10-28-02 - University Hall, Charlottesville, VA

Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 21:38:06 -0500
From: Jason Collier [email protected]
Subject: Tre Review-Charlottesville, Virginia 10/28/02


Man, what a great show.  I came with an open mind, and I wasn^�t sure what
to  expect.  I hadn^�t seen Tre with his band before, but I had heard some
tapes of shows from last year and thought they sounded pretty good.  I had
also heard about the conducting (and bonnaroo), and I knew some people
didn^�t dig it, but what the hell, why not check it out?  From beginning to
end this show really carried a lot of energy.  I remember about half way
into the first set, Tre really started to take it up a notch.  The lights
were kicking in high gear, and the band was really into it.  There was a
lot of energy, a tremendous amount, actually.  Everyone really seemed to be
into a groove.  The crowd was small though, and they had some real nazi-ish
security types keeping things under control.  A few minor hassles with
security dragged down what was otherwise a great experience.  I think what
made this show great was the combination of the high energy and the band^�s
enthusiasm.  They were all playing with smiles, and having a great time. 
They were jamming pretty hard, with Tre improvising with the whole band. 
He^�d cue a sax or trumpet solo here, have them loop a groove for a few
more measures there, and all enthusiastically.  I^�d say there were a few
times when he really took over, but he was just riding really high and in a
groove.  It never came across to me like he was being a control freak or
egomaniac.  He encouraged other band members to solo often, and a few flute
jams were especially intense.  At one point, Tre put down his guitar, faced
the band (back to crowd), put his arms out like wings, and cued the tempo
of the band with his arms.  Lean left, slow down, center, faster, right,
real fast.  It was pretty fun to watch.  A few of Tre^�s solos, especially
when coupled with the lights and band energy, were really soaring.  Before
the encore, the band came out through the crowd in a ^�wedding train^�
fashion.  They just played and walked right through everyone.  Definitely
an impressive show.


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