Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mickey Hart Band 04.17.12

4/17/12 was a GREAT day. No wait...4/17/12 was a MAGICAL day.

Not only was it our 8th wedding anniversary, but we got to take in a killer show together! We had the absolute priveledge of experiencing the Mickey Hart Band at The Cat's Cradle in Carboro, NC.

Out of all the shows we have seen, this one is right there at the top. The Cat's Cradle is a smaller venue and anytime you can get closer to the music its a guaranteed effin good time. Each band member was in his (or her) element that night and you could see them connecting and really having fun. From what we could tell, they are really starting to jell as a band and we can't wait to see what the future holds for MHB!

I mean, what an ecclectic all star lineup! Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead, Rythym Devils) on percussions; Dave Schools (Widespread Panic, Stockholm Syndrome) on bass; Crystal Monee Hall (the musical Rent) on vocals and rythym guitar; Tim Hockenberry (Trans Siberian Orchestra) on vocals, trombone and keys; Gawain Mathews (Utah Symphony, Ben Lee) on lead guitar; Sikiru Adepoju (Planet Drum) on the talking drum; and Ian 'Inkx' Herman on drums (Shifty Records, Paul Simon).

WOW

I absolutely LOVE the fact that so many different musicians from so many different musical backgrounds can come together and make something truly unique and special!
LONG LIVE THE MICKEY HART BAND!


This fine instrument belongs to Tim Hockenberry...LOVE IT...Folks, this gentleman has covered the ENTIRE horn in animal print duct tape! His keyboard and stand were covered too :o)

See??
Keyboard AND stand...Also animal print duct taped :O)

Gawain Matthews and his Les Paul...ahhhh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Autographs from Gawain, Crystal and Siriru

The one and ONLY Mickey Hart!!
 

Mr. Siriru Adepoju!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the many faces of my personal FAVE, Dave Schools....
AND beautiful lady is Crystal Monee Hall...She brought such an AWESOME vibe to the stage.

Not only does Miss Hall shine on stage, but her sweet soul shines as well! After the show, she was standing around greeting fans with hugs, smiles and autographs. That alone was awesome enough, but little did I know Miss Hall had teamed up with Chris for THE BEST ANNIVERSARY SURPRISE EVER....


SWEET JESUS!!
 A SIGNED set list by none other than Mickey Hart and Dave Schools - two of my ALL TIME FAVES!!! To top it off, that was actually School's set list too. Thanks bunches to the stage tech that stopped what he was doing to hand it to us AND thanks to Dave and Mickey, who I'm sure are bombarded with requests like that on a nightly basis, for obligingly hooking a HUGE fan up :O)

Best Husband Ever award goes to CHRIS :O) While I was chatting with Mr. Adepoju who was also greeting fans, Chris explained to Crystal that it was our 8th Wedding Anniversary and that it would mean so much to his wife if she could in any way see if Dave or Mickey would sign the set list. Bless her heart, she took it right on the bus...About 15 minutes later, we are still standing around and I'm totally oblivious to the fact that Chris didn't have the set list in his hands anymore. I'm loving standing around and chatting with all the folks outside and worried at the same time that Chris is ready to jet since its like 2 or 3 am at this point. All of a sudden, here comes Crystal waving a piece of paper, smiling from ear to ear and walking towards us. I literally almost fell over when she wished us a very happy anniversary :O) 

There is only one member of the band that I didn't get good shots of...Ian Herman. Sorry Ian, but due to my inexperience, lighting and distance they all came out fuzzy. Maybe next time!!

Many many thanks go out to Mickey and all of the band members...You all have created something truly unique and magical...Can't wait till yall come back to NC!! :O)