30 Apr 2003, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA
Made it to the Boston gig at the Paradise, in just the
nick of time. Again, at first I was surprised at the
lack of turnout, but by the time our headliners hit
the stage, the place was pretty packed.
The boys had a surprise for us, bringing out an Irish
fiddler and an Irish bagpipe player. I'd never seen
Irish bagpipes before. These ones don't require the
huff and puff, and they have a higher, lighter and
softer sound than their Scottish counterpart.
They started out with Highland Wedding, and it seemed
the fiddler at first did not have enough monitor, but
Steve had that corrected, so the next two Irish tunes
were smoother. Celtic tunes have a tendency to go on
and on, and to wind up the last tune, Steve had to
give the bagpiper a good elbow! It was nice to have
the opportunity to hear these guys that are on the
Cherokee album.
Then they left the stage, and the Dixie Dregs opened
with a smoking Assembly Line. Dave was fiercly
concentrating, and his bass playing was awesome. Rod,
who I'm sure had some students in the audience, played
great, and I take a special delight in what he does
with the Mahavishnu tune. Again, I had trouble holding
back the tears welled up by Steve's beautiful
Hereafter solo. The show continued to be another great
gig, winding up with an encore of Shape of Things and
Take It Off the Top. I wish the crowd would've begged
a bit for a second encore, as I was hoping to hear I'm
Freaking Out again this tour, but the crowd seemed
sure there would be only one, though it was early.
Probably a good thing, because the meet and greet line
was massive! Frank Solomon was at this gig, and this
time brought his son. I went up to him and said, "So
this is the dirtbiker?" He's a beautiful kid, same age
as Steve's son, who also likes the dirtbikes. Maybe
one day the two can meet and ride together!
This was the last show this leg for me. All the shows
I attended were really wonderful, and once again, no
matter how many times I see them, this is a band I
will never grow weary of. It's hard to wait for the
next time. Hmmmm, to hold us diehards over, isn't it
about be time for a Steve Morse Band tour?