wrong way was the jam our of Joyful Sound. Its such a beautiful song, that I feel a little weird about the heavy drum and bass ending to such a light and sentimental song.  I have always enjoyed the original jam much more, just because I think it fits the song better.

On the other hand, if they hadn’t gone heavy with the drums and bass on Joyful Sound then it may have been a slightly more awkward transition into Howard (which blew my mind).  Howard is such an amazing song, and I love the switch from its heavy metal like verses to its light hearted and jumpy chorus.   They definitely ended the first set on a high note, and had everyone more excited than ever, I heard more conversations dedicated to the calling of songs than ever before in the lobby of the Georgia Theatre at set break.

I called the Sand Dollar and they opened the second set with it, which is always a great feeling.  The transition into Cant Stop Now was extremely confusing for everyone I was with. We all thought they were going into Born on the Wrong Planet, and it seemed like they were all vying for a different song. That or they had conflicting set lists and couldn’t figure out who had the correct one.  Billy came to microphone at one point and began to sing something, but then stopped and the band resumed their light hearted argument over what song to play. Keith brought it all home and started the Cant Stop Now, which ended everyones confusion for the most part.  After the rather confusing interlude into Cant Stop Now they played Water which I felt was appropriate given its calming nature.

Cottonmouth jam was epic to say the least, and then they whipped out a new song called BollyMunster.   A mixture of Bollywood music and heavy celtic trance, this is a new Rivertrance or Valley of the Jig like song.  It was dirty in the best way possible, and we got down to follow suit.  My examination after the show shows me that most people loved the new song, while others couldn’t put their finger on what the song sounded like. A few people told me that the Bollywood music sounded like a DJ that they had already heard before, and that the whole time they heard the song they just kept waiting for the band to make it their own and they never did. With that being said, the song has amazing potential to be another coveted trance dance interlude if the band can make the Bollywood music their own some how.

The Close Your Eyes after BollyMunster was amazing, and I had been waiting to hear it for the whole tour.  That song reminds me that everything I need is within me. That I am all that is in the universe. Pretty great feeling to be reminded of in the middle of a dance party at the Georgia Theatre.

I had also never heard Round the Wheel played live before, and since I live in Colorado it certainly resonated with me.  We really have been waiting for the snow to fall out there, and I felt that the song itself, especially played in Athens, GA was an homage to the bands roots in Colorado. It was very fitting for this show and this tour, since most of the people who attended went through hell to get a ticket to the the 800 person venue.  Most of the Cheese brethren who attended had been seeing the band play for many many years.  The Round the Wheel closed the second set in such a way that I was reminded where they started and where they have come as a band over the last 18 years.

The encore was short and sweet, with just one song, but a great song at that.  I Know You Rider always gets me all sentimental, and I thought it was fitting that they played it for the encore since we would definitely miss them once they left the stage.  The whole show was incredible, and so intimate.  They really shed their skin in front of us, and experimented with new songs, and new jams in a venue that was the definition of intimate.  The  room had an incredible energy to it, a heightened sense of appreciation since what we were witnessing was so rare.  Thanks for such an amazing show boys! To Nashville, TN we go!

 Words by Julia Bentley

Photos by Brian Spady

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock(phatphlogblog.blogspot.com)

It was just a great decision to head out to Hodi’s on this particular Friday night in Fort Collins. The weather was nice and Amy and I rode our bikes down to Old Town for some Kyle-infused goodness. We had been waiting for well over a month for this show. It was the official kickoff of Kyle’s Hop On Tour 2011, which is a series of events throughout String Cheese Incident’s upcoming run and culminating with Kyle’s Brew Fest in Chicago. At Hodi’s, Kyle brought his collaboration with Odell’s Brewery titled “Thrilla in Vanilla”, a smoky but sweet vanilla porter. I found it to be quite clean and refreshing.

When we finally got inside, Roster McCabe was finishing up their opening set. They were like thrash jam juxtaposed against the harmonious vocals of Alex Steele. Roster McCabe hails from the frozen tundra of Minnesota. They are a diverse mix of reggae, funk and rock. Performing as a groove-oriented band with strong musicianship, they focused on the performance and brought a strong energy to their live experience. I was impressed with their sound and felt like they were a great choice for the opening slot.

