Hippies everywhere! They want to save the world but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad.” Or at least that’s what I was thinking through most of last night.
A little bit after 7, I had just cracked open an icy cold PBR when my neighbor dropped by, asking if I wanted to go the downtown Mall. When you answer a knock at your door holding a PBR, your answer to the going out question is without doubt in the affirmative. It turns out that Charlottesville has a pavilion that has just been completely upgraded and last night was the first show. Being the first show it was free. But damn, the band on staged rocked the place. Seriously though, the crowd consisted of about a thousand hippies and me. Surprisingly, I noticed no illegal narcotics, nor a general unpleasant aroma. The upcoming shows include Loretta Lynn, Dwight Yoakam, Bruce Hornsby, Violent Femmes, & the Spin Doctors. Maybe Charlottesville ain’t so bad.
So. Who was playing last night? It was Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. I’ve never heard of them before, but they certainly got my attention. They are a 6 piece band — keyboards, drums, bass (6 string), guitar, a guy who plays some trumpet and cornet (and who appeared to be surfing the internet at times), and the lead singer who also plays the sax and flute… and they include cowbells. They played for at least 2 hours, and even though I’m not a big fan of live music, I was drawn into the experience. In checking out their website, I really dig their tour schedule. They look like they’ll play any time, anywhere as long as you give them a stage and the possibility of an audience. After Charlottesville last night, they head to Nashville, to Asheville, back to Viginia, to New York, to Missouri, to Wisconsin to Minnesota to Indiana to North Carolina to South Carolina to Florida. In all they’re scheduled for 15 shows from today through August 14th. Awesome. I’ve done some crazy road trips in my life, but nothing to compare to these guys… and I can’t even play an instrument.
Well I gotta get to campus. Later.
Wha Says:
I saw Bruce Hornsby ages ago when he was touring with Bonnie Raitt…it was an awesome show. You should definitely check him out when he comes.