Stretching it out on a snowy Wednesday
Torrential winds and snow came down all afternoon, but my show time the snow stopped and had been plowed. It was actually warm enough for us chicagoans to stand outside comfortably. None-the-less, I-65 had been shuttered for the day, and fill-in-fiddler Lucia was stranded (safely at a friends house) in Indiana. Last we checked, on social media, Sarah was in Taos at 'yet another brewery' ripping it up with her partner in crime as 'Sugar Still.' Fiddler or not, the BHA show goes on.
As we were asked to strike it up for soundcheck, Andrew came in and flung us into a two chord vamp jam. It was so nice to have good sound, not have to work hard at it, never chasing the songs, and clearly entertaining all. Few friends filtered in during the first set, more during the second. Those that came early for Lonie's late nite were obviously into what we were laying down. The turn in weather earlier in the day made it's mark... ...it was just going to be a thin evening. Small but mighty the cheers came, leading us into the next song, extending solos, and pushing the jam sections of songs into new places.
Jon really opened up "Catch Afire" for Barrett to go on with the slide and e-bow combo, getting comments later from fans about how it brought them back to the Pink Floyd Pompeii show. Cheryl brought the house down, as always, on her rock n roll numbers. Interplay between Andrew Jon and Barrett became a round robin of sorts on extended solo sections, and at some points Keith jumped into the mix. "Down South in New Orleans" was quite the rhythm sections prowess in vibe.
The comfort and ease in which the band has taken to playing at Lonie Walker's Underground Wonder Bar lead to freedom in the music not heard since the Lincoln Square Lanes shows. Refreshing to hear it all stretched out on a winter's snowy Wednesday evening.