LOCATION: Cornerstone Festival, Bushnell, IL
LINEUP: Karin, Linford, Will Sayler, Paul Moak, Rick Plant
REVIEW BY: Various Listees
I'm too unworthy to give reviews. Instead of watching OTR, I opted for Michael Knott and for the Lost Dogs on Thursday while they were playing on a different stage. So I didn't even see the Thursday show. As far as the 2 songs on Mainstage for the birthday bash, that was great. Many people that I sold stuff to on Friday night mentioned that they came after seeing them for the short mainstage set. Karin looked nothing less than spectacular on the mainstage. Her hair was perfect and she was wearing awesome "Hollywood" shades. On the big screen she looked like a model. My wife took a few pictures of the big screen close-ups, thinking she might get her hair done that way. They did All I Need is Everything and Summertime. AINIE rocked out well and was a great cut for them to do on stage. I wasn't sure if I liked that they did Summertime (I guess I would have hoped that they would do an original), but it really showed off her voice. I'm guessing that was the plan plus the tie in since it was 110 heat index out there. I stood swaying outside the tent for the Friday show for most of the show, watching the fireworks and listening. It was a sensory heavenly kind of thing. So I wasn't as focused as normal at a show and they also did a lot of new (unreleased) stuff so, I wasn't familiar enough to give you a setlist or anything since I was not able to hear much talking to the crowd.
We are all in for an AMAZING trip once Ohio is released: 21 new songs of
heartbreak and wonder. Seeing them at Cornerstone on Friday was a spiritual
experience--I kid you not. This show was taped for inclusion on the new DVD
musical documentary--so you'll get to see it in December! They have a new
drummer (Will Sayler), a bassist (Rick Plant--on loan from Buddy and Julie
Miller's band ;), and a guitarist who is a veritable phenom! His name is
Paul Moak (?), and he made the rounds on pedal steel, sitar, xylophone, a
12-string electric, Rickenbacher, etc. And backup vocals. They're touring
the entire U.S. this fall...this is the one to bring all your friends to!!
:) It was a jaw-dropping evening...half the time I couldn't believe what I
was seeing/hearing. They've totally reinvented themselves again--and the
huge sound is back--rip roaring guitars--the passionate intensity of their
music turned WAY UP. Linford was grinning throughout the entire evening.
Everyone was having a lot of fun...
Here is the setlist and brief descriptions... ;) * = stuff I've never heard
before
Spinning ~ All five of them... Paul opening it with a sitar!
Bothered ~ drum intro--they played it as an upbeat rock song...I barely
recognized it at first...amazing.
*"I wanna feel better / I wanna try harder / I want to believe down to the
letter / Jesus and Mary can you carry us / across the sea to forgiveness" ~
scorching ballad
Show Me (How It Feels) ~ I remember a long time ago they introduced it as
HDIF Pt. II! ;) That night Karin said, "This is a song about a good kind
of love." Rollicking fun.
She ~ Karin introduced this song about domestic abuse: "Everyone has the
right to live in a home free from fear."
*"Come on now child, don't cry / Come on now child, don't cry / Just give it
one more try / Come on
now child, don't cry" ~ sung chorus, but spoken word verses a la "My
Love is a Fever"--but the tone
of the song is more like Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Side"--great stuff!!
Ohio ~ Karin solo on keyboard. She said, "Although I wasn't born in Ohio,
it's where I grew up...and met Linford--my better half."
*BPD ~ She introduced it a cathartic number--the first track of the new
album. She stayed on the keyboard for this one too--and Linford came out
behind her and played the organ...it would've made a lovely picture as the
two intruments form a little corner...so she was facing the audience and he
was right behind her facing stage right. She's venting to someone who is
always "making a mess" and not taking responsibility for the damage and pain
they cause others. She just lets loose!
