Jamming On The Eastern Shore
When have I become so old? On Friday night, I found myself dreading a drive to a concert. My goodness, I use to drive four hours without a compliant. What gives? My destination was Easton, MD. I was set to enjoy my Dad's christmas present. I purchased him tickets to see The Derek Trucks Band at The Avalon Theatre.
I thought it would take about an hour to make the trek from Baltimore, but I was mistaken by about a half an hour. That was annoying because; I was late for dinner with my Dad. He made reservations at Legal Spirits Tavern. This is a small tavern located in the same building as the Avalon on the corner of Harrison and Dover. It is considered one of the best places in Easton to have a meal. I guess you could say, this location is a block from the center of Easton. The Avalon complex building is a restored movie theatre from the early 1900s. Along the same street there is a old pharmacy, gun shop, and quaint hotel. Welcome to the Eastern Shore.
The front room of Legal Spirits is box shaped with windows on three sides. The right side wall faces toward the kitchen which borders the main entrance to the Theatre. The one large bar is against this wall, and tables and booths are positioned neatly around around the room infront of the windows. There is a small opening that leads into a back dining room. This is where I met my Dad for dinner. By small, I mean eight tables at most. The wait staff is cramped into service. We ordered pints of Oliver Breweries Irish Red, a Baltimore beer, and enjoyed an appetizer of scallops. As you can imagine, the menu is mostly seafood. I regret not ordering my Dad had recommendation, the Shore Boys Cream of Crab Soup. However, I did have Pecan Encrusted Tuna. Everything was tasty. My Dad and I caught up a bit. He talked about last weekend's trip to Vermont to visit his sister. They went on hikes, shot some guns, and got some snow. Sounds like Vermont to me.
We moved over to the Theatre just in time for the show. The preservation of the building is excellent. Whenever it was possible, brick was refurbished and exposed. The colors are Art Deco which might be in line with the original time of the theatre. The combinations are strange to me. They include magenta, peach, and turquoise. There are two floors, and we took our seats in the balcony. It is super small. The show was sold out, and I bet only seven hundred people were in the room. Our seats were stage right, second row, balcony. Decent seats, but they weren't as raised as I like. It was tuff to see over the tall man in the first row. The downstairs is all chairs that can be removed to utilize a hardwood dance floor. That could be fun. The stage is large enough to comfortably fit a five or six piece band. The Art Deco motif continues around the room with a large turquoise dome on the ceiling. Tangling lines of pattern wrap the walls and the stage. I like the size and feel of the room.
I have never seen The Derek Trucks Band. I was expecting some slamming blues. They took the stage nearly on time, and Derek didn't say a word. He sure is a quite performer, but he lets his music do the talking. From stage right to stage left, the band is comprised of a guest percussionist, Mike Mattison with lead vocals, Yonrico Scott on drums, Derek Trucks on guitar, Todd Smallie on bass, and Kofi Burbridge on flute/keyboards. I can't find the name of the percussionist, but he was a older black man dressed in a gold African tunic. He sure could wail on the bongos and other drum like instruments. Of course, Derek is phenomenal. The rest of the band has great talent. Throughout the performance, they could not stop smiling. I felt, they did not jam to a point that overshadowed Derek. Whether this is by design or not, Derek is the center piece.
The Derek Trucks Band : The Avalon Theatre : Easton, MD : January 20, 2005
Set 1:
Joyful Noise
Volunteered Slavery>I'll Find My Way
Crow Jane
Sahib>Maki Madni>Sahib
Feel So Bad
My Favorite Things
Set 2:
Preachin Blues
I Wish I Knew
All I Do>7/4 Jam
Blind Crippled and Crazy
Up Above My Head
Key To The Highway
For My Brother
Encore:
Kam-ma-lay
Going Down Slow
The first set was impressive. You can't deny the amazing blues with roots in the Allman Brothers Band, MIles Davis, and John Coltrane. You can also feel obvious African rhythms. I don't know many of the songs, but this set seemed mellow. The band took sometime for each member to showcase their talents. I really like Kofi Burbridge ability with the Flute. It was a nice addition the normal drums, bass, guitar sound. Mike Mattison voice is sweet with falsetto. If you can imagine Martin Sexton's voice, you have a good starting point. The set lasted about an hour.
During intermission, my Dad and I stopped by the beer counter for some Dogfish. I mention this because; I love Dogfish. This Delaware beer is damn good. Go grab yourself an IPA or Raison D'Extra.
The second set had parts of the crowd on their feet. There is nothing like watching a 40 something dance party. Unfortunately, most of the dancing was confined to boxes on the side of the room. I was not able to join. I really enjoyed "Blind Crippled and Crazy" and "For My Brother." I was stomping my foot and bouncing my head. Derek broke a string, and the band filled with a bit of a jam while he changed it himself. Changed it himself? He never even changed guitars from his fimiliar SG. He is such atypical rockstar.
The encore took the evening out with a bang. I wasn't expecting another song after "Kam-ma-lay," but "Going Down Slow" did just that. The song almost burst in the middle with feeling, but it slowly decrescendoed to nothing. Nice touch, I say.
It was a great show and a good evening. I really had fun hanging out with 'Partental Unit Number 1' (as he likes to say). The Avalon is a wonderful venue, and I won't again think twice about the drive. It is a unique and fun place for a show. The Derek Trucks Band did not dissappoint, and I think I might be getting excited for Peakin' at the Beacon. I liked this show so much, I almost bought a t-shirt. I haven't done that since the 1990s.