Kyle Hollingsworth Band is perhaps my favorite String Cheese side project, and the addition of Michael Kang is like having your cake and eating it too. Kyle came out sans Kang and said to Watts, Sayers, and Schwindt, “We’re just gonna jam,” before ripping into a funky tune that quickly broke into “I Can’t Win”. Here is the rest of the setlist from Archive:

SET I: I Can’t Win, Latin Jam, Let’s Go Outside, Stay Through, Funk Jam, Boo Boo’s Pik-A-Nik

SET II: Rosie >Bonified Lovin’, Soul Revolution, Piece Of Mine, New Song, Ordinary, The Way That It Goes

ENCORE: Ramble On, I Can’t Win

(Setlist may be incorrect or incomplete)

Thanks to Eric Wilkens for posting the recoding which you can listen to here:

Kyle Hollingsworth Band Live at Hodi’s Half Note on November 18, 2011.

Kang came out for the “Latin Jam” and quickly showed the audience why he is the gravy on the mashed potatoes that is Kyle Hollingsworth Band. The lowdown was that for the SCI upcoming tour, Kang really didn’t have much time to practice with Kyle. It didn’t matter. He jumped right in with both feet and nailed it. Bringing out a couple of SCI songs, this show did a lot to invigorate the crowd.“Boo Boo’s Pik-A-Nik” was a blast, but the highlight of the first set was the transcendental jamming that showed the extreme musical prowess of everyone on stage. The Motet rhythm section of Dave Watts and Garrett Sayers in combination with Dan Schwindt, Kyle and Kang was just a sight to behold.

The second set began with an explosion when Kyle ripped up his new tune “Rosie” then moved into Chromeo’s “Bonified Lovin’”. It was perhaps the high point of the show, but there was so much more music to see. Kang busted out some more lyrics on “Soul Revolution”. Kang’s singing is an acquired taste, but given my love of Cheese, he hits the notes and his vocal duties with KHB were spot on. “Ordinary”, which had a more electro-pop feel in the recently released recording, had a harder edge with a snappier beat. They ended the set with a nice “Way That It Goes”. The encore of Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” was the unexpected treat of the evening. They just nailed it musically, and I was on Cloud 9 at this point. They bookended the show with “I Can’t Win” to wrap things up.

It was a great concert and a great way to start the Hop On Tour. With String Cheese Incident about to jump on the road for their first extended tour since their return from hiatus, this was a great way to get Kyle and Kang’s creative juice flowing. Stay tuned for J-man’s coverage of the run’s second night from Cervantes’.

www.rostermccabe.com

www.kylehollingsworth.com

Nicholas’s Photo Gallery

Photo by Pat Dollins

This past Halloween weekend, Railroad Earth hosted their first festival ever.  The Hangtown Halloween Ball, in sunny Placerville, CA featured three nights of music from some of the leading bluegrass and funk bands.  Friday night featured a special sound track performance of the classic film, Nosferatu, led by Railroad Earth.  Saturday morning I began the day with Poor Man’s Whiskey  who were mostly dressed as Mexican Mariachi players and one as a taco.  Their upbeat and energizing flavor of bluegrass was a great way to kick off the day.  They even did an acoustic song in front of the stage after their set was over.

Then it was Colorado natives Elephant Revival’s turn on stage. Their unparalleled singing abilities, paired with tasteful pickin’ took the crowd on an enjoyable music flight. Andy Goessling of Railroad Earth sat in for a couple songs.

Next up was the legendary David “Dawg” Grisman.  His sextet serenaded the crowd with classic Grisman tunes.  Before each tune, Grisman gave an introduction and brief history lesson about the song.  It was very informative and interesting.  Then it was 7 Walkers’ turn.  This band is led by Bill Kreutzmann, of the Grateful Dead.  Their sound is gritty and New Orleans influenced.  They played some great versions of classic Grateful Dead songs such as Sugaree and  He’s Gone.

