Why Should the Fire Die? tour 2005

I wanted to write this while most of the details are fresh in my head. Let me just tell you that last night was absolutely breathtaking. Nickel Creek, one of my favorite groups EVER, has been trickling down through the South on their tour and I found out about it almost too late. When I bought tickets for last night's show, they ended up being in the second to last row of the balcony. This group is indie, and they play in smaller venues, so the nosebleed section still got a great show. I took my cousin, who with her cooperative smile got us into the parking lot for free. The lot attendant was creepy, and man was it embarassing having him ask us to smile perty, but we got in! Oh, and this living room party was packed FULL. I don't think there was an empty seat.

Martin Sexton, a lone folk musician with a guitar, opened with such exuberance that he could have been an entire band unto himself. While he sounds a little like the lead from CCR, he can emulate any sound (a white Bobby McFerrin?), and I haven't heard such range since the late Jeff Buckley. Sexton is pretty awesome. We were all laughing and clapping. My favorite song was his last, "Freedom of the Road." Check him out- I recommend his Live Wide Open album.

Nickel Creek pranced on stage around 9PM, and launched immediately into two songs from their latest album (Why Should the Fire Die? go buy it), including "Helena" which melted my heart the first time I heard it. I love these people. They played for two hours straight, smartin off between pieces and jamming intensely into arrangements of other songs within their own. Sean Watkins was playing so hard that he busted a guitar string during the third song. I had read that they had made an arrangement of Britney's "Toxic" and was not disappointed. Most of us were screaming by this time. They revealed their desire to have had the closing song on Lord of the Rings when they dissed on Enya and her reverb chamber, and launched into "Small People" in the middle of an instrumental. A bearded Chris Thile was all over the stage, dancing with an unstinting Frankenstein/ neo-Elvis stiff-legged jive. Fantastic. He was quite adamant in his love of coffee (and a little self-endorsement?). Does he need it though?

A favorite song of mine from their new stuff, "Anthony" was the show for me. Sara Watkins strapped on a ukulele and stepped forward. When one man in the audience hollered at her, she said, "Ah, a ukulele man. They come out." She began playing this simple piece, which sounds like it belongs somewhere in the '30s, standing alone in a spotlight. Her fellow band members quietly gathered around her, sharing her microfone to hum and add harmony. It was both effective and hilarious. A tall gentleman playing the standing bass stepped onto a small platform during the close of the last set, which nobody noticed until he started clogging. What?! We were on our feet, cheering. Nickel Creek was on fire!!! They came running back during our standing ovation, so happy and pleased, and then proceeded to play us several more songs. "Why Should the Fire Die?" closed the performance out so agreeably: they do play well together like a small orchestral ensemble, but when they pour themselves into a vocal like that... so smooth and easy, it is almost like a lullaby reverberating off the walls.

I hope they continue to grow and evolve in their music as a group, and as individuals. They are on an indie label, which I hope never changes. More than anything else, I hope they don't lose sight of themselves or become something of a puppet show performing in uber-plexes and coliseums. They are too good for that.