Saturday
The room was slightly more packed when I arrived on night two with Gipsy Moon was already on the stage. I was reprimanded by a large bearded security guard who said that I put my drink on the stage to change lenses more than once. He christened me the drink enforcer, a role I begrudgingly took on with some effectiveness. “Sir… sir… you can’t put your drink there.” Gipsy Moon put on another solid set with most of Salmon eventually making it out to pick with the band family style.
Set 1: Little Drop, Only Take, Dying of Days, RBTD, Caravan, Awaywego, Skeletor, Gin
By the time I made it up front to snap a few shots Andy Thorn was already on stage with the band. Soon they were joined by both Vince and Drew to round out the clusterpluck. “Awaywego” got the benefit of the full jam with solos flying around the stage like a motivated moth next to a patio light. It was obvious that Gipsy Moon ended this weekend with more fans than they had on Friday morning.
Leftover Salmon never seems to forget about the towns that made them popular in the first place. Salmon has a long history of playing in Fort Collins and the Aggie in particular. Beyond the mountain towns where they began performing, it was on the Front Range where they initially reached a wider audience. It’s nice to know that they never make us wait too long for a local show. They are heading back up to Winter Wonder Grass next before returning to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park in March so if you are in Colorado fresh Salmon is around the corner. The band again welcomed Bobby Lee Rodgers up for the entirety of the show. Vince opened up night two with a wild “Rag Mama Rag.”
Set 1: Rag Mama Rag, Troubled Times, Jokester, Gulf of Mexico, Sing up to the Moon, Tumblin’ Down, Powder Day
Set 2: Down In The Hollow, Everything Is Round, This Is The Time, Bird Call, Here Comes the Night, Six Feet Of Snow, Beggin’ You To Stay, White Freightliner Blues, Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie
Encore: Better
“Audio by Eric Wilkens and Jim Walters”: https://archive.org/details/los2016-01-30.flac16.dpa
Drew immediately answered back with an intricate “Troubled Times” that eventually gave way to an impeccable “Jokester.” Mr. Thorn again took his position as the weekend’s MVP with a perfectly timed “Gulf of Mexico.” Vince took the reigns with a sing-along on “Sing Up To the Moon.” Bobby Lee took vocals on “Tumblin’ Down,“ which was the first time the band actually jammed one out on night two. Bobby Lee Rodgers on guitar has a similar effect to that of Bill McKay on Leftover Salmon. Back in the McKay days, whenever he sang the band was transformed into a bluesy explosion of energy. Rodgers too, seems to push the band into that bluesy bar band sound, whenever he takes the lead. I will say that Rodgers has a cleaner sound overall, but the effect is eerily similar.
“Festivallll” –Vince Herman
Thorn’s driving banjo was front and center on “Powder Day” before they took a break. This weekend Salmon was content with concise first sets and ridiculous, exploratory second sets and night two seemed to follow that path.
Despite Drew’s age, he continues to belt out harmonically perfect notes that seemed to float above the crowd. He opened the final set of the run with a ridiculous “Down In The Hollow.” As Drew began to sing I felt the floor shake with excitement. Salmon proceeded to treat us to the classic “Everything Is Round.” The band really coalesced during “This Is The Time” before an unassuming intro to “Bird Call.” This shred fest was lead by Thorn, but the jam gave way to the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” before returning to the scatter-jammed “Bird Call.” At some point toward the end of the set flatpicking champion Tyler Grant came to the stage followed by Vince’s son Silas Herman from Gipsy Moon. “Six Feet of Snow” off their latest studio album High Country took on a traditional bluegrass feel followed by the bouncy love song, “Beggin’ You To Stay.” Silas came to pick with his dad on a ridiculous version of Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freightliner Blues.” Salmon closed their final set with a perfect “Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie.” They returned to encore with a punchy “Better.”
This guitar army version of Leftover Salmon is not to be missed. The departure of Payne is yet another opportunity for Leftover Salmon to mix it up. This band is no stranger to transition and no matter what happens with individual personnel they never disappoint. So if you are looking for a good time go see this band live. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time or you are rediscovering LoS after years; it is statistically impossible to have a bad time at Leftover Salmon show.
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