Friday, 11 March 2011
Allman Brothers Band Beacon Theatre New York 10 March 2011
It takes a while to get these things sorted, what with not having done the Moogis bit in the living room over the past twelve months, but with only a slight bit of messing around the laptop is plugged into the big TV, we're logged in and at
11:09 we've got the Moogis window up there. No need to go to full screen mode yet (actually, he wrote several hours later when it was all over, there was, but we didn't realise it at the time). Predictably, as soon as I tap that out on the iPad there's a variety of bangs and thumps that prompts the switch.
We started off with what I assumed to be Taj Mahal brooding away (I can't think of anyone else who's got that same vocal warmth. Speaking of warmth (as the crowd noise lurks under the soundtrack over the P.A.) here in Bowen we've got a warm sunny 23.7 Celsius on the way to a maximum of 31. Blue skies, ready to fire on all cylinders.
11:23 I'm tapping away happily when the sound resolves into what sounds suspiciously like ABB in full flow, but while we're in full screen mode there ain't nothing on the screen. Pity, because it sounds bloody fantastic. (See? There's where we should've been in full screen mode, and realised there was something amiss).
By 11:34 We've tried various workarounds, and the sound's wonderful, but still no pictures as we're into full flow with Sailin' 'Cross The Devil's Sea. Subsequent investigations reveal the opener was Drums > Miles Davis’ Spanish Key.
11:37 Into Walk On Gilded Splinters. Now, here’s where that failure to check things out adequately before the start kicks in. I really love the way they do this, but without the vision and wondering what the hell’s going on it’s hard to focus.
11:45 Come & Go Blues
11:48 Sound drops out. Bugger! About to quit and restart when it comes back, slightly higher volume. Still no visual, but still, better than the same stage last year when you couldn't get much more than the odd snatch of unidentified riffage. (At this stage I was still thinking there might be a systemic problem with the feed rather than deficiencies at this end).
The game plan was to scribble down notes as things went on, with the iPad for reference purposes, checking back to Billy Hollems' set lists from previous years, that sort of thing but with nothing to look at I can tap away, which might save time later on. I'd rather be losing time later, if you catch my drift.
11:51 Warren: How ya doin'? Welcome home.
11:52 Worried Down With The Blues. Well, maybe some of us are, but I'm worried down with the lack of vision and subsequently finding it hard to maintain focus.
11:54 Momentary sonic glitch.
Switching back and forth from living room to office to check the email find a comment from Mr Curatolo suggesting those experiencing difficulties close the window and go back in, and a comment that JamCam 2 works nicely for someone. That may well be true for someone, but not for me.
12:00 Start of an instrumental that I think might be Kind of Bird, but preoccupation with other matters has me unable to get into things as much as I'd like.
Suspect the problem might lie with need to update Flash Player on laptop (I know we should really be doing these things well before the start, but Madam has commandeered the laptop as her computing platform of choice and I'm reluctant to deprive her of access, so left it till nearly starting time to plug things in). Will check at half time.
Subsequent investigations reveal that, yes, it is Kind of Bird.
Curatolo (via email): Or maybe Instrumental Illness. Or maybe something else.
Now I don't feel so bad about my inability to recognize long instrumentals.
12:15 Trouble No More.
12:20 Something along the lines of You people look good tonight. Good to be back from Gregg, though there's a long distance conversation from one end of the house to the other re. current difficulties, so I didn't get the exact quote.
12:21 Woman Across The River. Given the aforementioned lack of focus and the fact that this isn’t anywhere my top twenty ABB tracks, decide to check how things are on the desktop machine.
Find things are hunky dory over there. Decide to quit out of laptop and get updates while watching in the office. Should really have done that earlier, but hindsight's 20/20 isn't it?
12:29 One Way Out
12:36 What looks suspiciously like half time as everything on the desktop machine freezes. Out and back in to find interviews with various band members on screen while the theatre P.A. plays. Can’t hear what they’re saying, so scratch the head trying to figure out what’s going on...
