Abbey Pub, Chicago 9/Jul/2003

[AnnPrentis]

Just under three hours of music, I ran out of room on my paper!....they went a little nuts in the Encore...Chris even apologized for going over the top...

1. Big Sam Thompson
2. Beauty and the Mess
3. Green & Grey
4. Face of Trouble
5. House of Tom Bombadil
6. She Can't Complain
7. Reasons Why
8. This Side
9. Itzinay
10. House Carpenter
11. Move that Mountain
12. The Fox
13. Ferdinand?
14. Let it Fall
15. Sabra Girl
16. Elliott
17. The Smoothie Song
18. I Should've known Better
19. The Lighthouse's Tale
20. Sweet Afton
21. Cuckoo's Nest
22. Jacksmith

Encore
1. Poor Places (Wilco song)
2. Instrumental (sorry -- don't know what it was!)
3. Tax Man
4. Bigger Room
5. Warmth of the Sun
6. Lu Lu Girl
7. Jug of Punch
8. (some kind of jam...!)
9. Molly?
10. Be Thou my Vision


Sorry if I have to make up names for some of the songs that I don't know...but you guys can probably figure it out! I'll try to write more of a review a little later, when I come back down!

Kendra

[lizbeth_marie]

Wow- sounds like quite the show. I wish I'd been able to make the trek up. Any chance you taped it or ran into a taper there? I'd love to get a copy of this if you did!


:)
Liz

[AnnPrentis]

No, I am not a taper, but there was a guy quite close to me (two back from the stage) who moved up close during the unplugged part, and he was holding up quite a big microphone. I'm assuming that he will have a pretty decent recording. But, I didn't get his name or anything. He had gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, if anyone knows who he is.

[matt the fiddler]

to be honest. the guy who puched upfront was a little rude.. he left several people near me very angry when he cut infront of them..

yea.. one heck of an encore.. what was it. 50 mins or so all accoustic? they were having way too much fun :-)

other than talking on the front half of the show.. i auctually felt like i was back at schubas 3-4 years ago ;-) small show... long sets... good music...

[AnnPrentis]

You were there, and I didn't get to meet you? [sob] Man, I'm not gonna let that happen again! Where were you standing?

[AnnPrentis]

thanks matt! ;)

Virtuosity suits musical hybrid Nickel Creek


By Michael Parrish
Special to the Tribune
Published July 10, 2003

Barely a decade ago, a teenaged Alison Krauss successfully blended pop music with traditional bluegrass and became a mainstream music phenomenon. Now the young acoustic trio Nickel Creek, which played the first of two sold-out shows at a packed Abbey Pub Tuesday night, is forging its own hybrid by blending bluegrass, Irish music, contemporary folk, pop, a bit of jam band ethos and some left-field experimentation of its own.

The members of the group, mandolin player Chris Thile, guitarist Sean Watkins and his sister, fiddler Sara Watkins, first played together 15 years ago. Now in their early 20s, they have the kind of instrumental chemistry that only years of playing together can generate. The trio, augmented by veteran acoustic bassist Mark Schatz, literally played rings around one another during the instrumentals that made up a hefty part of its one lengthy set.

Thile, whose looks, appealing tenor voice and instrumental skills make him a natural frontman, took most of the lead vocals. Relying mostly on unrecorded songs and material from its most recent CD, This Side, which won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album, the group offered a set that was a showcase for the members' arranging and compositional skills as well as their instrumental talents.

Rather than relying on the high lonesome harmonies and blues-based chord progressions that often predominate in bluegrass, the members of Nickel Creek layered their vocals with lush harmonies that complemented the chordal sophistication of their material.


One of the show's high points was Thile's The Lighthouse's Tale, a long oblique narrative that was underpinned by Schatz's resounding bowed bass. Later, Thile's and Sean Watkins' percussive playing powered a strongly syncopated version of the old folk song The Fox. Sara Watkins, whose sweet alto and delivery is reminiscent of Krauss', sang several songs, including Carrie Newcomer's I Should've Known Better.

The group was joined by Chicago accordion phenomenon John Williams for a couple of numbers, including a somewhat rusty rendition of the traditional ballad Lakes of Ponchatrain.

After closing with a marathon version of the Irish ballad Crooked Jack, Nickel Creek returned for several encores. Tuesday's show demonstrated that the members of Nickel Creek are at the top of their musical game but have unplayed tricks galore under their collective musical hats.


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