David Grisman Sextet - Photo by Pat Dollins

Finally, it was time for the main event, Railroad Earth!  They took the stage and played their hearts out.  Bill Kreutzmann sat in for Elko and Mississippi Half Step, followed by members of Elephant Revival for Bird in a House.  The crowd loved it and flung cards in the air during the line “I need a card, I need a card, hit me but not too hard…” in the song Elko.  This clearly caught the band off guard but they all smiled and I could tell they were having a blast on stage.  After, the Funky Meters closed out the night in the barn stage.

Sunday began with the bluegrass foursome: Head for the Hills.  It was a nice and light way to welcome the day.  Then it was the eclectic Moonalice, backed by John Molo on drums.  And of course, there was a complimentary poster to go along with their show, which has become the norm at Moonalice shows.  Zach Deputy got the crowd on their feet and dancing with his one man soul dance party tunes.  Then it was time for Melvin Seals and JGB, a show which I was quite looking forward to.  They did not disappoint.  Their set featured a rocking Rhapsody in Red as well as some classic JGB gospel (Sisters & Brothers > I’ll Be with Thee > Mighty High - fitting for a Sunday afternoon show).

Then it was Railroad Earth’s turn to take the stage once more.  Jack-o-lanterns lined the stage from the power tool pumpkin carving workshop the day before, led by RRE’s John Skehan.  The crowd was warmed up and feeling good after such an amazing day of music. The band came out with their faces painted white and black (think KISS but classier).  They dove headfirst into Long Way To Go and proceeded to rip through tune after tune of flawless bouncy bluegrass.  The first set featured a few rare songs such as The Hunting Song and Peter Rowan’s Pulling the Devil by the Tail.  At some point, a considerable number of neon colored ladies thong underwear were tossed around the crowd and on stage.  Some of it landed on the band’s instruments though they played on. The second set was as perfect as I could have asked for.  It started out with a great version of Like a Buddah, then Lordy Lordy, Water Fountain Quicksand, Seven Story Mountain, Old Man and the Land, The Forecast, Warhead Boogie (where guitarist Todd Sheaffer broke a string, which sent the band into a psychedelic, suspenseful, heavy jam, led by Andrew Altman on bass).

Photo by David Tracer

Download EOTO’s 5 year anniversary show from Sonic Bloom for free!

Special Thanks to Zach Teator for the photos.

This past Saturday EOTO came to town. Let’s face it, EOTO is not SCI. EOTO is a whole other beast, a nonstop force of bass with one purpose: make the crowd dance and dance and dance. Nothing too profound there. Yet EOTO shows are still packed with eager young bass heads as well as veteran SCI fans, night after night.

I was happy to revisit the Paradise and see what EOTO had in store for Boston. This is the third time EOTO has played the Paradise and it was a full house. I showed up rocking an official String Cheese Radio tshirt and immediately met up with some local “cheeseoto” heads standing in line. I was also happy to see some friends who I met in Virginia at Hulaween 2011.

Boston native Supersillyus opened the show with his dubbed out psychedelic beats. A few lucky fans got to taste the homemade pancakes that the man in the viking hat was frying up on the side of the stage. I’ve seen Supersillyus a few other times and these pancakes seem to be a staple of his shows.

Next was Encanti, another Boston native. Encanti, a producer/dj and his VJ counterpart, Zebbler who are known together as the Zebbler Encanti Experience have been touring with EOTO since the start of this tour. Unfortunately, last week Zebbler had to part ways with EOTO to join Shpongle on his tour and operate the “Shpongletron”, a giant tower of screens which provide the backdrop for Zebbler’s intricate and imaginative video projections. Encanti dropped track after track of original bass heavy beats on the eager crowd, all the while dancing around the stage in some official EOTO booty shorts. Encanti was happy to oblige the front row by letting them grope and pull on his 8inch+ beard.

And then it was time. The crowd cheered and EOTO took the stage. I noticed Jason Hann had a microphone equipped headset, clearly an indicator of his affinity for live vocal clips. After a short sweeping and swooping intro, they dove head first into their trademarked dirty dubstep. The rest of the night passed in a glorious blur of audio and visual stimulation (Encanti has taken over the VJ duties in Zebbler’s absence). EOTO played one long set and didn’t come back for an encore. But it was enough, the crowd was dazed and I left the show satisfied.

