the Goat Rodeo Sessions
2013-08-23
Weill Hall
Green Music Center, Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
7:30 PM, Friday, August 23, 2013

[7:41 PM lights down, musicians walk onstage just as we rush in to our seats and sit down]

1. Quarter Chicken Dark
2. Less Is Moi
3. Parallax
4. Where's My Bow?
5. Here and Heaven (w/Aoife)
6. Farewell Angelina (w/Aoife)
7. Franz and the Eagle
8. Hill Justice
9. Helping Hand
10. J.S. Bach: Gamba Sonata no. 1 (two movements of four)
11. (Fiddle Medley)
12. No One But You
13. 13:8
14. Mostly Six Eight
15. Attaboy
    [set ends 9:m PM]
     
    Encore
16. All Through the Night
    [show ends ~9:30 PM]

• Stuart Duncan: violin, banjo, mandolin, harmony vox;
• Yo-Yo Ma: cello;
• Edgar Meyer: contrabass, piano;
• Chris Thile: mandolin, violin, acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vox.

• Aoife O’'Donovan: lead and harmony vox.

Friday night traffic was a trial, as expected, but as our highway exit for the venue coincided with the exit for Lagunitas, it seemed like a sign that we should stop and eat at the brewery (heck, I'll stop there any chance I can get!). The crowd assembled for TGIF was mighty mirthful, but Mark found us a spot at a table, and we got our order in promptly. As we sat and munched pretzels and peanuts, an old-timey duo plunked away on the opposite side of the enclosure, adding to the general merriment. Soon enough it was time to go, so we scooted on out to zoom up the old Redwood Highway to Cotati on our way to Sonoma State.

Not having been to Weill Hall before, we were flummoxed for a minute or so when the GPS announced our arrival at what was clearly the wrong location. A quick stop to check the location on the smartphone and then back up the road for another mile to the SSU campus. We joined the thick stream of cars and got aimed into a peripheral parking lot. Whew, made it! Or not: it was now 7:27 PM, and we had no idea where the hall was. Hopping out of the car, we speedwalked along the edges of the other pedestrians, reckoning on crowd knowledge more than any other surety. This approach worked great, except that it turned out we were parked over a half mile away from the hall, so it was a long and fairly stressful walk. Of course we were optimistic that with so many people headed to the venue, they couldn't possibly start on time, and that turned out to be the case, as we managed to arrive and slide into our seats at exactly the same time that the band came onstage to start the show. Talk about cutting it close!

And the show? I'd say fabulous. Absolutely terrific!! It was clear from the opening moments of Quarter Chicken Dark that the musicians were thrilled to be playing, and were going to deliver a great set, and we certainly were not disappointed. All four members of the band took turns delivering tune introductions or making wry commentary that added to the fun of the proceedings. For the most part, the audience was really well behaved, and at times, it was so quiet that the soft moaning of the night wind in the distance was audible from beyond the open wall leading to the lawn.

I look forward to seeing these folks on another tour soon!