Outta my way! I'm a VIP!

Nickel Creek at the Paramount tonight.

I have to admit, I didn't have any expectations about how the show would go. I'm a passing admirer of their music, but I never considered myself a fan. For all the technical skill they have with their instruments -- especially in the instrumental tracks -- the vocals on the albums lack depth. It's distracting from their otherwise good modern bluegrass albums. And I saw them at the Bumbershoot mainstage, a high school football stadium that holds thousands of people. They didn't come across very well that day; their music probably doesn't fit the big venues. But they were incredible tonight.

Let me start by saying that the good feelings started with the VIP passes Lisa and I had for the show. Okay, it's not like we won a contest. In fact, we just splurged a little more -- okay, about twice the amount of normal seats -- to get those tickets. Anyway, the passes entitled us to a couple of free drinks and free food, and a chance to meet the artists (we got there a little late for that). But the real kicker was that the passes afforded us the opportunity to grab any open seat on the floor.

The Paramount opened the doors to seating a little over an hour before the 8pm showtime. Up until that point, the real thrill of the night, the thing I was looking forward to, was moving myself into position for the mad dash that followed. I have to admit, this is what I do. A trademark really. A sickness. I'll do almost anything (Lisa rightly thinks I get positively asshole-ish) to get the best spot in the house if I'm properly motivated. It pretty much doesn't matter what it is. Rock, folk, hip-hop, polka, sitar music, I don't care. I'll wedge myself into a crowd of senior citizens -- I'd hip check any one of 'em -- to get the first spot at a buffet. If, dear reader, I ever attended your wedding, it was likely that by the time the caterer was slicing you off a piece of prime rib, I was right behind you in line, getting seconds. Needless to say, I got us front row seats.

The opening act, Mindy Smith, was really good. Her single is getting a lot of play on the Mountain, and when Lisa heard it, it was enough to move her to buy tickets. Smith, a country singer-songwriter, has great stage presence and amazing songs. The song dedicated to her late mother is a tear-jerker.

Like I said before, Nickel Creek can really jam. Sean (guitar), Chris (mandolin), and Sara (fiddle) are great players and they feed off each other really well. The solos are amazing, especially up close when you're watching the fingers fly. And the vocals. Well, they're amazing in concert. Especially Sara. She comes off a little too waifish on the albums, but she's much clearer live. And she positively belts when she wants to.

Highlights.

1) The bassist, playing the stand-up kind, is quite the skilled tap dancer. They were doing an Irish number, and he did his best Riverdance impersonation.
2) Numerous lengthy instrumentals and solos. Great change of tempo in each one of the songs.
3) In what I'd like to think as a tribute to Cobain and Seattle, they inserted Nirvana's "Lithium" into one of their songs. "...in a daze cuz I found God. Yeah yeah yeah, yeah..." If you know the original, you'd be amazed that there's a pop bluegrass version. Imagine Dave Grohl playing fiddle.
4) Starting a song with a cover of Beck's "Where it's at". Chris is pretty funny doing Beck's rap, but it somehow works.
5) The encore was very intimate. The four of them, including the bassist, unplugged their microphones and instruments, and played four songs in front of one mic. The crowd stood, hushed. Even without the mics, the band's singing and playing were inspiring. It felt like we were watching them in their living room.
6) Chris looking a little funny doing his solos. He's probably the best mandolin player I've seen play. But c'mon. Don't try to look like Eddie Van Halen. It's a mandolin...
7) Getting the set list. Another perk to being in the front row.

After the show, Lisa and I headed to Seattle's famed Hurricane Cafe, formerly The Dog House. We chased our cholesterol bombs with gin & tonics, and gushed about the concert.

I guess I'm a (gasp!) Nickel Creek fan now.