All in all, I had a great time at the EOTO show. Lots of new and old friends and a good excuse to party. If you haven’t seen EOTO in a while, definitely catch them when they come to a city near you. Their visuals are fun and fresh and their sound is hard and heavy. Bring some friends, make some new ones, and tell ‘em String Cheese Radio sent you.

Review by: Jeremy Lach
Photos by: Lincoln Bryant (UnHeadUv.com)

Winter Carnival 2011, Night 1: A Fan’s Recollection.

We arrive to 1^st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO. First stop, the “lot”. I had a couple extra tickets to sell as well and only in a Cheese lot will hopeful attendees try to buy your extra for $40 less than face.  All the freaky people begin to gather – reuniting, laughing, and sharing stories from their last Incident just waiting to get their first taste of 2011 Cheese. I hear it’s the newly aged kind.

We walk into 1^st Bank just in time to catch the last bit of Ott. Tribal beats flow through the air and bodies are already grooving. Ott, turntable master based out of London, England, was a perfect warm-up for Winter Carnival. I was also hoping to see Ott sit in with Cheese later on in the show, but unfortunately that did not end up happening.

And then it’s time. The 6 members of the String Cheese Incident walk on stage – Keith Moseley, Michael  Kang, Billy Nershi, Kyle Hollingsworth, Jason Hann, and Michael Travis. It’s show time baby! “Alright!” Billy shouts as the crowd crescendos their excitement, “Where’ve ya’ll been?” (Nersh man, we’ve been right here, waiting for you guys to tour!) Cheese opens with “Smile”, which surprised me since they opened up with this last year at Hornings. But the crowd could care less.  Next comes the “Birdland” >“Flying Home Jam” >”Wheel Hoss” >“Birdland” segment. “Wheel Hoss” gets the crowd energized with this knee-slapping hootenanny.

Cheese delivered a solid sf“Sometimes a River” > “Black and White” >” Suntan” > “Don’t Say” > “Water” > “Colorado Bluebird Sky”. Kang supplied vocals and rockin’ mando on “Black and White” with strong keyboard support from Kyle. “Suntan” was dusted off and showcased Hann and Travis on percussion. I enjoyed “Don’t Say”, which lead to “Water” bringing a more pyscha, disco-funk sound than previous versions. “Colorado Bluebird Sky” ended the first set with an idyllic tune, written by Billy Nershi and his wife, Jillian.

Nersh walks out as ‘Rick James, bitch!’ and the second sets starts off light hearted and fun with “ÁBam!”> “Fuck You” > “ÁBam!”. Kyle, with help from this lovely back-up singers Moseley and Kang, led the vocals on Cee-lo Green’s  “Fuck You”. “Betray the Dark” followed and what could be an intense, trippy jam never really gets there.

Rivertrance has become a fan favorite thanks to Kang’s beautiful, energetic fiddle. It was difficult to make out Kang’s signature fiddle with Hann and Travis’ nitty, gritty Eoto influence. Towards the end we got to hear more of that fiddle jam that makes the guy in the front row, with crutches, jump to the moon.

“Cottonmouth”>“ Piece of Mine” > “Sweet Melinda” > “Big Shoes” > “Ramble On” made up the end of  the second set. Moseley soothes the soul with “Cottonmouth”. Love this tune, but frustrated that they don’t expand on this. Why don’t they jam this out? This song has been shortened down to less than 5 minutes over the years.  I thought it was interesting for Nershi to use his electric both on “Sweet Melinda” and “Big Shoes”.  The boys put in good effort during the last part of “Big Shoes”, but the drum kit drowned the others out.

Thursday’s encore started with “Barstool”, psyched they played it and Kyle’s keys definitely brought the spirit up in the jam.  For the first time, Cheese covered Chuck Berry’s tune, “Tore Up Over You”, reminiscent of the Jerry Gracia Band’s version. Moseley’s vocals were solid and, once again, Nershi sounded damn good on his electric.

