ARTS: Chris Robinson Live, No Better Musical Experience

"They call this place historic Turner Hall, but I prefer to call it old-creepy building." - Chris Robinson

And that is exactly the way it was.  The floor was so warped that depending on where you stand, you might be up or down a foot from what would be level.  The walls were badly in need of paint, chipping and crumbling so badly you might think the vibration from the music could cause them to cave in.  The ceiling had nets beneath it to prevent the falling cement or plaster from hitting people.  The balcony was filled with junk, and the entrance looked like dirty-dusty closet.  Yeah, the building is a complete piece of crap, and that is precisely why it was so cool.  You want rock 'n' roll, this is the way to see it. 

It was a small gathering of a few hundred fans, maybe 200 tops 300, and in typically Chris Robinson/Black Crowes fashion, most of us were of the fan category, "highly devoted."  We walked into the dump and straight towards the free samples of beer.  When that ran out, tall boys were $4 a pop.  "Yup, that'll work," I said to Peter.  The place wreaked of pot the second we stepped into it and they were handing out samples of free beer.  When you got closer to the stage you could begin to smell the hundreds of sticks of burning incense as they always do to add to the unique Chris Robinson concert smell. 

We got a round of beers and the proceeded to our spot.  A concert tradition of standing 10 feet from the stage dead center.  Sometimes a little pushing is needed, however last night that was not the case as there was plenty of room to navigate.   They came out a bit late, but when they did wished the world peace and said something else which as usual I couldn't understand and then promtly began to jam.  For those of you who do no know, Chris Robinson is in the beard stage of his rock ''n roll legacy - 10 years running if I am correct.  The beard phase also applies to every single member of the band.  And the new guitar player, Neal, is serisouly a clone of Chris Robinson.  Google it.  Wierd.

Musically, Chris Robinson is as dependable as the rising of the sun.  There are very few bands I would go out of my way to see.  So said Peter.  Exactly how I feel.  I have seen this guy live more times than I can count, more than some people in my extended family.  In stadiums, ballrooms, halls, and even small bars, it doesn't matter where it is.  This guy sings his ass off every time he plays.  He always surrounds himself with tight musicians - both instrumentally and vocally.  The transitions and timing are always tight and well-crafted.  The leads, the instrument blends, the vocals and harmonies, the rhythm section, and the tones - it's just freaking good.

Now, you never really know what songs you are going to get.  Some of you might say, well, you go to a concert and you want to hear certain songs.  I get that.  And frankly, every show you are guaranteed to hear a few songs you know.  But you also get to hear some cool covers and other tracks from albums you might not normally hear.  The musical cabinet runs deep, into many artisits, genres, and deep into musical history.  So the tunes are always fresh and keeping you guessing, and remarkably, he always seems to roll them out as if he played them live every night. 

They roll in and out of jams and transitions.  They start up new tunes with some jam or twist and for minutes you might litereally have no idea what song it is or where this is going.  Country, rock, blues, funk, soul...anything you could imagine and at an energy that is pure, genuine, and just sounds damn good.  For almost four hours, with one break, they played about a dozen songs.  Yes, lots of jam.  One Black Crowes song, a cover of Poor Elijah, a bunch of his solo stuff from prior albums, and the rest were mysteries, but all very good.

So is this 12 times I have seen him?  Who knows, it's been a lot.

"Thanks for choosing Milwaukee!" shouted some fan.

"No, no, no, Milwaukee chose us," responded Chris Robinson. 

Either way, had a great time at the show as always.  And as long as he comes to town, I will keep going.