Old Crow Medicine Show - Norva

Old Crow Medicine Show : Live @ The Norva June 21, 2007: The barn is still burning from last Wednesday. I would have written my review earlier, but the coals were still hot and most of my days were spent daydreaming about my time at the Norva. In the midst of my awestruck imaginary recreation of my first ever OCMS show, I really had little time to sit down and tell you about it. But without further adieu, here is AdventureVA's account of an Old Crow Medicine Show encounter at the Norva. And I promise, that's the last time I'll speak in the third person.

Now let me start with the Norva, since not only was this my first Old Crow concert, but it was also my first time at the Norva. In fact, it was my first night in Norfolk altogether. But that's a different story. The Norva is a wonderful venue in downtown Norfolk, humble on the outside but a wonderland on the inside. The Norva was quite dark before the stage was occupied, but to my delight it was smoke free and decorated quite well once Old Crow came out. There are some tables and seating stage-left on the main floor, and an upper balcony with more of the same above. You'll find a couple of bars on both levels, but they were far enough off to the side that I never found them to be of any annoyance.

Before the show, people were very friendly and willing to chat mostly about Bonnaroo, Floyd Fest, and nearby venues. To my surprise, there seemed to be a fair number of people in attendance who were also there to see OCMS for the first time. The show itself didn't start until about 45 minutes after the scheduled launch, so we definitely had enough time to meet and greet. It was a late arriving crowd, which isn't something you really see happening back in the Midwest. It was a little frustrating, but the guys more than made up for their late appearance when their performance.

The show itself was honestly the best concert I have ever seen. In fact, in order to make sure I wasn't just on a high from the concert, I waited to contemplate my review until the buzz had wore off. Four days later, I still think it was the best concert I have ever seen. Check that, it was the best concert I have ever seen. Very much to my surprise, it even passed some great memories of classic and mind-blowing Nickel Creek performances.

The band's energy and enthusiasm was unbelievable, as they went from one song to the next without any hesitation. By time it was all said and done, I was honestly surprised that none of them passed out from exhaustion. The set list was one of the best I have seen from OCMS, including two full sets and a feverishly memorable encore. Some of my personal favorites included New Virginia Creeper, Are You From Dixie?, Wagon Wheel, Down Home Girl, and the Tell It To Me finale.

It is always hard to put a band's performance into words when it is as magical a show as the boys put on at the Norva, so let me take a moment to share my thoughts on the crowd at the Norva. For the most part, everyone was real nice and easy going. There was plenty of dancing, and no one seemed able to sit still at any time during the show. My only complaint was that by the end of the show, an army of sloppy-drunk high schoolers had pushed their way to the stage and proceeded to soak us all in beer while attempting to dance. Around the same time, someone also threw beer onto the stage at the band, and Ketch didn't seem to appreciate that. But all in all, the crowd was a shocking mix of people and ages, and was quite tolerable.

Gauging the reaction of more regular OCMS fans, it sounds like the Norva show was one of the finest of late, and I couldn't agree more. This was hands down the best concert I have ever seen, OCMS has probably surpassed Nickel Creek as my all time favorite band, and I must pass my enthusiasm on to you and recommend you find yourself an OCMS show and get ready for one of the best times of your life.

Visit the oldcrowfans forum for pictures and a set list of the magical night...