Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers tonight

[johnchop]

I’ll be checking out Bruce and the lads in downtown Augusta GA this evening.

 

Haven’t seen him live since the 90s.

 

Haven’t really kept current with his catalog since Halcyon Days.

 

But he’s always the real deal, and to see ace players, live, doing their thing… man, it’s been a minute.

 

Also very happy to have my fifteen year-old accompany me. She’s in band and is around music all the time, but this is her first concert.

 

Will provide post-show impressions.

[conundrum]

What happened to the Range? I know, “google it”.

[TWizzle]

Bruce is my musical hero in a lot of ways. He single-handedly reinvigorated my waning interest in the piano when I was entering my teens in the early 2000s. He has got to be one of the most creatively restless musicians on the planet. He's more than dipped his feet into bluegrass, jazz, modern and atonal avant-garde classical music... All sorts of crazy stuff.

 

I'm jealous! Have a wonderful time.

[nursers]

Looking forward to your post-show report!

[johnchop]

Interesting night!

 

It felt like there wasn’t much pre-planned other than a recent song and a new one that’s on the album he’s about to put out. Nice minor scale version of “Mandolin Rain” in there, too, and an extended take on “Look Out Any Window”. 

 

Lots of requests, including an audience shout out for “Cruise Control”, to which BH said “yeah why not let’s ****ing do that one” 😂 and it was a jam.

 

In fact, lots of jamming and improvisation all around. 

 

I was seated front left, so I had good view of Hornsby’s hands all night. Such a relaxed, adventurous player. So great to hear those signature voicings and see his hand independence on display.

 

( BTW John JT Thomas on organ and synth with what looked like a Hammond digital with an Arturia controller on top. MacBook to the side.)

 

I  had to duck out on the last tune—it was running late and the kid has school and a long martial arts test tonight—but at that point he had moved on to dulcimer.

 

Varied, lighthearted, and far from a “by the numbers” show.

 

 

 

[stoken6]

Love "Cruise Control"

 

Cheers, Mike.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

On 3/28/2022 at 6:39 AM, johnchop said:

It felt like there wasn’t much pre-planned

 

 

 

Indeed; Bruce has gone onstage without a set list for decades now. The lineup of the Noisemakers has shifted a bit in the last few years and I can only imagine what training up a new member is like -- you really have to be ready for anything at any time as far as what songs are played and how they're arranged. Still haven't caught a show in-person myself, hopefully one of these days!