Tackle various technical issues through half time.
According to the script this was supposed to be time for nibbles and a glass of wine, but I'm back and forth between office and living room, checking things out.
Update Flash Player on the laptop. Try Moogis after a restart. No change, so we need to upgrade Firefox. Really should've done this earlier, but there are domestic issues involved. Discretion is the better part of valour and all that.
Download the latest Firefox, go to drag it into the Applications folder. You don't have permission to do that. Oh well, as Fleetwood Mac opined back in the Peter Green era. Don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to, and all that...
Consign whole operation to the too hard basket (on a temporary basis y'unnerstand), retreat to office, turn on air-conditioning. Well it is supposed to be hitting 30 and the humidity in a North Queensland wet season tends to go through the stratosphere as far as percentages are concerned. I'm usually dripping with sweat when I get home after the morning walk just after seven, for heaven's sake...
1:02 Crowd noise and a darkened stage. ABB logo. Movement here and there.
Jaimoe on stage to dedicate the rest of the run to Red Dog and the rest of the guys who have passed.
1:05 Ready to resume.
1:06 Blind Willie McTell? Sure is.
Gregg wearing glasses. Don't recall seeing that before. Welcome to the club, old son.
1:07 Freeze. Out and back in.
1:14 Midnight Rider
1:18 Guest coming up? Nope. High Cost of Low Living.
1:27 Instrumental Illness? No, Bag End. Haven’t heard it enough to recognize it. Resolve to buy more Instant Lives via download.
1:40 The Same Thing? No, Hoochie Coochie Man, slower and slinkier than the surging Berry-era rendition. Or is it? One slow verse and it's into that old riff. Familiar territory.
1:49 Leave My Blues at Home
1:52 > Oteil
1:54 > Drums, OteIl onto Butch's kit, Butch to tympani. The old percussion switcheroo...
It's at this juncture that I realise I need a nibble or two, the sort of thing you'd have organised in the set break if you weren't preoccupied with other matters.
Return to find the JaBuMaOt bit finished, and Derek and Warren tearing it up. Inability to monitor the machine in the office while you're in the kitchen is a powerful argument against watching the live feed in the office. Must point this out to the Boss when she suggests I can watch the rest of the run in there.
2:06 Revival
2:11 Glitch towards the end of Derek's solo. Out and back in, and we find Warren has taken over. Volume seems to have dropped as well. Adjust accordingly.
2:17 Thank you so very much. Thank you all, as the band departs the stage. With the intermission, that's just about right on three hours. Pity we didn't have ourselves set up properly at the start. Now, what's for the encore?
2:20 And we're back for
2:21 Southbound. A glance over the shoulder reveals The Barra on the doorstep to pick up a box of wine. Back to the office to watch the rest of the show. Other matters can be deferred.
2:28 That's all folks. Little Martha.
Well, there we are. Not the greatest Moogis experience I've had, but that's nothing to do with anyone apart from Yours Truly. While there's definitely something attractive about watching the live feed in the comfort of your own home, you need to have things in place from the start. Today, I didn't and never quite managed to get into the flow of things. The move into the office didn't help either. Too many distractions in there, and while the aircon's pleasant, it means that once you're outside the cocoon you can't hear anything.
Madam's off to Tai Chi tomorrow morning, so we'll have the laptop plugged in and will have conducted extensive tests on the archived shows before eleven tomorrow...
Memo to self: Before future Moogis runs ensure Flash Player and all web browsers are totally up to date on all machines...
The actual setlist:
Set 1
Drums>> Spanish Key (Miles Davis from Bitches Brew)
Drums> Sailin' Across The Devils Sea
Walk On Gilded Splinters
Come And Go Blues
Worried Down With The Blues
Kind Of Bird
Trouble No More
Set 2
Jaimoe Dedication to Red Dog
Blind Willie McTell
Midnight Rider
High Cost Of Low Living
Bag End
Leave My Blues At Home > Oteil > JaBuMaOt> Leave My Blues At Home
Revival
Encore
Southbound