Overall I enjoyed Thursday night and glad they dusted off some shelved tunes. It’s obvious that Cheese has taken a new approach on songs that they have played a hundred times over. Some may not like it, but I do appreciate how they translate their current influences to the performance. As always, each member brings their individual talent and together weave a weekend full of music and entertainment for their fans to get lost in.

Review: Ashley Sawtelle
Photos: Brian Spady

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

The String Cheese Incident has performed Winter Carnivals in the past; however, this was the band’s first since March 2007.  As a band that hasn’t “officially” been together since the summer of ’07, it was their first performance in Colorado since October of 2010 at the same venue for the Fourmile Canyon Revival show to raise money for the fire in Boulder Canyon.  Because they play a few select concerts together a year, it makes their performances that much more appealing and special.

Anticipation for the Winter Carnival began in the fall of 2010 when rumors of the concert surfaced.  Much like most ‘cheesy’ rumors, this one turned out to be true.  The announcement was made and the tickets began to sell this past January.

The tickets themselves are unique and can be kept as a memory of the shows.  Each of the three days had
a different appearance- each one showing a separate portrait of a winter, spring and summer visual inside a sunflower hologram.  Each ticket had a bar code on the back, which you could later redeem for a free download of the live concerts. The Friday and Saturday concerts sold out.

As previously said, the String Cheese Incident helped raise over $300,00 for the evacuees of the Fourmile Canyon fire last fall.  They also lend their helping hand to the organization known as the Conscious Alliance, which is based out of Boulder.  At many of their Colorado based shows, an artist donates their art to the Conscious Alliance and they sell them at Cheese shows to raise money for a good cause.

At this concert, artist Phil Lewis designed a three-set poster addition that sold for

either $30 or a donation of twenty-five canned foods in order to help out Native American Reservations in South Dakota.  The Conscious Alliance booth was set up outside of the 1st Bank Event Center’s entrance way and were there all three nights.

Over 13,000 pounds of non-perishable food items were raised as of the second night alone, at which time they also sold out of the poster set so had to mail the rest that were sold.

If you have never attended a String Cheese Incident concert before, arriving there can be a bit of a culture shock.  As of the day you purchase your tickets, little cheese butterflies flutter in your stomach.  When the day of the concert finally arrives, the feeling of excitement is overwhelming.

As you park your car and step your feet on the gravel parking lot, the smell of dust, grilled cheese (no pun intended), scented oils, dread locks, beer, liquor, marijuana, and cigarettes hit your nose simultaneously.  The main parking lot, otherwise known as ‘Shakedown Street’, is a party.  Hundreds of people mingle with anyone and everyone and are very welcoming.  There is music set up and people dance and hula-hoop all around you.

A lot of the people wear baggy pants, long and flowing skirts, patchwork, T-shirts, tank tops, sandals, dread locks, long hair- the typical hippie look.  Sting Cheese Incident shows are different from the other jam-band shows, however, because a lot of people wear costumes.  Walking through the parking lot alone, there was a banana, an astronaut, a panda, some cows, a yellow submarine pajama set and people who just elaborated on their normal clothing.

As you walk through the main stretch of Shakedown Street, you can see people selling things to raise money for their concert ticket.  Items such as food, beer and alcoholic drinks, sodas, water, t-shirts, hoodies and jackets, crystals, hemp necklaces, glass and rock beads, feather earrings, glass pipes, posters and even used books.  This is the perfect place to get concert memorabilia from an original artist for a cheaper price than inside the venue.

There are also people who beg for money so they can attend the concert.  One guy stood out there all three nights wearing a sign that said he needed a $40 ticket.  I’m not sure if he ever got in.  From the second you arrive to the show, there is never a dull moment- there is always something to do or someone to meet.  The parking lot is just a glimmer at how unique the scene is on the inside.

As the clock ticks down, everyone works their way to the entrance of the venue together as a crowd.  As you reach the security line, people are chugging the last half of their beer so they don’t have to pay $9 for the same kind.  After you get completely patted down from your head to your toes, you finally make it inside.

