Revolution - Fort Lauderdale, FL (February 4)

The first half of our Florida trip was pretty laid back, with plenty of time for travel, sightseeing, and visiting with friends. The second half - not so much. The drive from Jax Beach to Fort Lauderdale was a few hours, leaving us with just enough time to check in and get showered before heading to the venue. We met up with Michael, Terra, Steve, and Theresa - and it was Terra's first show!!! Exciting!

Michael had told me about this venue and the height of the stage, so when we got inside I was prepared for an uncomfortably high stage. But, it wasn't so bad. The rail was far back enough that my neck wasn't cricked too badly. But then I noticed something else. People were smoking. Really? Another smoking venue? What is going on? It still wasn't as bad as Gainesville, though. I don't think anything can top that as the smokiest show EVER.


As the show started, I wandered around a little bit to take photos. This venue has an area upstairs with plexiglass windows looking down to the stage from the sides. Really cool. It was like a hockey arena.


The show started with "Bloody Mary Morning" into "Yes She Do (No She Don't)", and I couldn't believe my ears. This is the same beginning as from the Des Moines show in 2010, which we had just listened to on the ride to Ft. Lauderdale. Weird. After getting a bunch of photos from different perspectives, I made my way back to my rail spot between Terra and Theresa. Let's just say, Terra was already hooked.

Then... only 5 songs in... "REUBEN AND CHERISE"! What?! That was a surprise. No one really ever expects to hear this song, especially so early in the set. These boys are just full of surprises. The set continued with "Mother's Only Son", followed by "If I Lose" (one of my favorites). "Dreams" slowed down the pace a little, and then I got one of my favorite instrumentals - "Mossy Cow". Next was "Midwest Gospel Radio"! I mean jeez! This was turning out to be a truly incredible set. And how could it get any better? By finishing off with "Snow on the Pines"> "King Ebenezer"> "Snow". We had been waiting for a "Snow on the Pines", and they didn't disappoint.

In the 2nd set, we got "Blue Collar Blues", which has a running inside joke with our friends, as well as "Must've Had Your Reasons". Another treat was "Cupid Shot Me Twice", and Ben was correct in saying the last time they played it was in Tulsa 2010 (another fantastic show). Then back to copying from the Des Moines show: "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere". Awesome! The 2nd set finished off with "Keep On Going"> "After Midnight"> "Holding"> "KOG" (both "After Midnight" and "Holding" were ALSO played in Des Moines). For the encore we first got "Hill Country Girl" (miss you, Anitra!), and then Ben got out his bow. I was thinking to myself, "what could it be? not 'New Horizons', not 'No Expectations'..." It was "Goodbye Blue Sky". How wonderful. We hadn't gotten that one in quite some time, and it was a perfect ending to this show.


Written by Dorothy St.Claire

Yonder Mountain String Band 2/4/11 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL Click below to preview tracks from this show DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW

Freebird Live - Jacksonville Beach, FL (February 3)

We took our time leaving Gainesville for Jacksonville. We took some photos with a sweet Gators/Grateful Dead mural, then got some yummy BBQ.

The drive was quick and gloomy, and we arrived at Jax Beach with enough time for walking the beach and getting some food (fried pickles for me, please).

We got into the venue and were disappointed to see that they had put up a rail... a very narrow rail that didn't even cover the full width of the stage. Pretty pointless, really. We got our spots and visited for a while.

They kicked the show off with "40 Miles From Denver" and "Northern Song", before bringing a nice surprise with "Romance Blues". Hell yes. The sound wasn't as good up front as it was the night before in Gainesville, but the song selection more than made up for it. They played Hot Rize's "Going Across the Sea", which is always a treat, and Ben sang Colin's request of "Someday's Reunion". Next, they busted out an oldie but a goodie with "Shady Grove"> "Wheel Hoss"> "Shady Grove". So hot. The set finished out with "Piece of Mind"> "East Nashville Easter"> "Piece of Mind". And this "POM" was absolutely killer. This was a long, fiery set.

During set break the crowd really started to fill in, and by the time the boys hit the stage for the 2nd set, it was on its way to being a complete madhouse.

