Yonder firsts
by
Brad Willis
·
October 2, 2008
It’s 1:36am.
I just saw Yonder Mountain String Band play for the first time. That was not the only first of the night. Forgive me if I take a few minutes to list some others.
First time I’ve ever seen a lot scene at the Handlebar and someone selling glass in the parking lot
First time in as long as I can remember I’ve been to a sold-out show at the Handlebar
First time I’ve ever been asked for extras and had them to sell (was damned easy, too)
First time I’ve ever bought six tickets for a show, only used four of them, and watched the last 1.5 hours of the show by myself
First time I’ve ever watched the last 1.5 hours of a show by myself and not been at all unhappy with the fact
First time I stopped drinking at the set break and been completely fine with it
First time in as long as I can remember that I have been mistaken for someone other than Tom Green. Tonight it was this guy, likely thanks in large part to the fact I shaved off all my facial hair last night
First time I’ve ever thought, “I want to give up drinking for the next year and become the best flat picker I can be.” That, too, was brought on by this guy.
First time I’ve ever had a woman come up to me and say, “My friend lost a shoe. If you see it, tell me.”
First time I have ever seen graffiti in a Greenville bathroom that read, and I kid you not, Alcanthang.com. (Note: I did not write it and the people I was with swear on their life they didn’t either)
For those who care about the show, it exceeded my expectations, drew a really diverse and cool crowd, and was pretty tight for the second stop on the band’s fall tour. While the first set started a little slow, it found its groove during an extended jam on “Bolton Stretch.” The second set was a lot better than the first, with “Traffic Jam” standing out as the highlight of the entire show.
And now it’s a little bit later than 1:36am and the three Diet Cokes I had during the second set are indicating they aren’t done with this whole being awake thing.
Tags: Yonder Mountain String Band
Brad Willis
Brad Willis is a writer based in Greenville, South Carolina. Willis spent a decade as an award-winning broadcast journalist. He has worked as a freelance writer, columnist, and professional blogger since 2005. He has also served as a commentator and guest on a wide variety of television, radio, and internet shows.
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likely thanks in large part to the fact I shaved off all my facial hair last night
Pictures or it didn’t happen.
First time I have ever seen graffiti in a Greenville bathroom that read, and I kid you not, Alcanthang.com. (Note: I did not write it and the people I was with swear on their life they didn’t either)
Awesome!
I love “Traffic Jam.”
Get to pickin’, son.
I need a wingman.