My Alabama adventure began when I rolled out of my bed in Indiana and grabbed my phone to check the set-list for the show the previous night at Orange Beach. I was immediately super excited to see that the set-list closely resembled the one from the show I had seen a couple weeks earlier in Clarkston, Michigan at the venue formerly known as Pine Knob. This was great because it meant that I would catch a completely different feeling concert in Alabama than I did in Michigan. It was also great because I needed the excitement as it was 4am and I had a 7 ½ hour drive ahead of me. I kissed my wife and daughter goodbye, then hit the road…I arrived in Birmingham at my friend Jason’s house around noon and we immediately got the chillin going. We threw on some tunes, cooked out and played Frisbee in the warm afternoon rain (which is when I nearly kicked his 5 year old son in the head trying to finesse a between the legs catch…Sorry Edward!). Soon after that we left and went to a hotel near the amphitheater to meet up with some of Jason’s friends. From there we headed to the show and went right in to find our seats.
SHOWTIME!!!
The show stared off with a bang with a great AC/DC bag and moved quickly into Poor Heart which got off to a rough start as it has all summer but finished strong. Cities came next and had me cracking up when Trey got to the “lot of bridges in Birmingham” line. I had completely forgotten about the verse about the town’s dry ice factory. Interestingly there really aren’t a lot of bridges in Birmingham. The next tune was Kill Devil Falls. This was a shorter and more directly to the point version than I have heard, which is fine by me. That’s why I go to shows…to hear it played differently than normal. I love this song because the subject matter is something that I can relate to. Reba was played next and was done perfectly. I was immediately reminded of my daughter who can be heard walking around the house singing “bag it tag it….” Possum and Sample both jammed and the crowd lapped up very note. A funky Funky Bitch is a song that has eluded me for years now so I was pumped to hear it. Maze got off to a rocky start when Trey forgot a verse but to say this is a bad version would be doing you readers a grave injustice. Page laid down an absolutely stunning keyboard solo during this one. I was sure that afterward he was going to light the keys on fire as some sort of sacrificial tribute to the grounds keepers of the Maze. After that Ocelot rolled right into Sparkle and both songs sounded great. Fun to hear the band intertwine the old songs with the new. The last song of the first set brought us the only song off of the new album we would get. A completely rocking Wingsuit ensued and was finished off with Mike on the power drill. Jason and I both agreed that this first set was amazing and played extremely well. The band sounded so tight which made both of us super excited for what the second set might bring.
SECOND SET!!!
Carini brought everyone back to their feet with a quickness. The song sounded great and had me checking my head for lumps. Next came one of Jason’s favorite tunes! Ghost sounded great and had a beauty of a jam at the end. I look over to find my friend dancing with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. That’s what it’s all about right there. Mike then got his chance to sing his beloved song which the crowd definitely welcomed gratefully. After a well-played Mike’s , the band segued into Simple which surprised nobody in the building due to the Simple tease at the end of the ghost jam. This simple sounded awesome but the bands playing was soon overshadowed during the jam by a meteor that flew by right in front of the entire crowds eyes! Nasa described the meteor as being approximately 15 inches in circumference and flying at 46,000 mph. This looked like a shooting star at first until it entered the earth’s atmosphere and burst into a beautiful multicolored ball of light moving from stage right to left and fizzled out seemingly as it got above the stage(although it was actually much further away than that). The entire Amphitheatre went absolutely bonkers for literally a minute straight—just screaming at the sky, thanking the meteor for making its appearance. I’m sure the band was thinking “WTF? Did Mike just hit one of those notes that makes everyone in earshot shit their pants? No, they seem to be happy.” The band wrapped up the song and moved into Joy. I love this song and its lyrics and it seemed fitting for this show. Weekapaug had an extended intro and climaxed with a slick solo from Trey. Julius was played next…I love this song and am always ready to whip out my ticket stub and hold it high in the air. A groovy Sand followed and always reminds me of work (I work in a foundry) with its lyrics of sand and silicone. It’s such a kick ass song. That moved into Wading in The Velvet Sea which, for me, I love to hear no matter where in the show it’s played; just a beautifully written song that I wish I could say I wrote! Finally the song that has always been my favorite and I have wanted to see them play so badly for the entire 14 years I have been a fan but have never landed one in any of my sets (ZZYZX stats said I only had a 3.5% chance of doing this with as many shows as I have seen) -- You Enjoy Myself was played beautifully and I must have listened to this version 30 times since hearing it that night. Love love love it! The band finished us off with Quinn the Eskimo which I thought was a perfect way to end such an amazing show.
This show for me is a perfect example of why we all love this band. You just never know what’s going to happen. Between the great time I had with my friend, his family (still so glad I didn’t give Edward the big boot), the bands amazing playing and the meteor set as approval from the Gods, this is a trip I will never ever forget. Thank you to everyone involved… down right amazing!