WHERE to begin…I'm not sure if I will be able to convey the energy, the love, the sheer magic of the evening in just a few words. Roseland Ballroom was on fire last night. Six hours of incredible, heartfelt, soulful music - a perfect tribute to a man whose presence in the music scene will be sorely missed. I arrived at Roseland at about 6:30p and the line that had formed snaked all the way to the end of the block and then some. You could feel the excitement in the air - everyone knew something special was going to happen beyond those doors, they just didn't know what to expect. The wait in line was surprisingly fast and picking my tickets up at will-call wasn't nearly as much of a nightmare as I was expecting. The folks at Roseland were clearly on top of things. Pretty impressive for such a last minute show. I ran into a ton of people I hadn't seen in quite some time and it was great to see the smiling faces and the anticipation of what was to come. Set lists have been posted, so I won't really go into that all over again. It was so awesome to be a part of what will probably be the coolest thing I've ever experienced. This was a roomful of extraordinary, talented musicians, but the night was clearly Warren's. He played with such love and soul - it was touching. He was onstage for every song with the exception of two. And here I thought I was tired because I had to stand for the entire show!!! But as always, Warren sounded amazing and it was such a beautiful send off to his longtime friend and brother. This was an exceptional night of music, but highlights for me included The Wheel (just cause I love that song), Soulshine (the last song Allen ever played live and a personal favorite), Dreams with Chris and Rich (who kicked ass, by the way - I wish all the Rich naysayers out there could've seen this boy's solo), the ENTIRE CROWES SET…who would've ever imagined that they'd do any of these tunes?! They were the Crowes of the old…sounding great, big smiles, jamming…it brought back memories circa 1997. I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for these guys to get back out on the road, on their own…it's been a long time since I've felt this kind of excitement for the boys. The whole Black Zeppelin/Led Crowes thing had run its course for me and I have to admit my enthusiasm for the band had waned as well. SHAME ON ME!!!! The night ended with Warren and Matt playing with all sorts of friends - Dave Schools, Little Milton, Merle Saunders, Leslie West, Artemus Pyle…the list goes on. Low Spark of High Heeled Boys was intense and thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd. At this point everyone in the audience was on their toes, hanging on every word and note that came out of those speakers. With Berry Oakley, Jr., Phil and Dave Schools on bass, the band broke into Wish You Were Here…I still get chills thinking about it. The entire crowd sang along as pictures of Allen flashed across the screen behind the stage. It was so touching and beautiful, I found myself in tears. I thought for a brief moment that I must have looked like one of those freaks in an '80s hairband video, crying in the audience. God forbid any of those cameras that were there gets a shot of that…It really was an indescribable moment though. The final jam/encore brought out a huge gathering of musicians, all there to pay tribute to Woody with a rendition of I Shall Be Released that had me in tears again. I only hope I can pay tribute to the people I love the way that Warren did. His love and friendship with Allen was clearly the impetus behind this incredible evening. Thank you for sharing this with us, Warren. Woody will be forever loved and missed by all of us, but none more than you. As Chris said, "beautiful people deserve beautiful celebrations." To any of the multitude of tapers who were out there: let's get this thing on a tree…I need a copy of this show!!!! To all who couldn't make it, keep your eye out for this one. It's a must have. Woody would have been proud. |