mandalay

the physics of a song

On Saturday afternoon, after accomplishing very little in my first hunting round in Santa Cruz, I headed up to San Francisco to hang out with Allison and her boyfriend Rusty. They live in a gorgeous flat in the Richmond district and I was pleased to find that it was a sunny 60 degrees there. We went to a neighborhood sandwich/coffee shop and hung out on the sidewalk while I ate my first pseudo-meal in 24 hours and we caught up on everything going on in each others’ lives.

From there, we cleaned up and caught the muni to the Fillmore area and had dinner at Golden Era. They were amazing hosts, so amazing that they actually cancelled the dinner reservations they had made at a ceviche place when they found out I was vegetarian and let me find a veggie-friendly place. Dinner was awesome and I found that yes, Virginia, there is a vegan sweet-and-sour chicken dish somewhere in the world and soon I will be only an hour away from it. I had the lemon chicken and it was actually better than the real thing.

After that, we headed over to the Fillmore to see Old Crow Medicine Show. This is a band that I have only recently discovered (in the last month) and I really like them. The Fillmore itself is an amazing venue and they have literally every inch of wall space in the foyers and outer rooms filled with posters from all the amazing shows they’ve hosted there. The theater is large but not ridiculous with red velvet walls and gorgeous chandeliers flanking both sides all the way from the back to the stage. In addition, there is a big aluminum bin filled with apples at the entrance to the theater for every guest.

The show was spectacular. The band played three sets with no opener, so it ended up being a solid 2 ½ hours. And they tore it up. Somewhere about an hour into it, I fell in love with the lead singer. He was wearing a bandana which normally might bother me but his skill with the fiddle and singing acrobatics won me over. I spent the last half of the show trying to figure out if that glint of metal in his left hand was a wedding ring or the harmonica. Incidentally, he proved my theory wrong that no one playing a harmonica that is attached to the neck like head gear can be attractive. I would let the man do all kinds of things to me with that harmonica on.

The crowd response was awesome. Very few times in my life have I been to a show where I felt like everything comes together to create the perfect musical experience. That transient feeling of complete bliss. I am not a crowd person normally. I’m a bit of a hermit and I like my privacy. Bubbles are not just meant for blowing; they are meant for keeping the crazies out of my personal space. But on occasion, it’s a welcome intrusion.

I must say: there is a certain kind of joy that can only be experienced with hundreds of other people. Where your heart swells up and you feel nothing but love and awe for your fellow man. The guy next to me asked for my arm to do-see-do. There was clapping, there was singing, there was not a bad seat in the house. When they finished, there was an absolutely overwhelming response from the crowd, where everyone cheered and screamed as if there was no other option. They came out for the encore and played two more songs, then left the stage. Everyone screamed. And screamed. And clapped. And stomped. The whole theater shook with the sound and with the vibrations of feet on carpet. They came out again, in awe of and humbled at the reaction. Three more songs were played. Again they left the stage. Again the crowd refused to stop. Out they came for a record three encores.

There was not a moment when this band faltered. Every note, breath, and word was fully committed to. No second was wasted. As we walked out of the theater, bodies humming with joy and throats hoarse, I grabbed a huge red apple. We climbed back onto the muni and I bit into it as we lurched forward. I think I have perhaps never tasted anything as sweet. I offered a bite to my friends beside me. They couldn’t resist.

posted by amanda @ 9:37 AM