Carolina Chocolate Drops at HoB Boston

On Saturday the 6th, after a beautiful and sunny afternoon at last, we drove into Boston to the House of Blues to see David Wax Museum opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  Both acts were spectacular and the house was packed.  Highlights:

• met a fellow music fan in line and she guided us through the vicissitudes of being at a high-crowd, high-anxiety music venue; she was delighted when I told the young girls trying to elbow us out of our spots to fuck off
• David Wax Museum played their usual high-energy set, but walked out into the middle of the floor to sing one song a capella (ok, Suz had her fiddle out) ... very successfully, though many people found it strange; see Reid Simpson's video!
• Dom Flemons joined them on bones (Suz was on her jawbone of course) for Yes Maria Yes; they closed with their recent mega-hit (folk standards, remember), The Rumors Are True
• there are many strange things about popular music like, why do so many people without much musical taste like the Carolina Chocolate Drops?  oh well, I can't argue with this
• Rhiannon introduced Country Girl without saying the name of it, I called it out and she smiled, though most people there had apparently not heard the song before ... what's up with that? (see above)
• one instrumental highlight was Rhiannon playing an old, huge banjo with a beautiful tone
• another instrumental highlight was Leyla McAlla throwing down her bow and actually finger-picking the cello like this was the most natural thing in the world ... I'm still amazed at the sounds she milked out of that thing with her hands
• vocal highlight was Dom enticing the crowd to bellow out Trouble In Mind with him ... lots of fun

Another great night of music, and then a pretty quick trip home!