We'd seen Grahame Lesh with his "friends" bands in Port Chester, but he's also taken it on the road from time to time and was going to be in Boston on October 29th at the Paradise, so we got tickets and got psyched.
He's played with a bunch of A-listers in Port Chester, following the momentum of his Dad's friends bands. But on the road he's got his own crew, which for this gig included Nathan Graham on drums, Damian Calcagne on keyboards and vocals, Justin Mazer on lead guitar, and a bassist who's name we didn't catch. The bassist also picked up the sax for some tunes and for the last third of the show, Grahame took the bass while the other guy switched to guitar.
We met Dave at the Sunset Cantina after dropping our car in a space we'd rented online, had an acceptable meal and then trundled over to the Paradise a bit after doors-open, where a line had already formed. No hassle getting in, and we went right up to the balcony, only to find that the spaces we'd preferred when we'd been there before are now all corralled off for VIPs. But we got a great spot to the right of the stage, right by the ADA seating, and the place got really packed.
This was a really fun, LOUD rock and roll show. The mix was great, the PA handled the volume flawlessly, and the set list was very good.
- Help on the Way
- Slipknot!
- Jessica
- He's Gone
- No More Do I
- Cumberland Blues
- Moo Moo Farm (From Mario Kart)
- Cumberland Blues
- Peggy-O
We couldn't identify the song they went into in the middle of Cumberland, but yep ... it was the Mario Kart music that they've been throwing into their sets. They all had big smiles playing that. About a half an hour set break, then they came back out and did another loud, rocking set, opening with the song I'd hoped to hear.
- Mountain Song
- Scarlet Begonias
- Equinox
- New Speedway Boogie
- Mountain's Other Side
- St. Stephen
Scarlet was excellent and crisp, Equinox was long and spacy, and St. Stephen was suitably bombastic. Who knew Grahame could play bass so well? The band flubbed a few passages throughout the night, but they always recovered quickly and well, and in all it was a great show. They encored with Box of Rain, which was a little rushed, but fun and fitting. Hope Grahame plays in Port Chester again this Spring.