*lengthy bluesy/sultry/piano/xylophone/high hat/lounge number. The lyrics
described her thinking of someone...putting a letter in the pocket of her
jacket... Towards the end it became an extended jam session...with Linford
as quite the soul man on that there piano...
The World Can Wait ~ blew the roof off!
When I Go ~ in my journal I wrote "Holy Crap!" Both of these were the
strongest I've ever heard them--Paul's guitar work was *magnificent*--his
guitar spoke...moaned...shrieked...wailed...and sang.
Encore 1:
All I Need Is Everything
Latter Days (you know the end piano part when she sings "la da da da da da"?
Paul played it on his guitar instead...nice touch)
*"Change is coming down..." ~ L. introduced it. He said it was written in
the studio as tanks were rolling into Bethlehem and Baghdad...the world
getting even more out of control...and so he said that it became
"apocalyptic"... Later in the song (after singing that "this world is
f****d up"), she switches to, "Jesus come down (or come home?)" and the end
where they all go nuts and she's wailing and the guitar is screaming she
goes, "Jesus, bring the whole thing down" over and over. Tears were
streaming down my face at this point. Breathless. True. Inevitable. The
entire audience was stunned to silence--it took us a second to remember
where we were and clap...!
Encore 2:
Rhapsodie ~ her voice was a little shot...but they had a great time. She
turned to him while singing...
God, it was a transcendent experience.
Thursday: Cast Me Away Bothered The Seahorse/Summertime My Love Is A Fever Fever Little Blue River Orphan Girl Faithfully Dangerous Lucy and The Reverend - - Poughkeepsie Rhapsodie - - - - - - - Friday: Spinning Bothered Long Lost Brother Show Me She Nobody Number One Ohio B.P.D. Lifelong Fling The World Can Wait When I Go - - All I Need Is Everything Latter Days Changes Come - -
Over The Rhine's concert Friday night seemed to be a deliberate attempt at a PLUGGED IN sound, with lots of electric guitar, and even some Atari sounds coming from Linford. I get the impression that, maybe, not enough of the unplugged, acoustic, Jars Of Clay coffeehouse aura of the _GDBD (stripped down demos)_, had been put to rest by _FFR_, so _Ohio_ will have plenty of room for a harder rock sound. Of course, Thursday's acoustic concert hinted at the fact, that, _Ohio_, being a double album, will still have folkier-than -thou ditties, like the one written about Karin's visits to a nursing home, where the anti-depressant, Prozac, is prominently mentioned. This is the most painful of my random flashbacks, because, I had managed to lose the replacement for the missing _Patience_ clock, which, couldn't be found after C-stone 2K2. Sunday morning, I found the replacement clock, which, had stopped at 6:36, and is, ironically, a promotional item for Prozac. The Reverend Dave Nixon, who, must be one of the most patient souls, in all of creation, listened, without the expected condemnation, to my destructive ideas for OTR product artwork, e.g., a typical B&W or sepia photograph, with a small, bright pink image of the Pink Nun (more on her later)Linford's Tips for Songwriting at the Songwriter's Conferencewho could be found in a booth quite near OTR's. The Reverend Nixon also comforted me with the knowledge that the _Patience_ clock had been discovered, last year, packed in a box, and, was quite safe now.
1. Surround yourself with warm, intelligent, funny people. 2. Ask good questions in your songs without a big agenda - respect the intelligence of the listener. 3. Don't conciously dumb-down. "if you're not embarrassed, you're not doing it right." 4. We strive to make our lives works of art. "your work may not be anymore profound than you are" 5. Digging deep for provocative inspiration 6. Carry a notebook, be a good eavesdropper. "nursings homes are kind of like life with the burner turned up a little hotter" 7. True self-awareness vs navel gazing 8. be "relaxed and groovy" in relationships 9. self-doubt as a part of the process (ideas from _Bird by Bird_) 10. Try to keep it new - re-invent ourselves 11. Let go from time to time 12. The journey invites us to pay attention and create our own definition of success