Venue: McCaw Hall (Seattle, WA)
Date: May 10, 2007
Opener: John Brion
Since they announced their impending hiatus several months ago, prodigious newgrass trio Nickel Creek has been out on the road for a "Farewell For Now" tour. Along the way, they've invited friends and fellow musicians who have helped them out, or with whom they've enjoyed playing through the years. For their Seattle show, they invited the great songwriter John Brion.
John Brion
Brion takes the stage a little late, not that the crowd seems to care. He quickly launches into his exquisite, well-written songs and, soon after, invites Sara and Sean Watkins to join him on the stage. Sara forewarns the crowd, "Nickel Creek and John Brion Lovefest, 2007," is about to begin.Brion, himself, moves from an upright piano to a rack of guitars that holds at least eight different instruments, and back again, depending on the song. He doesn't seem to have any solid set list, and he and the siblings call out to each other between songs. "Let's do that one," he says to Sara. "The Ray Davies?" she replies. "Yeah, and then we'll do that other one."
The whole set is very laid-back in this manner, but it doesn't detract one bit from the impeccable musicianship that takes place between banter. The Watkinses stay for a handful of songs, and are then replaced by their bandmate, master mandolinist Chris Thile.
Brion and Thile
Together, Brion and Thile light into what can only be described as a dance of instruments. It begins with Brion on keys and Thile on mandolin, but the real show takes place when Brion grabs an electric guitar and invites bassist Mark Schatz onstage. Together, he and Thile embark on a lengthy tango, each man raising onto his tippy-toes to invigorate his part of the solo. The instrumental is gripping, playful, and impeccably played, and the crowd alternates between giggles at the antics and awe at the dexterity of both artists.Brion ends his set in a seemingly impromptu moment, clearing the way for the night's headliners.
Nickel Creek
If you've never seen Nickel Creek live before, your chances are running out, and I'd recommend you rush out to buy tickets right now. You can finish reading this review when you return.On this particular evening, the trio open their set with "Big Sam Thompson," a song about Thile's great great uncle. As Thile comments, "He was a man of few words, so it makes sense the song about him has no words." From there, they launch into crowd favorite, "The Fox," "Best of Luck," and the remarkable instrumental "Smoothie Song."
As a group, the synergy is compelling. Thile and Sara Watkins mostly monopolize the between-song banter with their sibling-like discussions about the songs. At one point, Thile asks, "What's an Attle? There are sea otters, what's a sea attle? Is it like an atlattle?" Entertaining discourse ensues between the two, leading to a discussion of underwater atlattling, and eventually segueing into an introduction of "Lighthouse's Tale."
Indeed, over the course of the band's nearly two and a half hour set, they make their way through pretty much every song of note from their several albums (highlights include "Jealous of the Moon," "Reasons Why," and "Somebody More Like You"). They also masterfully interpret cover songs like Radiohead's "You Do It To Yourself," and the Beatles' "Run For Your Life." Brion joins them for several tunes, backing them up on keys and electric guitar.
Bottom Line
The only complaint I could issue from the evening is that Sean Watkins' guitar is buried behind the other instruments, even on his impressive break-out solos. Nonetheless, enough can't possibly be said about the incredible dexterity and musicianship of these three artists. Their talent exceeds any explanation, and saying they're great players hardly suffices. As performers, they're endlessly fascinating and entertaining to watch, and they manage to break down the invisible "fourth wall" that often exists between stage performers and their audiences, particularly in such a large venue.Seeing Nickel Creek perform is equivalent to watching a beautiful sunset, or witnessing the flight of a rare bird. It's pointless to explain the natural artistry of the event, as it's too full of magic and innate music. You've really just got to see for yourself.
