The Capt'n Cantankerous Vilar review

Even with the thin air @ 8100 ft. and a few visible gasps for air from TR as he tried to acclimate to the altitude, the mix @ the Vilar Center was well-handled and the band was firing on all 5 cylinders. The 3 part harmonies of Jesse, Matt and Rachel came across well when offered, and both TR and Jesse were tearing up the licks in a big way all night long. Todd's voice was OK...but it's evident that some of this new stuff takes it's toll and I'm sure the thin air didn't give him any berth when he needed it. There was oxygen off-stage but he didn't use it...and tho I saw the tank get passed around in the green room after the show...it seemed like more of a novelty than anything else. . No opening band...they just walked on and let it fly. Typical set...but after pounding out Lunatic Fringe, TR said his heart was really pumping (from the altitude) and joked about Colorado and having the feeling that he should do the set "folk-style"...then launced into a short John Denver impersonation with a few bridges of "Take Me Home Country Roads".

I was impressed with this show...and tho the new material is a bit of a blur overall there were definitely some tasty tracks in that set that will more-than-likely stand the test of time and be standards on future set lists/tours. there were even a a few times when the hairs stood up on my arm. This is always a good sign for the Cap'n!. On the sweet/keeper side of things "Weakness" comes to mind immediately. Classic Todd with heartfely lyrics and visible emotion. Some of the other tunes, like Gun and Strike (fist pump tune) were good in concert but for a pop sap like me, probably won't be tunes I'll ever migrate to. There were a lot of broken strings tonight...the computer failed again at the intro to _______ and TR went over and dinked with it for a sec as everyone scratched their head. All of the sudden....it started working and the tune went off without further ado. Near the end of the Arena set list TR took another backward tumble into the amps and then looked a bit flustered when the young "cherub" roadie ran out like he was gonna pick him up off the floor. LOL.

10 mins or so after the show the ushers booted the stragglers/autograph seekers out of the venue...and that effort thinned out the crowd overall. However, as usually happens, a few folks hung around next the stage exit and Jessie and TR/the band finally made an appearance/posed/signed autographs as they walked from the venue to their hotel nearby.

Personal thanks go out to Jesse for the backstage hospitality.

All-in-all, a splendid Rock n Roll evening in the mountains!