jim_n_virginia
Jul-23-2007, 3:46am
Saw Peter Rowan and Tony Rice with Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin and Katherine Popper (any relation to John Popper?) on the upright bass at the Todi Music Festival concert in Chesapeake Virginia.
It was an amazing concert even though whoever was running sound must have been deaf or used to running rock concerts!
But even with the occasional but regular feedback and too much reverb they sounded great. My friend sitting next to me said he wondered if Peter Rowan can still hit those high notes and yodel and sure he sure did. He sounded as good as ever.
To tell you the truth I've never been a huge Peter Rowan fan, I liked him but not enough to collect his CD's (I have one) but live is another thing. He is very charismatic and has huge stage presense much like Del McCoury. The crowd loved him. He sang all his crowd favorites, Senor`, Low Flying Mexican Air Force, Panama Red, Walls Of Time etc.
Now Tony Rice was another matter. His trademark playing was as good as it ever was. He just tore it up in several fantastic solos and his speed was just as fast as ever. But one thing puzzled me. I don't know if he was not feeling well or PO'd about something or what but there was a definite disconnect to the audience. He did not even look up once. He kinda just stood there in his sharp black suit and picked .... sort of like some imobile automatron. Not even when he was introduced to the audience did he even acknowlede that there was even an audience out there, not one wave ... not even one smile in fact I don't think his facial expression changed at all, not even a twitch. And as soon as Peter said this was the last song he turned around and walked off. Very puzzling... but his picking was great!
Sharon Gilchrist was the exact opposite. She was very animated, smiling and just tearing the mandolin up. She looked like she was having the time of her life, I guess so she is touring and playing with two legends! I had never had the opportunity to see her before and wow was she good. Her Gilchrist sounded fantastic even with the bad sound! She plays sharp, crisp and very fast and all over the neck and when Peter said they were going to do Walls Of Time she instantly changed to a more Monroe style of playing and had it down pat.
And the fact that she is very pretty sure didn't hurt any. After watching Sharon play, as fellow Cafer BrianT (he was there too) is fond of saying, .. "I felt inspired ... inspired to bust up my mandolin and throw it in the fire!"
But I feel a little better after I looked up her impressive bio and she basically has been eating, breathing music since her Daddy handed her a mandolin when she was nine!
Katherine Popper was on the bass. I guess if your backing up Rowan and Rice you better be good and this young lady is GOOD! She was all over that neck and played melody on a few solos not just a thump up and down the scales. She was as good as I've ever heard. She and Sharon harmonized with Peter very well. One thing we were wondering. Popper is a pretty unusual last name. Does anyone know if there is any relation to John Popper of Blues Traveler fame?
After Peter announced their last song and they walked off the audience was clamoring for an encore. It didn't seem like they were going to come back at first. Then Peter poked his head out. It seemed that the band walked off and wasn't returning but Peter could not leave knowing we wanted more, which speaks volumes for him, and he came back and did a Jimmy Rodger's tune with all the great yodeling (he still has it!) and then as if they could not let Peter wing it alone the two gals came back out and they did one more song but Tony was not to be seen. I guess he was done and thats it.
All in all I was somewhat surprised that I enjoyed the show so much. It was a free show and I was not expecting much but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable performances I've seen in a while.
If anyone has a chance to see Rowan and Rice I definitely recommend it! Great show!
It was an amazing concert even though whoever was running sound must have been deaf or used to running rock concerts!
But even with the occasional but regular feedback and too much reverb they sounded great. My friend sitting next to me said he wondered if Peter Rowan can still hit those high notes and yodel and sure he sure did. He sounded as good as ever.
To tell you the truth I've never been a huge Peter Rowan fan, I liked him but not enough to collect his CD's (I have one) but live is another thing. He is very charismatic and has huge stage presense much like Del McCoury. The crowd loved him. He sang all his crowd favorites, Senor`, Low Flying Mexican Air Force, Panama Red, Walls Of Time etc.
Now Tony Rice was another matter. His trademark playing was as good as it ever was. He just tore it up in several fantastic solos and his speed was just as fast as ever. But one thing puzzled me. I don't know if he was not feeling well or PO'd about something or what but there was a definite disconnect to the audience. He did not even look up once. He kinda just stood there in his sharp black suit and picked .... sort of like some imobile automatron. Not even when he was introduced to the audience did he even acknowlede that there was even an audience out there, not one wave ... not even one smile in fact I don't think his facial expression changed at all, not even a twitch. And as soon as Peter said this was the last song he turned around and walked off. Very puzzling... but his picking was great!
Sharon Gilchrist was the exact opposite. She was very animated, smiling and just tearing the mandolin up. She looked like she was having the time of her life, I guess so she is touring and playing with two legends! I had never had the opportunity to see her before and wow was she good. Her Gilchrist sounded fantastic even with the bad sound! She plays sharp, crisp and very fast and all over the neck and when Peter said they were going to do Walls Of Time she instantly changed to a more Monroe style of playing and had it down pat.
And the fact that she is very pretty sure didn't hurt any. After watching Sharon play, as fellow Cafer BrianT (he was there too) is fond of saying, .. "I felt inspired ... inspired to bust up my mandolin and throw it in the fire!"
But I feel a little better after I looked up her impressive bio and she basically has been eating, breathing music since her Daddy handed her a mandolin when she was nine!
Katherine Popper was on the bass. I guess if your backing up Rowan and Rice you better be good and this young lady is GOOD! She was all over that neck and played melody on a few solos not just a thump up and down the scales. She was as good as I've ever heard. She and Sharon harmonized with Peter very well. One thing we were wondering. Popper is a pretty unusual last name. Does anyone know if there is any relation to John Popper of Blues Traveler fame?
After Peter announced their last song and they walked off the audience was clamoring for an encore. It didn't seem like they were going to come back at first. Then Peter poked his head out. It seemed that the band walked off and wasn't returning but Peter could not leave knowing we wanted more, which speaks volumes for him, and he came back and did a Jimmy Rodger's tune with all the great yodeling (he still has it!) and then as if they could not let Peter wing it alone the two gals came back out and they did one more song but Tony was not to be seen. I guess he was done and thats it.
All in all I was somewhat surprised that I enjoyed the show so much. It was a free show and I was not expecting much but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable performances I've seen in a while.
If anyone has a chance to see Rowan and Rice I definitely recommend it! Great show!