WSP Albany 4/1/07 Review

04/01/07 Palace Theater, Albany, NY

1: Last Dance, Goodpeople, Weight Of The World, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers, Don't Wanna Lose You, Who Do You Belong To?, Ribs And Whiskey, The Take Out > Porch Song

2: Surprise Valley > Blight > Walkin' (For Your Love), Time Zones, Do What You Like > Drums > 1 x 1, Driving Song > Fixin' To Die > Driving Song > Wondering

E: Little Kin, Makes Sense To Me

The Palace Theater in Albany was easily one of the nicest theaters I’ve ever seen a concert in. It looks like RCMH. One big Orchestra section and one huge balcony in beautiful condition. Excellent staff and a very nice place to see a show.

What a way to open the show. JB and the boys just tore right into the song with no pretense…no fooling around. The crowd reacted with a large gasp of surprise and proceeded to dance their collective assess off. I’m pretty sure nobody thought Last Dance would open the show.

Next up on the menu was one of the new tunes Goodpeople. It is a really fine tune that it seems like the band is just really starting to bring places….especially the middle jam where they turn Jimmy loose.

WOTW seems to have gone through a bit of a rejuvenation with Jimmy in the band. He nails the signature licks but also manages to add some his extra magic to it. Very solid version if not a little short.

The best past of the first set for me was the Machine>Barstools almost directly into Don’t Wanna Lose You followed closely by Who Do You Belong To? The enite segemt was filled with Jimmy and the rest of the boys smiling and playing off each other. Jojo seemed especially into the jams and was smiling broadly at the peak of Don’t Wanna Lose You, obviously enjoying the interplay between himself and the rest of the band. The crowd was going wild, screaming and yelling while Jimmy whipped them into a frenzy with an inspired solo to peak the song.

Ribs and Whiskey was excellent with JB doing some very nice work on the slide. The Take Out >Porch song was perfectly played, sounding like classic WSP with a new twist. Excellent way to end the first set!

The first four songs of the second set was played as one song. Surprise Valley was nailed hit out of the gate. Jimmy completely let loose on the solo, and at about 7 minutes into the song, with Jimmy ripping through the scales, I turned to my wife and asked if it was still Surprise Valley? I had lost track of what was going on 1 song into the second set. I knew we were in for some fun.

Blight was a gigantic, but pleasant surprise to hear coming with Schools menacing bass line driving the tune. It is one of my favorite songs and I had yet to hear Jimmy play it. Great version!! “Duct tape and plastic” was repeatedly sung by Schools. Jimmy nailed the solo’s in the middle of the song.

Next up was Walkin’ after a small feedback issue at the end of Blight. Beautiful version of Walkin’ which I never expected to hear directly after Blight.

An inspired Time Zones led into my first Do What You Like, which led to a short Drums with all band members on stage. Then the boys really got down to business with some of the finest WSP I’ve ever heard.

1x1, Driving Song>Fixin’ To Die>Driving Song>Wonderin’ was maybe the best song sandwich I have seen WSP play with Jimmy.

The 1X1 set the tone with Jojo banging on the keys and singing his heart out.

Driving Song was perfect, and then the big surprise of Fixin’ to Die, one of my favorite ARU songs. Then back into Driving Song, and right into a great Wonderin’

Jimmy shredded Little Kin’ and then the boys had some lyrical difficulty with MSTM encore, but with the show being as crazy as it was , it fit in and felt right.

Another great WSP show!