© The Legendary Eddie V
Photos: by The Legendary Eddie V
Photos: by The Legendary Eddie V
The Gourds
Miller Lite Main Stage
Knoch Park
Naperville, IL
7-04-09
01. Country Love
02. Old Man from the Mountain (Merle Haggard)
03. Lower 48
04. Ladies Choice
05. Hellhounds
06. Red Letter Day
07. "Stab" >
08. Magnolia
09. Burn the Honeysuckle
10. My Name is Jorge
11. Blanket Show
12. Country Gal
13. How Will U Shine *
14. New Dues
15. Luddite Juice
16. Web Before You Walk into It
17. Plaid Coat
18. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Cupid (Sam Cooke) > Hello It's Me (Todd Rundgren) > Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Robert Lamm) > I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash) > Surrender (Rick Neilson) > Hello It’s Me > Gin and Juice
*In compliance with the band's unwritten "Festival = No Banjo" rule, Max did not set up his banjo during soundcheck. Realizing this at the conclusion of How Will U Shine, Jimmy quickly substituted the banjo-less New Dues and Luddite Juice for the Illegal Oyster and Hey Thurman he had originally written on the set list
Special thanks to The Legendary Eddie V and Slunk Leviers for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.
Illinois Thematic Report
ReplyDeleteThe Illinois swing began with, in Kevin Russell's words, "a nice 'n smooth landing" on July 2 Thursday night with a Ledgewife-prepared feast and cozy wee-hour front porch hang tipped with Amaro digestivo.
Friday brought lunch and more at Caputo's (North Avenue). The Gourds don't know it, but Guido shadowed them all day, just in case Wilco tried any rough stuff.
Friday, July 3rd was Texas night (with a touch of Looziana) at Fitzgerald's 29th American Music Festival: Jon D Gaham, Marcia Ball and The Gourds. It was perfect weather and a squeeze-me-in great crowd. The Gourds set in the club (for the fest Fitz also has an outdoor tent--the Gourds played both four ears ago) was very high energy on both sides of the monitors and the singular best indicator of which was an accordion-playing Claude Bernard vertical leaping leg-split complete with a balanced two-point landing. John Mollman and I,both severely PBR-infused, immediately and simultaneously looked toward one another with open mouthed astonishment. Claude also issued the best line of the night, sitting calmly at the keyboard after a Kevin Russell introduction that inexplicably drew a mild response: "Hey, Chicago, we're trying to do a show here." Kevin could not start the next song for laughing so hard at Claude's brilliant, deadpan delivery.
The set list was very satisfying and Vine was the standout to my willing ears. The packed crowd was attentive, cheering, howling and moving throughout. The void left by the holiday-traveling mid-West crew (Chis, Morgan, Jennifer, Donna, Kevin W, Chelsey) was nicely filled by the visiting Mark, Julia and John and newbies Doug, Kevin C, Pam, Charley, Steve S, and Ruth; and teen-newbies Elizabeth daughter of Kevin C), Steve (son of Doug) and, proudly, Ledgedaugther#1, all of whom were generated by the pre-show salsiccia festa at Casa-Di-V. A post-show front porch hang 'n chill featuring, among other things, CAO
Italia cigars, Johnny Walker Blue and pre-show party food leftovers ensued into the wee, wee hours.
Saturday brought The Exchange Club Rib Fest in Naperville IL, which is 20+ miles southwest of Chicago. Mark and Julia hooked up with LedgeFamily (Ledgedaughter#2's first Gourds show) to make the trek for the rain-soaked, 90-minute fest-set that culminated with the previously described raucous Gn-Todd-nod-Juice. Seeing the guys up on a Jumbo Tron screen was a kick. As we know, fest sets are not your optimum performance conditions. For a fest-set, though, this one was was pretty good and the soaking rain generated that warm, bonding we're-in-this-all-together-feeling. Harmonies on Caldonia were super and How Will U Shine was an absolute delight. Once again Claude grabbed some stage with his line, "You shoulda seen us last night. Now THAT was a crack band." Then, at the close of Plaid Coat, he tossed a maraca high in the air for three 360-degree somersaults brought to a synchronized halt by his nonchalant catching of the handle. I see a Vegas act somewhere down the line.
The over-all audience response may bring The Gourds back to this fest even without a Todd Rundren blessing.
Thanks, Gourds, for great fun on Garibaldi Day weekend.
Ledge