I caught the reunion of the Bluegrass Album Band (plus Josh Williams) as the Saturday night finale of Bluegrass First Class this past weekend in Asheville. It has to be one of the highlights of my musical life. Before the show the rumors flew about Tony Rice, his health, and whether or not he would show up. Well, he did - and so did the rest of 'em, and they knocked it out of the park.
They opened with Blueridge Cabin Home, and although Josh Williams tangled up the lyrics on the 3rd verse, he handled it like the pro he is - he just substituted a line from the 2nd verse. A few songs later he apologized to the band and the audience for the brain cramp, explaining that during Tony's guitar break it just hit him that he was standing on stage performing with the BLUEGRASS ALBUM BAND . . .
Doyle took on the task of emcee, and it was soon obvious that the band was as excited to be performing together again as we were to take them in. It was pretty cool to observe the chemistry between these guys; the stage patter definitely entertained. Josh, to me, was the perfect choice to fill the gap left by Tony's voice. He was obviously thrilled and honored to be a part of it, and you could tell he'd done his homework on the songs.
It was also obvious how much everyone there, onstage and offstage, loved Tony Rice. While he may not have been at the apex of his health or form, his brilliance was evident throughout (his backup on Maiden's Prayer was breathtaking). There were a couple of times when it seemed like he might have been having difficulty hearing the monitors, and Todd Philips immediately scooted his bass right up there behind him to give him the beat. Any time he took a guitar break the crowd responded wildly.
I was actually surprised with Doyle's mandolin breaks. He is an exceptional instrumentalist in my book, but nearly every time he took a break with these guys his playing seemed even more intense. Bobby Hicks was, of course, extraordinarily tasteful and nasty (in the best possible way, sometimes at the same time) and JD was, well, solidly JD. That has to be one of the most deeply satisfying shows I've seen in a long, long time.
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