--- This half empty pit on a Friday night is weird -- as is seats in a pit in general. Wolftrap gives most of its members seats automatically, so . . . the pit should be its own thing.
--- Um, how do you start with “Windylike”? Weak.
--- At least the couple next to me is cool. They’re about to see Bruce for the first time ever, and they saw The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks for three straight nights.
--- “Curse + Crush” is better. Cool falsetto section from the other guitarist.
--- Yay, reggae finally gets people out of their seats!! “Other Side.” Hahaha, I wonder if the limp openers were a slow play. Jamming with the orchestra now sounds amazing. “How about that orchestra?” Indeed.
--- “Only the Wild Ones”!!! So smoooooth.
--- “Rice Water”: I’m shocked they’re picking so many songs from one album, not even their most recent album. I like the song, but it’s curious that they’d include another one like this, as there will clearly be many superior ones they’ll leave out.
--- “Thank you for supporting us all our career. Being surrounded the past few days by the National Symphony Orchestra reminds us how truly important the performing arts are.”
--- “Came for the Fire” is intriguing. It’s off Location 13, a 2018 album I somehow missed! The song has solid drive and echoey vocals.
--- Hahaha, from the crowd: “Woo, bongoes are out.”
--- “Past The Falls” / “Seasons: Movement 3”!!! Perfect choice for an orchestra. Some might be bored; I’m thrilled.
--- “Walk With You” has quiet power, given the history!!! Brad’s voice also sounds crystal clear. “He wrote for his senior thesis. He needed a flute solo. This is the first time we’ve performed live since 1996”!!!
--- “We’d like to acknowledge the Piscataway tribe, for their cultivation of this land.”
--- “Flag,” another song I barely know, is excellent. Such command of the vibe!! Heh at the trumpet soloist Josh Coughlin being such an introvert.
--- Heh: (1) Just realized Chad and Brad are both in bare feet. (2) “Playing in front of 50 musicians off this caliber…is intimidating.”
--- Aww, shout-out to music teachers — and teachers in general. “It’s been a tough few years for you.”
--- “Out Loud”!!!! SO LOOSE. Brad’s hit a helluva note, and I love JR Reilly, the new Dave Grohl.
--- “Bang Bang”: awwwww, Mama Stokes is singled out in the crowd three rows from me. She has more Dispatch cassettes than anyone in history. Lol at Brad trying to lead the crowd in snaps. Oooh, cool weaving in and out of The Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil.” They’re playing multiple instruments on their own — their own orchestra!!!
--- “This is one of the most beautiful venues we’ve been to. For people that call it your backyard, you’re lucky.”
--- Clever transition to CCR’s “Looking My Back Door.” “This goes out to everyone on the lawn.” *Chad messes up.* “This still goes out to everyone on the lawn.”
--- “Flying Horses”!!!! New appreciation for Brad’s harmonica.
--- “Skin The Rabbit”’s got swagger. Oooh, full-on electric at the end!!
--- “All This Time,” off their new Break This Fall album: “Here’s a song we have never played live ever. Why not debut it with a 70-person NSO?” Mostly midtempo, but I like the slow transition sections, and I’m glad they made someone’s day by putting it out there. Dark finish.
--- “Thoughts and Prayers” song is haunting. “We honestly wish we never had to write this song.” They’re closing their eyes like me!!! Numbers on the ground at the end.
--- “The General”: hahaha at the guy in the crowd who’s been tame the whole time who’s flipping out. Wooo at all the changes and the NSO conductor conducting the crowd!!!
--- Awwwww: (1) “I’d like to thank my parents for staying the whole time.” (2) “We’ve been playing music for a long time, and for us to have a first [playing with the NSO], it makes us want to start playing music all over again.”
--- “Letter to Lady J”!!!! Brad’s dancing — and jumping — at my height?! Wild mix of grave message and sparkly sound?! So memorable.
--- Hahaha: (1) Them covering “Crazy Train.” (2) The difference in Chad and Brad’s expressions: so light and heavy. (3) The two of them sitting on the ground leaning in to listen to the bass play. (4) This being the first time Ozzy Osborne ever had a NSO violin solo!!!
Grade: A-
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