A Night in the Box

I got to catch Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers last night here in the Springs. In the last three years or so I have seen the Peacemakers at least six times. It is always a treat for me to catch them at the small venue down here instead of having to run up to Denver. I had been telling my sister how much I was looking forward to the all out rock and roll show and man did Roger and the guys deliver!

This is the first full band performance that I have seen since Steve Larson left the band on lead guitar and Jim Dalton, of The Railbenders and The Hickman Dalton Gang, took his spot. Steve was great, but I don't think they lost anything at all. In fact, for someone that sees the band pretty often, I think the change is awesome. Roger is a lock. The drummer dates back to The Refreshments days and is a tremendous drummer. If this band is going to mix things up it is going to come from the lead guitar. I love the band and keep seeing their shows, but even though they always bring the energy, some of the songs were getting a little stale. Dalton can really play and I think that the whole band is a bit energized and really laying it out there to prove to the loyal fans that they can get it done in the new lineup.

As for the setlist, I don't have the whole thing but it was great. For those of you that know the music, they opened with "Preacher's Daughter" and closed the encore with "Nada". Those are some amazing bookends. The beginning and the end of the show were heavy on The Freshies with more RCPM tracks in the middle. We got "Una Soda" and "Helly Dolly" and those are two Freshies songs that I hadn't heard RCPM perform. I even thought that the old standbys had a new energy to them. "Banditos", "Mexico", "Mekong"...the songs you hear every show and become the, "I'll go grab a beer during this one" songs all just rocked. Dalton is a CO guy and Roger said that Dalton put together the set list for this show and that during the whole tour he is pushing them to put some of the "rarities" back in rotation. The encore was really special. Another local artist, Angie Stevens, was in the crowd and she got called up to trade verses and share the chorus on "Green and Dumb". She came up and Dalton gave her his mic. Roger had nothing to do with that and told her that if she had her own mic that "it took all the sexy away". It was a really fantastic performance of that standby.

I go to most shows solo. It would be nice to have company, but it usually works out fine for me. Sometimes I'm a little lonely, but never at RCPM shows. They crowd is always so friendly, singing along, and just a really great environment. I ended up talking with a group of guys and really having a good, communal time. And not really knowing anyone I can let loose and jump around and sing along without any silly worries about embarrassing myself.

I think that this was maybe the second most enjoyable Peacemakers show for me. The first one blew me away. This one had a really great energy and feel. I also really loved the show that I got to catch with my brother. I'm waiting to catch one with my sister. That would be special too.

Go see them. They are on fire.

While we were watching family pictures on the computer screensaver:

Me: I sure had cute babies.
Lauren: You didn't have any babies! Only women can have babies!