I Finally Caught Family Band

At Summercamp 2018. The video ad with Moe clenched my attendance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bnarN9nP-k

Here's what I heard and saw from my spot, near the center, toward the back: during the first half of set I, it seemed like maybe a lot of folks weren't familiar with taking in a Phil show. Chatter and sing-a-longs characterized the audience. Don't get me wrong, I've heard plenty of chatting and sing-a-longs even at The Cap, but usually at Phil shows, a strong sense of participating with the music between the words, of engaging in a non-vocal way with the non-vocal sounds, gets apparent real fast in the audience. 

That part was awkwardly lacking.

But about halfway through the first set, a shift started happening; something took.

People were focused and quiet.

When the second set started, they might have given the old man his Yoda pill backstage.

Phil's playing in Shakedown was strong. He did some major fuckin' cool shit. And his playing stayed strong throughout most of the set.

People jammed. Hard.

Crosby played good too.

At times, a sense of surprise even seemed like it crept through the audience.

Viola sizzled not fizzled.

Everything I'm saying amounts to mere impression, shaped perhaps by my limited vantage point amid one pocket of the audience. But people really seemed psyched after the show.

I'll listen to the recording, for the first time since the show, soon, but I wanted to share my impressions before hearing it again.

I was joking about the video ad.