Rue Plumet

Joy and I went to see Nickel Creek last night. I heard about the concert on the radio last week and decided to check online just to see what tickets were left. I was shocked when the ticket system offered me two front row tickets. That was way too good to pass up at only $30 each, so I bought them. It turns out the concert was practically sold out, so I guess those two tickets must have been returned or something shortly before I checked. What a blessing.

Neither of us had seen Nickel Creek live before and the show was even better than I expected. I had heard they were very good in concert, but they were unbelievable! The have almost endless energy and seemingly effortless musical skill. I had a huge grin on my face for the entire concert. I think it’s really neat to see people with so much talent and skill perform because it reminds me of what creation is supposed to be like: beautiful, joyful, masterfully constructed. It was very cool. I’d love to see them again any time.

Our seats were on the left hand side of the theater. We were about 15 feet back from the edge of the stage (there was an orchestra pit) and about 5 feet to the left of Sara’s microphone. The crowd was very appreciative and in the mood for a good time, which made for a fun atmosphere. Here are some of the highlights:

Craziest Moments:

• About half way though the show, they did a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”. Not just a chorus or two, but the entire song, complete with a little bit of gyrating dancing from Chris. Insane.
• At one point Chris started to introduce the wrong song, and Sara and Sean corrected him. Then Chris went off on a long tangent about an old golden book from his childhood about Tootles the train and how you are always supposed to stay on the tracks. He ended the rambling story by saying something like “so I guess the moral of the story is never try anything new. Way to go Tootles.” It was very funny.

Most Unexpected Moments:

• In the middle of “House of Tom Bombadil”, they segued into Sara singing Randy Newman’s “Short People”, then finished up Bombadil. Incredibly clever if you get the joke.
• After several calls from the audience, they launched into a quick rendition of “Rocky Top”, including the opening verse. As you might imagine, the audience went completely nuts.

Best Moments:

• They performed “Anthony” grouped together around a single microphone with their instruments unplugged. It was absolutely gorgeous.
• Just before performing “Anthony”, Sara was ready to begin and Chris and Sean were still tuning their instruments. Sara quietly sang a line from Jimmie Rodgers’ “Any Old Time” to give the guys a bad time about taking so long. Chris noted that it was a great song and said she should sing it if she knew the rest. Well, she did know the rest, and boy, did she ever sing it. Probably the highlight of the concert for me.