They opened with Jeff's newest song, "What the Night Brings", which is definitely becoming one of my new favorites. A few more songs in we got a little sherif saga love with "Sometimes I've Won" and "On the Run"... oh, and "Southern Flavor" in the middle of "On the Run". NICE.

At some point, the crowd was pretty wild and one guy in particular wouldn't leave Alison alone. He grabbed her, at which point she told him he did not have permission to touch her, but he didn't stop. All at the same time, our new friends Dave and Dan came to help her and Jeff stepped to the edge of the stage to yell at the guy. Finally, he backed off. Thanks, guys!

The 2nd set finished out with "Dawn's Early Light", "My Gal", and "Granny Woncha Smoke Some". When they left for the encore break, the crowd cheered louder than any crowd that size I've ever heard. The boys were definitely pleasantly surprised by this, playing "Kentucky Mandolin" and "Crazy Train" for the encore. "Crazy Train" was the perfect choice for the end of this show.

Written by Dorothy St.Claire

Yonder Mountain String Band 2/3/11 Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach, FL Click below to preview tracks from this show DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW

The Venue - Gainesville, FL (February 2)

Groundhog Day. We managed to wake up early enough for the free breakfast in our Orlando hotel before we packed up the convertible to head out for Gainesville. It was a beautiful cloudy day, perfect for a little drive.

Once in Gainesville, we wandered around a little bit, got a bite to eat, then it was time to head to the show. The Venue looked like an abandoned building, and we wondered what kind of place it was inside.

Around 8pm they started letting us in, but there was some kind of mix-up and the pre-sale will call list was not there. Lori had her receipt, so she was ok, but Steve and Alison would have had to buy new tickets if Colin and I hadn't wound up with extras. What is so hard about selling tickets and putting ticket holders' names on a list, MusicToday? Not good. But, we all got in and got our rail spots, and it was all good.

The band came on around 9:20 and opened with a "Deep Elem Blues" jam that went into "Steep Grade Sharp Curves". That was pretty cool, and the audience LOVED it. Despite the incredibly run-down appearance of this place, the sound was AMAZING. Good job, Hines. Once again, the boys were in a pretty good mood, and couldn't help but talk about the weather back home (-40 wind chill) and how happy they were to be in Florida instead.

This 1st set was full of goodies. "Bolton Stretch", "Irondale", "Nothin But Nothin", "Ain't No Way of Knowing", "Free to Run", "Troubled Mind"> "20 Eyes"> "Troubled Mind", "Half Moon Rising", "Howard Hughes Blues", and a killer "Honestly"> "Casualty"> "Honestly" were my favorites of the set. We all thought "Casualty" went really well in the "Honestly" sandwich.

There was one thing that was really REALLY crummy about this show. People could smoke in the venue. It was so disgusting. There were even two dudes "working", sitting on the sides of the stage, that probably lit a cigarette every song or two. Then there were the people behind us that were chain smoking. I was coughing throughout the entire show, and I seriously felt as if I would get sick sometimes. I mean COME ON!

On a happier note, we met some really nice folks. I wore my Des Moines: Hell Yes shirt, which prompted another girl from Des Moines (Natalie) to come up and introduce herself. Turns out we went to the same high school, graduating a year apart. Small world. Then there were a nice couple behind us, Ricky and Jasmine, who were seeing their first Yonder show. Such nice folks, and they had a great time.

The 2nd set started with ANOTHER "Deep Elem Blues" jam into "Ramblin'"> "Ripcord Blues"> "Ramblin'". LOVE me some "Ripcord Blues". Dave is the man, playing with a broken hand. Hardcore.

This set was smokin' hot. The rest of my favorites from this set were "Polly Put the Kettle On", "Loneliness and Desperation" (Jeff forgot the words), "Illinois Rain", "Spanish Harlem Incident", "I Had Someone Else", "Raleigh & Spencer"> "Riverside"> "Raleigh & Spencer" (nice!), and in the encore... "GROUNDHOG"!!! I had "Groundhog" in my head all day, and by the time the encore came around, I had let go of the thought that they might play it. Talking to Ben Hines after the show, he said he pushed them to do it. Thanks again, Ben!

Written by Dorothy St.Claire

Yonder Mountain String Band 2/2/11 The Venue, Gainesville, FL Click below to preview tracks from this show DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW