Yonder Mountain String Band w/Danny Barnes - 10/31/09 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS

Day last.  Oh how I love fall tour, and oh how I am sad to see it end.  This fall tour we were able to do 7 shows, bringing my grand total to 47.  Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've seen a single band this many times, but each show is different, and I can remember each one.

This was our first Halloween show, and we were ready.  Since we were in Kansas, I thought it would be fitting to be Dorothy - but with my own personal touches.  Emily dressed as Wonder Woman, and Colin was Sheriff Ben Hines - he shaved and everything!

The line was entertaining that night since we were all dressed in costume and it was also beggars night.  I had filled my purse with candy, thinking I would give it to people at the show, but I ended up giving most of it to kids on the street, which was far better, anyway.  I saw another Dorothy, and I even saw a little boy dressed as a sock monkey - oh how Mr.Nelson loved that!
We had been informed that the show would be video taped for a future DVD release, and while we were in line some folks were interviewed about their thoughts on the band.  Luckily, we managed to avoid these cameras, or at least talking directly into them.
Once we got our spots inside it was a lot of fun to look around at all the different costumes.  The Geiko money was there, which was one of my favorites, along with our friend who was "in the woods with the munchies".  There are definitely a lot of creative folks out there.

One of my favorite parts of the night was during Danny's set when he was introducing a song called "Sparta", after Sparta, TN.  "Has anyone here ever been to Sparta?" Danny asks.  "SPARTA!" We hear from behind us.  Danny starts laughing and I turn around and it's a guy dressed up like the guys in the movie 300.  That was hilarious.
As I had expected the song choices for this night were mostly safe "popular" songs, which are always good to hear, but it was obvious they wanted to make the DVD full of songs for the fans that don't see them over and over and over again.  It was hard to get into the show for a while, since there were cameras everywhere and I didn't want to look like a fool.  But, a few good songs later, I had all but forgotten they were there.

The highlights for me were Riverside, Night Out, Boris the Spider, Shit Creek, Cuckoo's Nest, Skulls, and Ten.

Danny Barnes opened
Set I: Follow Me Down to the Riverside>Boatman, Rain Still Falls, Complicated, Fingerprint, Traffic Jam, Night Out, Fine Excuses, Angel>If There's Still Ramblin' in the Rambler (let him go)>Boris the Spider>Ramblin reprise
Set II: Out of the Blue, Shit Creek*, Cuckoo's Nest*, Death Trip*, Rambler's Anthem, Skulls, I'd Like Off> Catch a Criminal, Natchez Whistle>Ten>King Ebenezer>Ten, Casualty
Encore: They Love Each Other, Crazy Train

Yonder Mountain String Band w/Danny Barnes - 10/30/09 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS

Out of all the fall tour shows, I was looking forward to the Liberty Hall shows the most.  I love Lawrence, KS and I love Liberty Hall.  I was also excited because my good friend Emily came with us, and it's always a good time when Emily's around.

Since it was Halloween weekend, we were dressing up both nights.  This night we just went for some fun clothes for a dance party, which ended up being perfect because we were with Kelli on the the rail, and her intense dance moves bring the heat in all of us around her.

Ben decided to dress up for this show, too, and we had front row "seats" to view his stripper pants/cowboy hat combo.  Wow.  It was definitely entertaining.  The band was completely on this night and energy was high.  We got a lot of great songs, including a few we had never gotten before.  By the end of the night, I could barely walk from all the dancing and jumping.

My highlights from the night were Dawn's>Morning Dew, Loved You Enough, Old Plank Road, Wheel Hoss, Funtime, Honestly, Troubled Mind>20 eyes>Troubled Mind, My Walking Shoes

Out of the 2 nights at Liberty Hall, this was by far my favorite.

