Canopy Club - Urbana, IL (February 20)

Day last. Bittersweet. We were all so excited for these two shows, in particular this show at the Canopy Club. We got there super early to wait in line. It was a lot of fun, though. When the soundcheck started, Jeff came outside with his mandolin to see how far his wireless would work. Then a few of us went in the little hallway to listen to the sound check... A new song! Exciting!


The doors opened a little after 8pm, but those of us with will call had to wait until doors to get our tickets. Kind of a crummy way to do things, since those with real tickets that stood behind us in line got in much quicker. We were still perfectly fine and got our spots on the rail, but it would be nice if will call would open a little early.

Even more awesome people came to this show, and we spent our pre-show time catching up and laughing it up with a lot of dear friends. We also talked a lot with one of the security guards, who was pretty darn cool. I love it when members of security at a venue don't judge us before they meet us. Sometimes music fans can really be treated like garbage by those working to "keep us safe", but those that treat us like normal, respectful people really make a difference for everyone's show experience.










Suddenly, the lights went low, and that familiar roar grew out of the crowd. The band was coming on stage. No matter how many times I see this band, I get butterflies in my stomach. I can feel the excitement through my whole body, and I just can't keep the smile off my face.

Free to Run opener. Perfect. Into Years with Rose. Yes. Into Over the Waterfall. Hell yes. The crowd was wild right from the start. Maybe I'm biased, but the midwest rules. We always get great shows and we always bring the heat. We got Eli Renfro in this set, which was a pleasant surprise, since they played it only about a week before. After a fun Sharecropper's Son, we had another surprise with Sunday Afternoon - which we had never heard live before. That was really cool. A couple more songs in and we got yet ANOTHER surprise with a cover of Todd Snider's Just Like the Old Times. They finished off the first set with a Rambler> Illinois Rain> Rambler sandwich. This was really special for us. Jeff gave a toast to two crews of people. Their crew and our crew. Thanks, Jeff. We all work hard and travel all over the country to see Yonder, and it feels good to know that they appreciate it and don't mind seeing us every night. Oh, and that Illinois Rain? HOT!


















The second set started strong with Bolton Stretch, followed by the crowd favorite, Boatman. Then it was time for Josh and Pearhead to freak out - I Am the Slime. Pearhead has taken to calling Josh "Slimer" since he always seems to get this song. Finally Pearhead got it again, too. Next was a new Adam song, Far From You. We had heard them playing around with this song during soundcheck, Adam pushing them to play it a little faster. It was a great, heart-felt Adam song. I'm excited to hear this song again. The rest of this set was non-stop awesomeness. Must've Had Your Reasons is always a favorite of mine, as is Southern Flavor, Jesus on the Mainline, Oklahoma, and Elzic's Farewell. And they threw a Lost John in there. Lost John! I haven't heard this song since, I dunno, New Years run '04?









All too soon, it was encore time. How sad. These last shows go by so fast. They Love Each Other was the first encore song. It was very fitting. Lots of hugging and singing along. Don't get me wrong, I love this cover, but I really love it when they end with a bang - some fast-ass bluegrass. And end with a bang, they did. Going Where They Do Not Know My Name. I love love love this song. It was the perfect end to a great night, and a great tour. This never gets old. We'll see you all in the Spring!

Written by Dorothy St.Claire


Yonder Mountain String Band
2/20/11 Canopy Club, Urbana, IL


Click below to preview tracks from this show

DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW


Orpheum Theater - Madison, WI (February 19)

How could it already be the end of tour?! I know that by this time, the band and crew were exhausted, but for us, it seemed like the tour just flew by.

We were lucky enough to get to go to Madison a couple of days early to spend time with our friends and witness history in the making with the protests at the Capital. By our third day in town, we had all bought Wisconsin shirts and we were ready for some Yonder.


The weather was unseasonably warm in the midwest this week, but the cool-down was on its way. By the time we got in line, it was getting pretty darn cold. We had a handful of friends come up from the south, and they weren't totally ready for the shock. Once inside, we went straight up to the balcony and claimed a couple rows of seats. It's definitely a different experience to see Yonder in the balcony, but at the Orpheum, this is the place to be.







We visited for what seemed like HOURS, but finally, the boys came out. And... BAM! A Ten opener. The place immediately exploded. The sound, the lights, everything was so great from the front of the balcony. They segued into Angel, which was different, but worked. At this point I decided to run around a bit before things started getting too crazy. I went down to the floor, and was reassured about our balcony decision. It was so packed and there was no way to see the stage AT ALL. Then I went to the lobby and visited with Scotty a little bit. It sucks that sometimes the merch table is nowhere near the music. After a couple minutes, I ran back up to the balcony and got my boogie on with my Kinfolk.














This set really didn't ever slow down. All too soon it was setbreak. Then suddenly it was second set! Honestly, this night was going by way too fast. They opened the second set with Northern Song, and then they surprised us with Paul and Silas. That was a nice treat. This set had a good deal of surprises, such as a nice Don't Stop Till You Get Enough inside of a Freeborn Man sandwich. Whenever I hear them start Freeborn Man, I hope for a Wheel Hoss> Don't Stop (a great example is MN Zoo '10), but this was still really great. Unfortunately, most of us never get enough, but we have to stop when the show is over...










Two more of my favorites from this set were Whitehouse Blues (I was kinda hoping for this one with all the chaos happening at the Capital), and Whipping Post. On our drives to Madison, to Urbana, and home, we listened to a lot of Sirius radio, and heard a lot of different bands' covers of Whipping Post. Yonder blows them all away. I love this cover.


The few days that we were together, Annie kept saying that she felt a Reuben and Cherise for this show. What do you know? They come out for the encore, and at first Jeff's mandolin chops sounded like he was starting Crow Black Chicken... but then we heard the familiar notes of Reuben and Cherise. How lovely. The show was closed out with Blue Collar Blues. I love their job, too.

Written by Dorothy St.Claire



Yonder Mountain String Band
2/19/11 Orpheum Theater, Madison, WI


Click below to preview tracks from this show

DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW