String Cheese Incident – December 30th – 1stBank Center

Estimated read time 6 min read

SCI 2014-12-30-39-5428Photos by Jim Mimna

The Scene: If it’s possible, it was colder Tuesday night than it was on Monday, but that didn’t deter the faithful from making their way up to the 1stBank Center for the second night of the String Cheese Incident 2014 New Year’s Run.  Again, the 6,500 seat room was not close to sold-out but the energy was there and everyone I talked to was anticipating a great night of music . . . and they got what they came for.

String Cheese Incident: After the lackluster second set on the 29th, I was really hoping that the boys could find the groove again and deliver a solid performance front-to-back for the second show of the run.  Well . . . I got my wish.  They came out and got down to business right away with a 30 minute, one-two punch, of “Best Feeling” and “Restless Wind” that immediately put to rest any doubts that I had even though they followed this pairing with two tracks off their less than impressive 2005 release One Step Closer.  “Betray the Dark” featured some nice organ work from Hollingsworth followed by a noteworthy percussion breakdown and then Kang introduced “45th of November” by saying “when we got together for this run we decided we were gonna play some old stuff that we haven’t played in a while.”  While I wouldn’t exactly say that the Hollingsworth / Robert Hunter composition qualifies as “old stuff” (I mean could we get a “Cottonmouth,” “Johnny Cash,” “Bigger Isn’t Better,” or “Resume Man?”) but it didn’t send me running for the bathroom either as the jam grabbed me and didn’t let go.

After they got these later era tunes out of their system, Reggae beats filled the air and Hann took to the mic for a fairly strong take on Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” that sent plumes sweet smelling smoke into the air.  From there the set really hit it’s stride as Hann and Travis sparred on the skins before eventually yielding to a personal favorite: “Joyful Sound.”  As Moseley’s warped bassline filled the room we all threw our heads back and made our own joyful sounds before singing along with Keith on this crowd pleaser.  The jam out of the tune took a psychedelic turn and proved to be one of the highlights of the set as the band really played off one another, got lost in the music, and patiently built to a peak before sliding into some Pink Floyd-esqe territory that Billy aborted in favor of “Texas” and the crowd went wild.  It’s always good to get a “Texas” and it’s even better when it’s the cherry on top of a great first set.

It was clear that the band was firing on all cylinders and talk during set break was about what second would bring.  I, for one, was hoping / praying that we didn’t get a repeat of the first night’s flat second stanza. When the band returned, the energy in the room was high and “Valley Of The Jig” took that energy to the next level and set the stage for a stellar set of music that recalled the glory days of ’99-’02 for me.  We danced to the throbbing beats and took our turn at getting lost in the music for nearly 20 minutes before yet another One Step Closer song reared it’s head.  “Sometimes A River” is one of my favorite songs from the record but I can’t say I was disappointed when the band started up “Howard” as I knew that, despite the slightly awkward Prog-Rock sections, the song almost invariably builds to a massive peak and that’s exactly what would put this set on the map.  The band delivered with huge version of the song that served up just the right amount of dirty Funk and pushed things to eleven more than once right when you didn’t think they could do it again.  It was like the old days for me and I loved it!  Fortunately things didn’t stop there as a 15 minute version of the Weather Report classic “Birdland” built on the energy “Howard” had created and left everyone wondering how they could top it.

Unfortunately it was time for a ballad and Travis got the call with his new tune “Here To Stay” which reminded me of Sting in all the wrong ways and sapped some of the energy from the room until the band took over and jammed it into Electro-Funk territory that got the masses dancing again.  “Close Your Eyes” followed and gave us a little dose of that old school Kyle songwriting that I love so much.  Again the band took the jam and built it way up to a spinning peak that exceed all of my expectations and had everyone around me dancing their hearts out and wondering how it could get much better.  This was the band I had fallen in love all those years ago and they closed the set with one of my favorite (though seriously overplayed) “new songs” “Colorado Bluebird Sky” and again delivered some great jams and dizzying peaks that left us all breathless and wondering how the encore could live up to the set.  Well, it did, but not in the way I was expecting.

The band came back after a short break and dropped the Eddie Harris standard “Freedom Jazz Dance” to the delight of longtime fans of the jazzy side of SCI and then, just when I thought the show would be over, Billy launched into a story about the canyon lands of Utah and a song he had written about that area over some light percussion.  From the moment he started talking I knew we were going to get one of the true gems of the String Cheese catalog, and a tune I hadn’t heard live since 2011: “Little Hands.”  While not the best version of this song I’ve ever heard, it was a treat to hear as Nershi and Kang traded the delicate and beautifully penned verses before the band expertly built the song to the blissful, fiddle driven, climax that I fondly recall from so many shows over the years.  There is just something about this song and was, without a doubt, the perfect way to end this fantastic show.

String Cheese Incident – December 30th, 2014
Set 1: 
Best Feeling > Restless Wind, Betray The Dark, 45th of November, Master Blaster (Jammin’) > Drums > Joyful Sound > Texas

Set 2: Valley Of The Jig, Sometimes a River, Howard > Birdland, Here To Stay, Close Your Eyes > Colorado Bluebird Sky
Encore: Freedom Jazz Dance, Little Hands

Energy: A
Musicianship: A
Sound: A
Stage Presence: B+
Set/Light Show: A

Overall: A

tdwenger http://www.listenupdenver.com

Music has always been a part of my life. It probably all started listening to old Grateful Dead, Peter Paul & Mary, and Simon & Garfunkel records that my parents had, but it wasn't long before they were taking me to concerts like Starship, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Huey Lewis & The News. I got the bug to write about music after reviewing an Eric Clapton concert for a creative writing project in high school but didn't really take it up seriously until 2002. Since then I have published countless articles in The Marquee Magazine and done some work for Jambase.com, SPIN Magazine, and various other outlets. I started Listen Up Denver! as a way to share the music information that is constantly spilling out of my head with people who care. Please enjoy!

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