I'm going to a String Cheese matinee today
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First SCI show in a long time. I've only seen two shows in the last 10 years and both times at DelFest.
I used to be quite a fan back in late 90s early 00s. Had some super great times at High Sierra 97, 98, 99 and Hornings. 99> 2000 NYE in Portland was epic. Even went to Hawaii for vacation and some shows.
Lost interest when they went electronic / techno. Jason Hamm bugs me for some reason. Still did a show for NYE or a small venue for a few more years. But face it....old guys can't sing. And they lost their enthusiasm, too.
Today they moved the start time to 4 pm because the Ravens play at 8:20 and I guess they needed the attendance. The venue, Pier 6 on the water in Baltimore, is only 1/3 sold out.
How the mighty have fallen.
A 4 o'clock show sounds good to me.
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Well, it was a decent show
Well, it was a decent show with some highlights here and there. Thankfully, mostly an old-school set list.
It was their last show of the current tour, so they were well practiced. But I noticed the backstage crew was supplying steaming cups of drink to the band, so I'm thinking they needed some caffeine to deliver the goods. This venue is notorious for mushy sound under the tent structure and it took a while before the sound got dialed in. Specifically, when you could hear Billy's guitar, the music was much more interesting. It was mainly the Kyle show as it was his old hometown.
The show started off a little soft enerygy-wise (String Cheese can come off as the ball-less nice guys of the genre). I'll chalk that up to the drizzly dismal afternoon weather with a 4:30 pm start. The jams were somewhat redundant and didn't get deep until a Jellyfish in the second set when it finally got dark. But the show ended strong.
All in al a pleasant outing -- but not mindbending by any stretch. I think youth and a head full of drugs are useful for these guys.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Hello My Name Is
Thanks for the review. I also
Thanks for the review. I also used to be a big fan but my interest has waxed and waned over the years for the reasons you mentioned. I still see them when they come to town and there's always at least a few redeeming moments at each show. I think the matinee format is perfect for this band.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
We first met Mark D and Walt
We first met Mark D and Walt (Aerohead) at a String Cheese show here in Eugene where they were tabling for Donate Life. They were certainly the best thing about the Cuthbert that day.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Kudos where kudos are due. A
Kudos where kudos are due. A couple years post-Jerry when Grateful Dead-ish music communities were starting to regroup, String Cheese offered a welcoming and familiar somewhat-psychedelic Americana music scene where the good energy Deadheads could land. The Colorado / Northen California vibe was strong. The Ecstasy was high quality. There were a lot of gorgeous and friendly dancing women in the crowd. (This was early hula hoop days, mostly before glitter and fairy wings became a trademark.) The music was inspired and energetic.
There's a reason the surviving Dead members intersected with the SCI world. Vince did a fun sit in at the 1997/98 NYE at Kezar Pavillion. Phil hosted them in 99. A Bobby sit in at the Warfield was notable in 2001. Bill Kreutzmann was a guest at the Denver Fillmore in 2002.
Alas, nothing lasts.
"Increasingly over the years, Travis found himself at odds with the musical directions of String Cheese. Billy Nershi, as the band’s guitarist, singer and songwriter, had a naturally larger role in musical choices, and his pull was in the acoustic, bluegrassy direction. Travis, however, was moving toward what might be considered the opposite pole: electronic music.
In 2000, at a ski-area espresso bar, Travis first tuned in his ears to electronica. “I stood there listening and listening, obsessed,” said the 42-year-old, who, as a student in Santa Cruz, took up drums and guitar within the same month. “I realized electronic music represents stuff bands oftentimes can’t do.” Attending the Burning Man festival in Nevada enhanced his passion for the style."
The 2005 and 2006 NYE shows at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco with Bassnecter pretty much signaled the end for me, with a few exceptions.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: cultivate kindness
I only crossed paths with SCI
I only crossed paths with SCI once in 2001 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, and it sounds like I hit the sweet spot. I thought they were fun, but there was so much other good music going on at the time that I didn't feel the need for a follow-up.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
The first couple of times I
The first couple of times I saw them way back in the day I was impressed with their improvisational abilities, but after a few times that melted into a lot of muddle and less focused, less inspired jams for my taste. Still, they're a band that has stood the test of time and has a very dedicated fan base, so whether I personally like them or "get" them or not, I tip my cap to what is clearly a big league professional band.
One thing I do know, and I don't know how it is these days, but in their heyday their shows were the wook capital of the world.
I saw and then worked many of their Bay Area shows, including multiple New Years runs, and the wook quota was off the charts.
Historians will certainly mention those shows as MegaMooch events.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
Billy said when they started
Billy said when they started out all their only real goal was to sound like leftover salmon
their hornings gigs were always a total blowout. I still indulge in a little cheese from time to time.
this was a pretty drippy one:
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
^ it wa so fucking hot and
^ it wa so fucking hot and sweaty in that place and as I distantly recall they didn't sell water. Only time I was in that hall, I think.
It was a big deal Vince showed up at the time providing Dead cred to the Salmon /Cheese scene, although in retrospect...no big deal
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
I worked that NYE show. What
I worked that NYE show. What a time it was. It was the first time I saw String Cheese Incident and I enjoyed them that night, surprised that they were more rock band than bluegrass crossover band, which is what I was expecting.
And yeah, what a funky, sweaty old hall that place was/is, in the very heart of the Haight Ashbury.
That was a crazy night, my friends and I probably enjoying it much more than the patrons stuck inside. We kept running across the street to the Kezar Pub for shots throughout the night, while everyone else fought for a drink or a breath of air at our pathetic attempt at a bar on the little back patio.
That was one of those nights where we thought it was definitely better to work than to pay.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
>>>the ball-less nice guys of
>>>the ball-less nice guys of the genre
Well summed up. I'm glad people have fun at their shows but the lack of edge always drove me nuts as well as the aforementioned electronica swing. My first show in the late 90s was great and then that inside outside record came out and it just felt like they were trying to be phish. Saw them open for phil a couple times and play that Jerry Tribute at the Greek Theater and couldn't get away fast enough.
Ironically people at work like to tell strangers I'm a huge SCI fan to ruffle my feathers.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
They were pretty good for a
They were pretty good for a couple of years after Kyle came in - then they went EDM and they lost me.
Maybe THE generic jam band.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
They were also doing the
They were also doing the follow-your-favorite-band-to-mexico thing since before it was cool.
Tulum 98
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
My first SCI show was a NYE
My first SCI show was a NYE event at the Kaiser. Maybe 1997ish? I fell instantly in love and followed them for the next maybe half dozen yrs until that electronica bull shit ruined the band. I still go see them occasionally, one show at a time and hope that I get a good one. Seems to be about 50-50 these days. They have always been influenced by their opening band. If it was that g love asshole you pretty much knew their show would suck. Taj Mahal opened for some of their best shows ever. Remembering Red Rocks.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
I still go see them
I still go see them occasionally, one show at a time and hope that I get a good one. Seems to be about 50-50 these days.<<<
This is kind of the conundrum, but even a "not so good one" will still have a great set or pockets. And even these far exceed 99% of the other bands out there for my tastes.