4/10/13 DSO Acoustic at Sweetwater

[Evangeline]

Set 1: Walk in the Sunshine, Jack-a-Roe, On the Road Again, Operator, Mission, Big Iron, Chimes of Freedom, Dupree's, Silver Threads Golden Needles, Deep Elem, Black Throated Wind, Yes She Does No She Don't, Overseas Stomp (Lindy), Cassidy

 

Set 2: Katie Mae (Barraco solo on guitar and vocal), Heaven Help the Fool, Rubin and Cherise, I Hear a Voice Callin', Positively 4th Street, Run Mary, The Thrill is Gone, Oh Boy, California Earthquake, Monkey & the Engineer, Tell It To Me, It Makes No Difference, Unbroken Chain> Ripple

 

E: Goodnight Irene

 

Wow! I am having so much fun at these Bay Area shows and am very happy and thankful that I was able to come out for them. The acoustic shows are such a rare treat and last night's was a real gem. Sweetwater is a wonderful little venue and the perfect place for an intimate evening of music and some fun with DSO. From the gitgo, they sounded fantastic and it was obvious they were having a real good time, and the audience was quiet and attentive for the most part. During the powerful Mission in the Rain there were moments of absolute silence as the audience listened to the masterful performance.  Obviously folks out here can really relate to this song telling a story about their own turf, and there was some big applause and cheering at the line "there's some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain..." much in the same way the east coasters such as myself always react to the NYC references. The band was strong all night, and the venue size and the fact that it was an acoustic show allowed for a lot of intimacy and some humor from the stage that was shared with the audience, so there was a really nice circular energy in the room. 

 

I had a lot of personal highlights, and had a complete blast the entire night. Eaton was very strong on Big Iron, BTW, and a gorgeous and heart-wrenching It Makes No Difference. I loved Barraco's Operator and his solo Katie Mae!! Nice treat there. Lisa was a powerhouse all night and she showed once again she can not only sing amazingly (Chimes of Freedom!!!) but also play a mean harp and kazoo too! Jeff was fantastic and I loved Mission, Lindy, Positively 4th St., and Rubin and Cherise. What fun to see his acoustic playing up close. And the band also gave us a fine treat with their own Run Mary. I just love that song!

 

A really great night and now I am chomping at the bit for the three at GAMH. Thanks DSO!

[sonomajon]

This guy has some high quality vids of SW...

 

[old & in the way]

@ sonomajon-thanks for sharing. loved mission and btw.

[comesatime]

yeah  Jon , thanks a bunch , those vids are pretty darn tasty !!! really makes me wish I had the time to stay and see that , AND , the rest of the shows !!! I'll be back up in the fall for the whole run !!!

 

 

 

[FunkyBass13]

Earthquake!!!!!!!

[John A]

Okay, so I did want to say a few words about this show.  I guess I’ll do it here since Evangeline’s thread is getting all the play...

 

When all was said and done, I enjoyed this show more than the previous night at TXR.  I would have never guessed that going in, especially never having seen DSO acoustic.  I didn’t realize just how, for lack of a better term, “electrified” their sound is in acoustic formation.  Mattson in particular has a very “Jerry electric” tone to his playing.  And he lays into the strings more intensely than Jerry would have done on an acoustic instrument.  Barraco dances about the electric keyboard like it’s, well, electric.  But at the same time there is even more nuance in their overall sound.  And it can’t be overstated what an acoustical jewel the Sweetwater is.  The overall design was smart, they spared no expenses, and they were simply lucky with the space and in particular the beams that were exposed when they ripped out the old ceiling; these are a foundation of the glorious acoustics.

 

I spent the show 2^nd person off the rail center, tickled at the pristine sound quality. It’s frankly the first time at a DSO show I’d have been glad to babysit a mic stand were it to magically appear in front of me.  When everything is dialed like that you want to share it!

 

Both sets were long (14 songs each), varied, littered with unexpected gems, and just beautiful to behold.  After a few standard numbers, Operator was a rare treat.  But the show really kicked into gear with Mission In The Rain.  I’d heard earlier that they planned to encore with it at TXR but that Brokedown was last minute substitute.  So when Barraco announced “we originally intended to do this next one last night…” I knew we were in business.  And it did not disappoint.  A concern going in was the potential of a self absorbed, boorish crowd that would abuse us quiet listeners.  There was even an announcement made prior to the show, induced by the now infamous situation with Weir’s recent solo set.  But those concerns were laid to rest in the astonishingly silent moment during the pause in the first verse before, “Someone called my name…” Chimes of Freedom was my other big first set highlight.  After the final “And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing” I was pretty convinced that Lisa could not possibly sound any better – this was really visceral stuff!

 

Barraco’s solo rendition of Katie Mae was fabulous, and the Eaton, Mattson, Barraco trio for the Heaven Help jam worked beautifully.  Then we got immediate lift off with Reuben & Cherise/Voice a Callin’/Positively 4^th Street trio.  I think 4^th Street was the high point of the entire night – extended and powerful.  I just loved Run Mary, and it was the first time I’d heard it – an immediately infectious tune.  And there were many more treats to round out the evening, with shout outs to California Earthquake (talk about rare) and It Makes No Difference (did any members of The Dead ever do this song??). I admit that Unbroken Chain in acoustic format didn’t rock my world, but we need a minor quibble to put what a fantastic night this was into a balanced perspective.

 

Oh, and while Sweetwater can’t match TXR for the overall “scene”, not just the acoustics but the food is actually better!

[comesatime]

Excellent revue , John !!! I'm in next time just for the food ...  ... hoping for the fall run to be similar to this one , maybe 2 nights at TXR + the rest  !!! a little more Phil and DSO would be soooooo nice !!!