Danny Barnes opened
Set I: Dawn's Early Light>Morning Dew>2 Hits and the Joint Turned Brown, How 'Bout You?, Red Tail Lights, Another Day, Loved You Enough, Someday's Reunion, Old Plank Road, Kentucky Mandolin>Mother's Only Son
Set II: Freeborn Man*>Wheel Hoss*>Freeborn Man*, Funtime*, Howard Hughes Blues, Classic Situation, Honestly, Troubled Mind>20 Eyes>Troubled Mind, Keep on Going>After Midnight>Keep on Going
Encore: My Walking Shoes, Goodbye Blue Sky

*w/Danny Barnes

Yonder Mountain String Band w/Danny Barnes - 10/29/09 - Sokol Auditorium - Omaha, NE

So, the second half of our fall Yonder shows began at the Sokol in Omaha.  I love this place.  It's easy to find, there's a parking lot next door, and a pretty decent BBQ joint down the street.  The weather was pretty crappy, but it didn't dampen our spirits.  We met up with a bunch of friends outside and had some good company waiting to get in.  This venue is pretty laid back, with no real searches, which is always nice since I have a huge purse and it can take forever to search.

 
We got our spot on Dave's side, and I was pretty pumped and wearing my new "dancing pants".  Danny Barnes and Mike Bub tore it up, as usual, and got us ready for what was to come.

Yonder started with a bang, opening with Lord Only Knows.  In my opinion, a show that opens with this song is going to be one to remember.  The band was in a great mood and played their asses off.  Sometimes a band's encore song choices aren't the best, and it leaves me wanting more...but not this night.  They ended with the perfect encore: Let Me Fall.  Sweet.

My highlights were Lord Only Knows, Hill Country Girl, Ain't No Way of Knowing, Steep Grade>Midwest Gospel Radio, Spanish Harlem Incident>Brown Mountain Light, Let Me Fall

Danny Barnes opened
Set I: Lord Only Knows (Part One), Hill Country Girl, Long Time, You're No Good, Ain't No way of Knowing, Raleigh and Spencer, Don't You Lean on Me, Easy Come Easy Gone, Steep Grade Sharp Curves>Midwest Gospel Radio>East Nashville Easter>No Expectations
Set II: Spanish Harlem Incident>Brown Mountain Light, Winds of Wyoming, Red Bird, Ain't Been Myself in Years, My Gal>Holding, Irondale, On the Run>Looking Back Over My Shoulder>New Horizons>Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie>New Horizons>On the Run
Encore: Let Me Fall

Yonder Mountain String Band w/Danny Barnes - 10/25/09 - Canopy Club - Urbana, IL

Finally!  We made it to a Canopy Club show!  The drive to Urbana from Chicago wasn't too bad, and once we got to town we met up with a handful of friends and had some lunch.  We got in line SUPER early and just hung out for a while.  It's always nice to get some real time to hang out with our show friends and get to know each other better.  These are all some pretty damn cool people.  I got to talk to Danny again while we were waiting in line, and it seems like he is having a really good time touring with these guys.

We weren't searched or anything going into the venue, which was a nice change from the House of Blues.  we found our spots right in front of Adam, and it didn't take long for the show to get going.  Danny was once again really great.  He seems to enjoy making jokes about "Heady Nugs".  He's just a funny guy that enjoys watching people's reactions to his music.

Now, this Yonder show was definitely one of my favorites.  So many good songs, including some that I've been waiting to hear for a very long time.  It sounded really good, and the crowd was friendly and gave everyone plenty of space.  Dave had told us in Chicago that if we came to the Canopy Club he would rage it extra hard - and he did. He bought a new banjo that day and was obviously excited about it, and said he'd been playing it all day.  Scott Vestal made the banjo and came out to play a couple songs with the band, and he was great.

This was my 44th Yonder Mountain show, and they just keep getting better.  In a couple days we will be off to Omaha and Lawrence to finish off fall tour.  Never miss a Sunday show, never miss a Canopy Club show, never miss a Lawrence show, and never miss a tour closer...  check, check, check, and check!

The highlights for me were Granny, Night Out, Little Rabbit, Night is Left Behind, Not Far Away, Red Rocking Chair, Nothin But Nothin, Fastball, Sharecropper's Son, Loneliness, Girlfriend, Dominated Love Slave, Coming on Strong, and 20 Eyes...so pretty much the entire show...again.

