Blues traveler with the trip

Blues Traveler

We took in another concert at the lovely Clyde Theatre on the south side of Fort Wayne last night. M'Lady actually won tickets in a radio contest to see the grammy-award-winning group Blues Traveler. It was a good evening.

THE CLYDE
I am starting to love The Clyde for shows like this. For starters, it's like 5 minutes from our house. There is also plenty of FREE parking. Plus, it's just a fabulous place to see shows. Restrooms are nice, bars are nice, it is spacious, and the sound system is top-notch!

The only negative is something I've mentioned before: the lighting. They have this habit of every now and then BLINDING the audience, and while it's certainly first-world as far as problems go, it's annoying nonetheless.

The Trip - on The Clyde Theatre stage

THE TRIP
So, we made our way into the theatre last night, chatted with a few people we knew (a couple we know from the music hall, a guy who works out at Skyline, and one of the bartenders who also works out at Skyline), then we made a bee-line for what has become our usual white tile to stand on. If you are ever there, look for them. This is where the subwoofers are located. It's a great place to stand!

I was not aware there even was an opening band, but around 7:55 these three young guys bolt on stage and immediately tear into a Pink Floyd song. Yes, a three-piece band doing Floyd! They went from one, to another, and just kept blasting sound coupled with a very unique singing style. I don't know that many people knew who they even were, but a crowd soon amassed near the stage and we were loving it!

It turns out they call themselves 'The Trip' and hail from around Indianapolis. I tried to find out some info on them, and it's pretty sparse, but they do have a Facebook page. I was quite taken with their sound and energy, and especially liked the guitar and singing of Dacota Muckey. I'd be up for seeing them again sometime, and am surprised they don't seem to play out more than they do.

BLUES TRAVELER
This is another one of those bands that I've 'known of' forever, but couldn't really tell you the name of any of their songs. That's probably largely because they are more of a jam band, but they have had a couple pretty big hits. I also wasn't aware they've been together for 30 years, AND they have a new album coming out later this year.

Anyway, I LOVED the show! It was heavy on guitar and bass, and the packed house was as alive as the band. Every now and then I looked around and just smiled at the thought of being able to be in Fort Wayne standing in the middle of a sea of people all rocking out together.

One thing I did think interesting was the guitarist (Chan Kinchla) only used one guitar the entire night (I thought it was a Les Paul, but Wikipedia says he plays PRS, so I don't know). It seems most guitarists use several. Instead, the BASS player (Tad Kinchla) used several bass guitars. As I said, these brothers were both outstanding.

John Popper is still the lead singer/harmonica player, and in spite of breaking his shoulder in what he said was a an accident falling down stairs, you wouldn't have known it if he hadn't said it. He also said this was the band's first time playing in the state of Indiana. I'd say it went well.


So, that's about it. I'd have been happy enough had we paid the $30 for tickets, but having free ones made it that much better. Two really good bands, a great crowd, and the most beautiful girl in the world... it doesn't get much better than that!