Nickel Creek 2007-07-14

Ashland, Kentucky was the site of my fourth Nickel Creek concert, and possibly my last. The band is taking a break after their 2007 farewell tour, so I had to make the seven hour drive to little Ashland, just south of Charleston, WV. An old favorite of mine, Glen Phillips, was opening for Nickel Creek, so it seemed as if the perfect storm of events had created the potential for an epic concert. It was Kentucky, known as bluegrass country. It was Glen Phillips, a Nickel Creek classic act. And finally, it was a farewell show. I wasn't going to miss all that...

However, I did. Some of it, at least. Putting the fate of my concert enjoying experience on the shoulders of Google Maps was a mistake I'll never make again, as Cain and I found ourselves to southern Virginia instead of northern Kentucky, on an accidental two hour detour. We are unsure of where exactly the mistake was made, but it was in fact a painful one: finally arriving in Ashland an hour late, we had missed Glen Phillips' set. This was quite an awful feeling, as I had been dying to see Glen play live for years. At this point I thought to myself, "Nickel Creek better put on one heck of a show to make up for our misfortune and erase such a blemish from my memory." Later on, that once depressing thought became a dream come true.

We dropped into our seats during an intermission between sets, and joined the sold out Paramount Theater crowd in a frenzy. The chatty crowd had taken on the image of a grade school lunch room, buzzing with a chaos of chatter. We, however, sat silent regretting our late arrival. Ten minutes would pass before Nickel Creek came on to stage and enriched our lives like they have done so many times before. Finally, the much anticipated show had begun.

Early on in the set, the band was on fire. I was especially impressed with about the first four songs, in which Nickel Creek seemed determine to play harder and better than ever before. They were hitting notes with such intensity and perfection that the act swept me off my feet. I was locked in on the miraculous performance, and realized there was something special in the air tonight. Each song had a mysterious intro of musical creativity only Nickel Creek could dream up, and they left me on the edge of my seat as I wondered what would come next.

Later in the set, however, the band seemed to fall into their regular routine of playing Nickel Creek classics to please the casual fan. They began to lose the intense luster the first half of the set offered, yet much of the crowd watched with great satisfaction. Here I began to understand why the band is taking a break: the same old was just getting old, and the lack of passion was reflected in the music. I could tell the difference, and began to sympathize with the band.

Mid-set banter, which was some of the best I have heard, seemed to reflect this sentient. Thile jokingly mentioned how he didn't care what the fans thought of the show because the band didn't have to worry about motivating fans to come back again, they were after all done touring and filling seats was no longer a concern. Although he was joking, one could tell there was some truth behind his humor. The band's banter was much more relaxed, honest, and open than I had seen in the past. They seemed to be enjoying the liberty of not having to worry about what they said. That was for me nice to see, and something I felt considerably worth noting for any Nickel Creek fan.

The second set, that being the encore, picked back up a little in intensity and excitement, but it still lacked the sheer musical madness of the first half of the first set. When the encore set was all said and done, I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied with yet another top notch Nickel Creek performance. The crowd was less responsive and grateful than I have seen in the past, as the cheering and vocal appreciation was short lived. The Ashland fans were less than impressive and hardcore for the most part, but altogether they sold the place out, Nickel Creek was fantastic once again, and I had a great time.

It was after the show, however, that really made this trip a memorable concert. As we waited outside the band's bus hoping to catch some autographs, Sara came out to take pictures and sign autographs. There were more people than I have ever seen waiting outside with us, but we were quickly able to catch a quick photo with her and say hello. Almost immediately after our memorable picture with the lovable Sara Watkins, her brother and Nickel Creek guitarist had began playing with Glen Phillips in the parking lot! This is where the night really became epic.

Right in front of me, within an arms reach, was Glen Phillips, one of my all time favorite musicians and the man I drove 9 hours only to miss due our late arrival. He had his guitar and a jar of moonshine and cherries, playing an acoustic set with Sean. After all that worry and sorrow for missing his set, there he was looking back at me with his guitar singing into the warm Kentucky night. He and Sean were just jamming, playing whatever they felt like, including some of Glen's classics. Soon enough Chris and Sara joined in, and the epic night became a dream. For the first time ever, I was watching Nickel Creek with Glen Phillips, all acoustic, playing right in front of me. They were no longer performing, they were just enjoying the night and the last few months together on the road.

The parking lot acoustic set was unplanned, as the band took requests from the crowd. Even the band's guitar tech came out with a few beers, danced in the moonlight, and played a song under the peer pressure of the hilarious Glen Phillips. It was quite an honor and pleasure to see all the guys together just having fun, really enjoying the music and each other's company. The only thing that made me sad to see was people kept on being rude and asking Chris to play songs he told them he didn't want to play. Sort of mocking someone who kept requesting Lighthouse, Chris played some backwards version of the song and said, "There, you happy?" Then, another time, while playing Green and Grey Chris just stopped playing and said, "I forgot the next verse." When someone started singing it and asked if he remembered now, he said, "Nope, still don't remember. How about no more Nickel Creek songs." It was an unfortunate reality of how selfish fans had challenged the integrity and joy of the music, and helped me further understand why the band has decided to take a break.

At the end of the day, Cain and I walked away with our most memorable Nickel Creek concert ever. We caught a fantastic set at the Paramount, and then got to live the dreamy experience of a personal acoustic Nickel Creek jam with Glen Phillips and friends added to the mix of brilliance. This will be a night I will remember forever, especially because of the parking lot show. It was a great way to end years of enjoying Nickel Creek's music and their appreciation for their fans. Hopefully other bands will take a note from Nickel Creek's story and begin to make their fans their friends, just as Chris, Sean, Sara, and Glen did with us that memorable night of July 14 2007.