Danny Barnes opened
Set I: Picture in a Tear, Granny Woncha Smoke Some, Sidewalk Stars, Night Out, Little Rabbit, At the End of the Day, Pride of Alabama, Night Is Left Behind, Not Far Away, How 'Bout You?, Angel With the Golden Hair, Red Bird*, Angel*, Get Me Outta This City
Set II: Fingerprint, Red Rocking Chair, Nothin' But Nothin', Sometimes I've Won, Fastball, Only a Northern Song, Kentucky Mandolin, Sharecropper's Son, Loneliness and Desperation, Girlfriend is Better, Keep on Going> Dominated Love Slave> Keep on Going
Encore: Coming on Strong, 20 Eyes

*w/Scott Vestal on banjo

Yonder Mountain String Band w/Darol Anger and Danny Barnes - 10/24/09 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL **Kinfolk Celebration**

The 2nd night at the HOB was even better than the first.  We didn't bring our camera, because we were told they would not be allowed.  Later we found out that they had made an exception for non-professional cameras.  Oh well.  I took enough pictures the night before.  One thing I love about the House of Blues is that if you spend $15 a person on food or in the gift shop, you can get in a different line that goes into the venue 1st.  This worked out great, since we are humans and need to eat approximately 3 times a day.  We met up with Tim, Lori, Alison, Dale, and Tim's niece and her roommate and had a pretty decent meal before the show.  I had a steak and green beans which were so extremely delicious, I'm still thinking about it now...but I think the green beans were soaked in butter, which gave me a bad headache the whole next day.  Oh well.
The regular entry line was outside in the cold, while we got to line up inside the building.  We were patted down and wanded, just to make sure we didn't have guns or anything;)  When we got into the venue, we got our spots against the rail, and this time Colin and I got a spot on Dave's side, which tends to be a little less wild.  We made a couple new friends in this spot and got to know a couple other people a little better.
Overall, the crowd was much less pushy in our spot than the night before, and the setlist was amazing.  Danny Barnes played a great show, which included Good as I've Been to You, Get it While You Can, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.  Jeff played Get it While You Can with Danny and apparently told Danny that he was "way faded".  "Anyone know what being way faded means?"  Danny asked.  Then after the song, "He plays pretty good for being way faded!"  "Jeff's in a new band called the Heady Nugs."  Funny stuff.  Then Yonder came out and played even harder than the night before.  This weekend would certainly prove that Dave rules and he should get an MVP trophy for these shows.  Also, any show that opens with Ten is going to be a hit.
My highlights were Ten, Deep Pockets, Honestly, Loved You Enough, Free To Run, Polly Put the Kettle On, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Cuckoo's Nest>Years w/Rose>Traffic Jam>Whipping Post>Traffic Jam...my highlights were just about the entire show!  It was also really neat to hear a bunch of the new songs live, in particular, Isolate.  I didn't know what I thought about that song until I heard it live, and now I'm definitely liking it.  This whole show was so good that Colin and I were speechless on our walk to the train station after the show, we just keep giggling.

Overall, our trip to Chicago was much better than we had expected.  I'm not a huge fan of big cities or traffic, but our hotel and the House of Blues were both right off the Blue Line train.  We stayed at the Renaissance Inn O'Hare, which was a gorgeous hotel.  I think we will always stay at this hotel when in Chicago, so that we don't have to deal with traveling difficulties.

