Salmon spawns warmed-over show

REVIEW
	Leftover Salmon March 29, 1998 The Magic Bag

Imagine a diverse amalgam of chemically induced 20-year-old rockers, a nervous 40-something violin-playing geek and a blind 60-year-old black Detroit native, playing songs that cross the lines of blues, bluegrass and improv-rock. These were the sights that complemented the sounds of Leftover Salmon at The Magic Bag theatre on Sunday night.

The Colorado-based quintet, known for its savory blend of mountain-hillbilly bluegrass intertwined with 20-minute-plus exploratory jams, was joined by a few on-stage guests and greeted by a raucous crowd of more than 1,000 people.

At least 25 ticketless freaks waited outside the venue.

Some without tickets came as far as Canada. The most notable of these grovelers was a merry-prankster-esque male, complete with his own baby rattle, tie-dyed shorts, and shoes that looked liked they've seen more than a few Leftover shows. He didn't say much, but made for interesting eye-candy while waiting to get into the venue.

Eventually, the doors of the tour bus opened and everyone in the bus - band members, roadies, the bus driver, everyone - appeared completely stoned.

REILLY BRENNAN/Daily Leftover Salmon played at The Magic Bag Sunday night.

Admittedly, the first set left a lot to be desired, as the band seemed completely disinterested in playing and more excited about their recent smoking session in the bus. As a result, the first set was a smattering of stupid country-like tunes and occasional mandolin picking by Drew Emmitt and banjo plucking by Mark Vann. Even he could hardly keep his eyes open and at one point I saw him fumble for his banjo picks and monitor cable.

But a few surprising moments at the end of set one were cause enough for the attendance of most during the rest of the performance.

The circus-like atmosphere outside of the venue was topped only by the band members, who welcomed their teen-age guitar-tech to help on percussion and another unidentified hooligan to play accordion. The dueling-drum solo that followed was interesting, and left most of the crowd wanting more.

A long break was greatly appreciated in the sweltering hot theatre, which was drenched by the carefree perspiration of spring-loving hippies.

The second set was the bread and butter of Leftover's main menu. At the beginning of the set, Guitar player Vince Herman smiled and yelled "we'll see you in a half hour, on the other side of this!"

This paved the way for a jam of frenetic speed which highlighted the mastery that Vann and Emmitt hold over their banjo and mandolin, at least when they're awake.

After a few songs into the second set, Detroit legend Robert Bradley, of Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, was helped onstage and tore through vocals on "Big Bossman" and "Little Red Rooster" to the delight of the crowd. All the while, Herman stuck his tongue out and played spoons on a washboard-like chest plate.

The stage, then holding more than eight people in total, was quite crowded, but somehow Leftover managed to keep it all together.

The second set, characterized by a non-stop pace and scorching banjos solos by Vann, brought forth the Leftover Salmon for which the audience members paid $18.50.

Although not living up to the sky-high standards that I had expected, the band did perform well to the Detroit audience, and on more than one occasion Hermann improvised song lyrics to include a few Motor City references.

Leaving the venue exhausted and but only mildly content, it became clear that the band will never handle a crowd like String Cheese Incident, another bluegrass-rock group hailing from Colorado that is known for an upbeat show. It was an interesting performance that thankfully was documented by more than 20 audio-tapers in attendance.

But Leftover Salmon's aloof attitude during the first part of the show left a bad taste in my mouth, something that I never recovered from. Even with the many special guests and eventual mandolin and banjo jams, most left happy to be outside of the sticky venue to enjoy the cool weather.

Leftover Salmon still has a long swim upstream.

03-31-98