One of the first things you see is two women in decretive clown costumes walking on stilts along with a man rolling his way in a ball while juggling.  Pretty risky jobs considering how many people were there and how many of them had consumed alcohol.  The carnival has begun.

On the north side of the venue, there was a photographer at a photo station.  He was taking pictures of everyone wearing costumes.  The String Cheese Incident website had set up a costume contest for the first two nights of the shows.  The contest was a winter clan and a spring clan.  The winner was to receive free VIP upgrades to the last show, they got to walk in the costume parade on Saturday night and received free tickets to the Electric Forest Festival which takes place June 30-July 3 in Michigan.  The String Cheese Incident is scheduled to play three nights at the festival.  The female winner was dressed as winter and the male winner was perceived as spring.  There were many other elaborate costumes including a peacock, care bears, and fairies.

The 1st Bank Event Center has sort of stadium seating.  There are rows and rows of seating areas, some box seats, and a very crowded floor area.  The floors area was so crowded at times that they wouldn’t let you back in until someone else left because they were at maximum capacity.

As the lights dimmed, the energy of the audience is so thick you can pierce it.  Everyone is ecstatic and wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else in the world at that time because that is the coolest place to be.  The legendary members of The String Cheese Incident: Keith Moseley (bass guitar), Michael Travis (drums and percussion), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano, organ and accordion), Jason Hann (percussionist), Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), and Billy Nershi (acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, and electric slide guitar).  As they finally arrive on stage and play their first notes, the crowd goes crazy because they know they are in the presence of something great.

The music is adorned with over a thousand dancing people that are visible from the awesome stage lights.  Thousands of glow sticks are broken open and worn as jewelry or thrown deeper into the crowd.  Girls with hula-hoops that glow with LED lights hang out in the back of the floor area and dance hypnotically to the rhythm.

Some of the more memorable songs they performed during the shows include: Rivertrance, Ramble on, Barstool (all from 3/10), Just One Story, Jellyfish, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Las Vegas (all from 3/11), Valley of the Jig, Way Back Home, Ring of Fire, and Black Clouds (all from 3/12).

The stage was set up as a big hula-hoop looking circle in the middle where they played visuals to go along with each song.  Along sides of the circle were the sunflowers that appeared on the tickets.  The colors on the almost metallic looking material changed all the time.  There are screens that are always set up on the sides of the stage for a closer view of the band and above the stage for more visuals.  Looking from the highest seat in the house, the staging lights lit up the audience that looked like an ocean of people.

The coolest and more carnival-like night was Saturday, 3/12.  During the set break on Saturday, woman on stilts came walking through the audience, along with a man on pogo-stick shoes that performed back flips in a designated area.  When the band returned, and broke into “Way Back Home”, the costume parade began.  It started on the back of the floor with a river of people lit up by the staging lights that were holding large and colorful sticks.  As the song progressed, they made their way to the center of the floor where four platforms lifted high revealing woman dancing to the song.  The crowd went wild, but turned crazier when the ribbon dancers were released.  They dropped from the ceiling rails- two in the back and two on stage- performing acrobatics high in the air.  It was reminiscent of The String Cheese Incident’s Rothbury show in 2009.   There were also hula-hoopers performing in the front of the stage.  As the song proceeded to peak, yellow confetti dropped from the ceiling and glimmered in the light.  This was a very memorable all-out-cheese-moment.  The only thing missing was fire.

As they encored with “Black Clouds”, two massive beach balls (similar to their Rothbury performance in 2009) were released into the audience.  As we bounced the balls all over, the concert came to an inevitable end.  Everyone was left wanting more, but they never came out for a second encore.

The String Cheese Incident’s 2011 Winter Carnival was a cheesy success.  It was truly a carnival with the costumes, the acrobatics and the visuals around you.  It couldn’t have turned out any better.  The only problem was that it left you yearning for more.  I guess we will all have to attend Bonnaroo or The Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Michigan and join hands once again.

Review by: Melissa Hawthorne
Photos by: Brian Spady

From Winter Carnival Night 2, posted by Brian Spady on 3/14/2011 (86 items)

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From Winter Carnival Night 3, posted by Brian Spady on 3/15/2011 (154 items)

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