Danny Barnes opened
Darol Anger on fiddle for entire show
Kinfolk Celebration 2009
Set I: Ten, Blue Collar Blues, Deep Pockets, Fine Excuses, Honestly, Loved You Enough, In the Seam, Dreams, Free To Run, Isolate, Polly Put the Kettle on, No Expectations
Set II: Looking Back Over my Shoulder, Half Moon Rising, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Clinch Mountain Backstep*, Come Together*, Death Trip*, Cuckoo's Nest, Years With Rose, Traffic Jam> Whipping Post> Traffic Jam
Encore: Crazy, Good Hearted Woman

*w/Danny Barnes

Yonder Mountain String Band w/Darol Anger and Danny Barnes - 10/23/09 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL **Kinfolk Celebration**

Time sure does fly by!  I couldn't believe it was already time for the Kinfolk Celebration again.  This is the time of every year when those of us who do street team duties for Yonder get to come and hang out and meet the band before the show.  This year we met up with Amanda and Jason, and Tim and Lori.  I also got to finally meet some of Tim and Lori's friends, Alison and Dale.  This Kinfolk party seemed better organized than the last couple of years, and was less crowded and provided better snacks.  I love Starburst, but maybe putting one in your mouth right before talking to Dave isn't a good idea.  I was trying not to have candy drool running down my chin the whole time we talked.  Oh well.

As always, Jeff, Dave, Ben, and Adam were incredibly nice and easy to talk to.  We got a couple pictures and had our Boulder Theater 2008 poster signed.  I also ran into Danny Barnes backstage.  I didn't know if he remembered me from Midwest Banjo Camp, but he did!  He saw me the night before in the balcony and remembered who I was.  I am just so grateful to have him touring with Yonder.  It did feel a little weird, however, that not all our friends were back there.  We definitely missed having them with us, but we soon met up with them on the floor.

We found our places on the rail and made sure to save plenty of room for our friends.  Soon it was me, Colin, Tim, Lori, Dale, Alison, Loren, Anitra, Josh, Chelsea, Andrew, Jason, Amanda, Michael, Annie, Zach, Stray, Carrie, Daniel, and a few others that we know up front.

Danny Barnes played a 45 minute set with Mike Bub (who used to play with Del McCoury) on bass. Danny has his Macbook set up on stage and plays most of his songs with a drum track.  I had heard people saying they didn't like this, but I really enjoyed it.  Danny is such a different type of musician. His music reaches through many different influences and he has such a blast playing it for people.  He engages with the audience and will usually play a couple requests.

Yonder came out and played a very high energy show.  This was their sound engineer, Ben Hines' 1,000th show with the band, and each member had a Hines 1K shirt on.  At the end of the 1st set they sandwiched Highway to Hell inside Rambler, specially for Hines.  During the set break, a screen was lowered in front of the curtains and played a photo montage for Ben Hines, while the band sat with him at the soundboard and presented him with a trophy.

Ironically, the night that the sound man celebrates having 1,000 shows with a band, the PA system blew during the 1st song of the 2nd set.  The band almost immediately came to the lip of the stage and played the rest of Illinois Rain directly in front of us.  This was a treat!  I just wish people could be quiet and listen when a band plays unplugged, but large crowds with many drunk people cannot be expected to keep quiet.

Unfortunately, the crowd almost ruined the show for me and many of my friends.  There were so many young, drunk, and disrespectful people that would not quit pushing and harassing many of us.  I understand a lot of people want to be in the front row, and that's why we put so much effort into getting in line before anyone else in order to get our spot.  A lot of folks don't understand this and get angry when we won't let them push us out of the way and away from our friends or spouses.  Get there early and you'll get your spot!

The highlights for me were Midwest Gospel Radio, Illinois Rain, Going Where They Do Not Know My Name (w/Danny), Dawn's>Riverside, and Roll on Blues.  What a night!

Danny Barnes opened
Darol Anger sat in on fiddle for whole show.
Kinfolk Celebration 2009
Set I: Boatman, Raleigh and Spencer, Town, Another Day, Mental Breakdown, Southbound, Pockets, Bloody Mary Morning, Eli Renfro, Midwest Gospel Radio, If There's Still Ramblin in the Rambler>Highway to Hell>If There's Still Ramblin in the Rambler
Set II: Illinois Rain, Catch a Criminal, Rain Still Falls, Belle Parker, Going Where They Do Not Know My Name*, Mother's only Son*, Queen of the Earth*, Dawn's Early Light> Follow Me Down To The Riverside> Out of the Blue
Encore: Roll on Blues, Goodbye Blue Sky

*w/Danny Barnes