Drove down for a perfect night under the stars. Being an orchestra fat dog gig, the front was all reserved tables, so there was no getting close or so I thought. I took the spot I try to get right behind the board. Ususally there will only be one or two kids on the board, so if you get just outside the board gear, there is a clear space between the tent and the gear that looks straight at the artist.

Caldwell is a bowl meaning, a hollow space inside a road curve leading up to the hospital on the high side and the Virginia Samford theatre behind the stage. As the conductor said, one ambulance a night at least and that night, the tragedy gods were benificent and it came during the break. It's a hike in because there is no parking except on the street and Caldwell is in the middle of old project housing, old houses and new high rises. People in the high rises look right down on the park. The sky is that creepy Birmingham red cloud spooky fest I remember from college. Caldwell is in Southside next to the Red Mountain express, so in a hilly bowl that tends to a bit o smog, thus the strange sepia toned sky.

The orchestra played their three numbers and then Arlo hit the stage. I won't call out the set list because I was trying to sneak some video in. As it turns out, the seat is too far back for me to see well at my age but the video camera has excellent eyes. I got tapped on the shoulder but.... frak 'em. Blows against the empire. They take the best seats; I get the video. Bla!

Arlo was excellent. The orchestra doesn't add that much. The arrangements are first class and the orchestra doesn't detract, but the fire is the guy on the stool. The Big Blue 12-string is a marvelous axe. Envy. Jealousy. Drool. My only disappointment is he didn't play "In Times Like These". But he played a great round of Alabamy Bound and where I was sitting, I got the full on left hand to study. Really grateful for that.

I looked forward to this for awhile now. It was perfect. Thanks Arlo!

Sounds like a great show! Glad you got the video...

I've been editing all day and jamming with it. Now I can play Darkest Hour on banjo. I'd not considered it but being in F major, it's really easy to play on the five string. Who knew....

I got the opening from the joke about extraterrestrials to the end. Arlo played some pieces I'd not heard him do like "Down in the Valley aka Birmingham Jail") which is when the walkabout fellow tapped me on the shoulder about the camera so only half. Darkest Hour with the orchestra was spectacular and I got most of that except for a little break in the middle when the fellow came back. I have all of St James Infirmary and Alabamy Bound, Good Night Irene, all of the "My Peace/This Land" segment and all of "When A Soldier Makes It Home". I've none of the piano pieces because that was on the other side of the stage and obscured. All total, I have about 50 minutes including the stories and it's all good. Now I got a hankering to get another 12 string.

Being behind the board, the sound was very good for a handheld camera and the stage was eyeball even because of the rise in the bowl, so the shots are straight on. Also, because people don't sit behind the board, these is a lot less chatter although MyPeace has my wife and I singing (ooops!). It has the usual problems of shaking with it sitting on my lap so I could keep it out of sight but not as bad as I thought it would be. The Deshaker software helps but it confuses the autofocus (should have turned that off).

All said, this is a fantastic keepsake. I'd love to put these up at YouTube but the ASO was very loud about the 'no filming' and likely I'd be asked to take it down PDQ.

Maybe if you had a blog and could post it there, that might work. Maybe they wouldn't notice it as much...

Sounds like it was great. Wish I'd of been there. Last time I saw him in Alabama was about 1976. Think it was in Tuscaloosa, know it was with Jaime Bronketts.

I have two blogs (one personal and one for 3D stuff). Then there is Facebook but it mucks with the video. I wanted to share with the Blunderites here. I have to slice it up into ten minute segments for YouTube.

The problem is always storage on an open server. Size matters. I may slice out the best segments and put it up long enough for you folk to see them.

@goofus: It was a great night. The issue with fat dog gigs is the prima people get the best seats and proceed to party in front. They weren't that rude about it but the only way to get close is to have field glasses or do what I did with the camera, get a good zoom, then take that home and fill in the details. For example, the tentative way he gets into the first song listening to the orchestra to get the timing together. Having played with some large ensembles, that is a delicate moment because it's like a big bus pulling out from a bus stop, the momentum isn't even. When finger picking where it is really easy to rush a tempo, it's even more delicate. These are details one only sees in the video; the live performance was just fine.

Afterwards, the rudeness showed up. My wife was in a cast so I walked back some blocks to the car to come back and pick her up. She said some of the remarks from the fat dog ladies and their friends coming out were nasty but they were too young to know better. It was the uptown crowd at their most dismissive. Typical and not about to spoil a beautiful evening for me and the missus.

Nice review Ien. One correction--there is no hospital next to Caldwell Park. I know, because I am an area physician.
I wish I could figure out some of those song titles. What was the one that had lyrics like "If you could just drive by"?
"All my memories still come by"?
"Patriot's dream"?
"My life was you"?
I jotted down these tentative titles, but could not be sure of what the song titles were. The rest I knew or could figure out.

1. If You Would Just Drop By
2. Epilogue
3. Patriot's Dream
4. My Love

@vw: Then where are the ambulances going and why did the ASO director tell us to expect at least one? (We did get one during the break.)

It was a nice night. I could have lived without the camera police (esp the one who sat in front of me doing finger puppet routines to ruin the shot) but it is part of the game. I do hope the next time he appears, there is parking.

Oh BTW, vw, most of those songs are on "In Times Like These" which is the Folkslinger's album with a Kentucky orchestra. It is a serene live album including those, the title song and an exquisite performance of St James Infirmary. The arrangements played by the ASO are those arrangements as far as my ear can detect minus the roaring motorcycle and the references to extraterrestrials (who apparently don't favor Kentucky).

<shamelessplug>It can be ordered with the rest of his catalog from http://www.risingsonrecords.com. It's a well-constructed and easy site to get them from. Deliveries are usually within a week to a week and a half.</shamelessplug>