Flecktones concert- hella cool!

[5stringDNA]

I got to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on the final stop of their Little Worlds tour herein Denver, and all I can say was it was an AMAZING show. Seeing Wooten live is a humbling experience- the man just plays like he's on vacation sippin a margarita. The band carried on for a solid 3 hours without breaks- instead of taking breaks, Vic or one of the other guys would solo for 15 minutes or so while the rest of the band took a breather backstage. they played a few new tunes that are going on their next album as well, and it sounded good as ever.
There wa sa special guest from Senegal who had this instrument that looked like a gourd wite a big pipe for a neck, and had about 30 strings that formed a big arc, which the guy picked with his thumbs- it sounded really cool and somewhere between a harp and mandolin. He even kept up with Bela's banjo lines . By far the best concert I have ever seen- the Flecktones are professional artists in the deepest sense of the word- $30 weel spent!

 

[geoffkhan]

Yeah, when I saw them in San Fran on the 11th that was definitely worth the $30 as well as being the best concert I've ever been too.

 

[Christopher]

The African instrument I think is a kora.

 

[5stringDNA]

Thanks Christopher, I'll look into that.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

I saw them in Princeton NJ last month, and I have to agree with the "kicking back sipping a margarita" description. He plays like he is so incredibly comfortable, as if the bass is an extension of himself. I can only hope to someday feel that comfortable playing my instruments.

I also like that he was willing to take chances and make mistakes. Specifically during his solo(s), he would be playing a lick, and he'd make a small mistake and you could read it. Normally, as a performer, I'd say that it's best not to telegraph your mistakes - but in the case of Vic, it made him endearing and human. I also liked that, during one of his "groove" solos, the audience started clapping along... very poorly. Most of the audience was, apparently, groove impaired. The look of exasperation on his face was priceless... the timing of the audience was so far off that it was screwing him up, and he was playing "against" the "beat". Finally, the audience got the hint and tapered off. Too funny.

I sat fourth row and got to meet Vic after the show. He was accommodating and humble, as ever.