Going to see Levon Helm tomorrow

[AlexdeLarge]

eat your heart out Sugar

The 2008 Grammy winner for Best Traditional Folk Album goes to Levon Helm for Dirt Farmer!
Congratulations to Levon, Larry, Amy, Teresa, Brian, Byron, Glenn and everyone else involved in creating this great album.

Tour ~ Philadelphia at Electric Factory
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Levon Helm Band
Ollabelle

Released to almost immediate critical acclaim, the album features Helm's daughter Amy Helm and longtime Bob Dylan sideman Larry Campbell. Helm declined to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony, instead holding a "Midnight Gramble" and celebrating the birth of his grandson, also named Levon How cute......they all are in his band tomorrow night too

[SugarBaby]

Originally Posted by AlexdeLarge

eat your heart out Sugar

The 2008 Grammy winner for Best Traditional Folk Album goes to Levon Helm for Dirt Farmer!
Congratulations to Levon, Larry, Amy, Teresa, Brian, Byron, Glenn and everyone else involved in creating this great album.

Tour ~ Philadelphia at Electric Factory
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Levon Helm Band
Ollabelle

Released to almost immediate critical acclaim, the album features Helm's daughter Amy Helm and longtime Bob Dylan sideman Larry Campbell. Helm declined to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony, instead holding a "Midnight Gramble" and celebrating the birth of his grandson, also named Levon How cute......they all are in his band tomorrow night too

Have loads of fun! I'm looking forward to April 26. That's when I'll be seeing him.

[Simp]

At the county fair?

[SugarBaby]

Originally Posted by Simp

At the county fair?

Well no Edie, at Merlefest in North Wilkesboro, NC. Big four day bluegrass concert honoring the late Merle Watson. Levon and Co. headline Sat. night's Midnight Ramble.

[AlexdeLarge]

I think I'm coming down for that Sugar, but I'm looking for just the right Tee shirt to wear, do you think this one will do?

[SugarBaby]

Originally Posted by AlexdeLarge

I think I'm coming down for that Sugar, but I'm looking for just the right Tee shirt to wear, do you think this one will do?

I do have a purty mouth so I guess so. You ready to shell out the big bucks to see a whole bunch of kissin' cousins? Merlefest is lousy with hillbillies. No alcohol allowed though. Merle was tragically killed in the middle of the night after his tractor went off one of those high winding roads in Deep Gap, NC. He was high on any number of substances. Doc doesn't allow alcohol on the premises of Merlefest. And they check.

[SugarBaby]

"Wide River to Cross" is a beautiful song isn't it? I cry almost everytime I listen to it.

[AlexdeLarge]

Yes, it's a wonderful song, one I keep playing over & over.

[AlexdeLarge]

Going to be a great day, but it's starts out with a family friends funeral but then off to Manayunk, that's a really cool part of Philly. Bars and pubs everywhere, and nice shops. Anyone ever been there? Then off to the show at the Electric factory in downtown Philly. Great place for a show, good sound, lots of bars

[AlexdeLarge]

This show was fantastic.....Helm's band was one of the best I've ever heard. Also, the presence of Larry Campbell on guitar (who played in Bob Dylan's band from 1997-2004) made for a killer supergroup composed of two of the greatest live musicians Dylan ever worked with.

After performing the first ten songs on the mandolin while two men took turns manning the drums, Levon assumed his rightful place behind the kit - causing the entire house to erupt into applause. Has anyone ever made playing drums while singing lead on a song look so easy? Local seventy-eight-year-old bluesman Little Sammy Davis, who sauntered off and on stage all night wearing a bright purple suit and a bowler hat, handled vocals and harmonica on a ferocious cover of the Muddy Waters song "40 Days and 40 Nights." When he was done someone around me muttered, "Why the hell have I never heard of this guy?" Helm was right at home playing on this and other blues songs, some of them he even recorded as a member of Ronnie Hawkins backing band in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Helm doesn't play classic-rock radio staples like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," but he does dig a bit deeper into The Band's repertoire a bit throughout the night. A barn-burning version of "Rag Mama Rag" was an early highlight as was "Don't Ya Tell Henry" -- a Dylan-penned song originally recorded in the basement of another, pinker Woodstock house. Larry Campbell sung lead in lieu of the departed Richard Manuel on the Music From Big Pink classic "Chest Fever." I'd seen Campbell play with Dylan countless times, but it was truly a wonderful sight to finally see him have the freedom to let loose on the guitar and sing lead. Dylan replaced him with two guitarists, but his absence has definitely weakened the band. Levon himself sang "Ophelia" toward the end of the show, and with the two-piece horn section and the ultra-capable backing band it sounded as spellbinding and joyful as the Last Waltz version. The show ended with an uproarious cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," featuring onstage everyone who had played that night. When it was over, a widely grinning Helm looked as unhappy to get up and leave as the rest of the crowd.

Despite his health problems, Helm was grinning from ear to ear the entire night. The sheer euphoria permeating from Helm combined with his incredibly tight band and the uniqueness of the venue made for one of the most uplifting and pure musical experiences I've ever had.

[AlexdeLarge]

The only bummer Levon's daughter was a know show, but she had a great excuse.....she had a baby earlier in the week

[AlexdeLarge]

Played 2 1/2 hours too