The Incident which occured with String Cheese at Summit Fest

To the people at that festival that appreciated good music, there was an air of anticipation for the last show of the day on Saturday. Hours earlier, a dude I traded a CD-R show with informed me that he had seen String Cheese guitarist Bill Nehrshi perusing the lots of the Summit Festival. It conjured up images of golf carts hauling around Mike Gordon around during The Great Went. This made me sure that we were going to be in for no ordinary show. We had prepared our lawn spot twenty yards from the stage by arriving early for The Roots show. I was surprised by how easy it was to secure a spot at the rail closest to the stage. I could clearly see the band run on stage after being announced. Nehrshi’s exaggerated drunk walk/praying mantis kung fu posture made me realize that the String Cheese Incident was just as excited to play as we were to hear them. After a brief tune-up, they launched into a steady “Outside/Inside” that lasted for nearly ten minutes. It was their ability to open a set with an extended jam that really impressed me about their musical ability. When the opening violin section of “Rivertrance” followed, I almost fell out of my skin. I had heard that song from their 8/1/01 Greek Theatre show, but to experience Michael Kang’s (violin and electric mandolin) treatment of this Broadway melody sent me into an ecstasy that wasn’t that wasn’t based on MDMA and other synthetic chemicals. A few songs later we were treated to another guest appearance, from an earlier act. Bernie Woo, from Bernie Woo and the Woomasters and Parliament Funkadelic fame, sat in on keyboards. His work on the synthesizers coupled with Kyle Hollingsworth’s already impressive skill on the organ sent the SCIs next few songs into an extra funky direction. For the rest of the set I really began to take notice of the delicate interplay between Nehrshi and Kang. In many ways, during these songs, Nehrshi took up the role of rhythm, while Kang exploited his electric mandolin with rippling effects. Although the pitch lent it’s sound to a blue-grassy sort of melody, Kang played with a ferocity more likely attributed to Eddy Van Halen. The contrast of Hollingsworth’s funky organ and Travis’s occasional forays into calypso drum rhythms that comprised String Cheese’s distinct place in the annals of jam-bands. I was sure that the band was not intending to burn them-selves out on the first day. Still, they held nothing back with their encore when they launched into Superstition. The song felt like a fighting tribute to the Funk, which hung in the air since that Friday. Although I did not attend the second show on Sunday night, I have heard from my taper friend Brian that the second night was incredible. I am currently awaiting a CD from that show to compare with what was a very good first night.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic