Okay, I ordered the tickets for this show while deployed, so technically, tonight constituted part of my post-deployment process. And what a night it was!
Earlier tonight, I dragged my beloved to the Ram’s Head in Annapolis to see the Yardbirds. Yes, those Yardbirds. What an amazing show! Two original band members, Chris Dreja on rhythm guitar and Jim McCarty on drums, were rounded out by three young whippersnappers, and they did an awesome job on both newer material and ‘60s classics. Lead guitarist Ben King plays with the soul of the original band … Clapton needs to be looking over his shoulder at this young up-and-coming star.
The ninety-minute set included such greats as Heart Full of Soul, Smokestack Lightning, and Over Under Sideways Down. The set wrapped up with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused. Then the encore … the quintessentially bluesy I’m a Man.
I’m amped. I’m stoked. And just think, next week, we get to do it again … twice. We’ve got tickets to see the Zombies and the Adrian Belew Power Trio (and with the Stick Men along for the ride, we’ll be seeing most of the 1980s King Crimson line-up). Oh yeah!
In the run-up to this concert, I’d just about sobered up from yesterday’s Real Ale Festival. I connected with Dale, a former Marine EOD tech and fellow Brother of the Leaf, to head up to Duclaw Brewery’s annual Real Ale fest. Nearly 20 breweries were represented, featuring 40 different ales and stouts (yeah, a lager/pilsner or two snuck in). For four hours, it was all the beer you could consume, along with endless food (including three whole roast pigs). The brews were, by and large, superb (with the exception of one sour cherry concoction that we discretely dumped after the first sip). No big commercial operations were represented; it was a gathering of small craft brewers. Lots of robust stouts, lots of hoppy ales, and most amazing, no lines. The folks at Duclaw did a fine job of managing the festival, so we never had to wait to fill our glasses. This is going to be a must-do event on my calendar every year.
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| Me and Dale |
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