This tour included: Park City (UT), Bozeman, Seattle, Portland, Olympia,
Eugene, Arcata (CA), San Francisco, Tahoe City, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles,
Flagstaff, Tucson, Tempe, and Telluride.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Last night was great! The show was at the Emerson Cultural Center [in Bozeman, MT]... and the scene seemed pretty mellow. The opening band was McGraw Gap, and they jammed. Pretty nice bluegrass, if anybody has tapes of them, let's trade. Festival! Yesterday while listening to a tape of Leftover (the Catalyst) to get me psyched for the show, I realized how much they groove me. Definitely my favorite band. I can't wait till they come back this summer, hopefully for their 3rd festival at La Hood Park." <PKJF01B@prodigy.com> "...LoS came on and brought the house down [at the Emerson Cultural Center]... The place was packed... It was impossible to get up front to dance, and it was incredibly hot but still incredibly fun... I brought four LoS newbies who'd heard a little bit of some of my tapes but not much. They had a blast and couldn't say enough good things... One of kids I dragged to the show is a total punk/ska listening freak and he had a great time. The funniest response was "I never imagined myself gettin down to 'Honky Tonk Woman.'" Everyone is really impressive on stage and really looks like they're enjoying themselves unlike a lot of other bands who have no stage presence." <cwb@msu.oscs.montana.edu> "What a NW Salmon tour ...... Seattle was excellent ... The Crystal Ballroom (no wonder the DEAD played there !!! ))) was Incredible !!!!!" <walstib@mail.nwlink.com> "I discovered LOS about 3 months ago, and bought the live CD immediately. Everyone I've played it for has been totally blown away!" <Bob.Griesel@ofm.wa.gov> [re 3/30 in Olympia, WA] "It was definitely Tye's night. I've never seen a bass player keep up with a mandolin before. He was finger- picking that enormous red bass so fast his hands were both blurs. From "When the Levee Breaks," midway through the show, to the end, the other guys just stood back and threw him hooks. The serious bass fiend I was there with has seen all those jazz guys like Jaco Pastorius. He just stood there in awe, says he's never heard anybody better in his life than Tye North that night." <killianl@fcs.dshs.wa.gov> "I just love this band and am amazed at how good they have gotten and how they so seamlessly weave from bluegrass to cajun to zydeco to outright headbanging rock and back again. If you haven't caught the yet, you owe it to yourself to check them out. They SMOKE! I can't get enough." <barryw@austin.ibm.com> "Salmon stirred it up at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz last night! I remember a particularly ripping Whispering Waters from the first set and a blistering Better in the second set. Of course all of the other songs (Foggy Mtn, Shanendoah Breakdown, Tu n'pas aller, Euphoria, Gold Hill Line, Corn, Mama Boulet, Baby Hold on, Bend in the River, etc. maybe Mike can help me out here) were the usual high quality salmon music, but those two particularly stood out to me. ...everyone was enthusiastic and danced wildly... Most of my SC friends were there (at least 50 people)... On a You4IC note: My boyfriend bought me Euphoria, which I played today... I'm so glad they recorded 'the bridge'(aka this is the time) for this CD! I've already put it onto tape so I can get it in my car, my biggest listening spot, and hear it repeatedly! This song will always be "The Bridge" in my book, too. When I listen to the words, I think about people coming together; people finding the bridges and ways to come together; people making the effort to get along with one another...bonding and bridging the bert. Absolutely Beautiful! See y'all at the Fillmore tonight!" <<openeyes@well.com> [re 4/4/97 at the Fillmore in SF] "Set two was MAGNIFICENT!!!!! ...with Boo Boo and EUPHORIA (wonderful tune!!), the set took off (with only a short Bridge in the way of an foot-stompin knee-boppin ass- slapping hoe down). 4:20 Polka and Reuben's Train were spectacular (I mean, shit, Pete Sears, an additional mandolinist and guitarist..!!), as was basically everything else that closed the show. Just a wonderful gig! =^]" <dirkch00@dons.ac.usfca.edu> "We raged at the Fillmore last night; it was awesome to be back there 'eating' all the bowls of pasta we could handle! I especially appreciated the Ruben's Train>Rockytop>HC>Ruben's Train...actually, the whole darn tootin' remainder of the show was smokin'! With Pete on board and Wavy Gravy's appearance and the Gap boys, it really felt like a festival!! BRIDGE! Bert!" <openeyes@mail.well.com> [About the second night at the Fillmore] "April 5, 1997. Leftover Salmon at the Fillmore with Pete Sears on keys and accordian for whole show!! I'm exhausted, but figured I could spew out something for y'all before bedtime. Most amazing Slammon show I've ever seen or heard. Two words: PAUL F**KING MCCANDLESS!!! =^] =^] =^] (various flutes and pipes.. many of you may know him based on his work with Bela Fleck) ...Absolutely spectacular show. First set was typically excellent Salmon, only the closing few songs with Paul McCandless were Especially Awe-Inspiring. The band was clearly PSSSSYYYYCHED to be jamming with Paul, particularly Mark (it seemed to me), and everyone played with such passion and fire that the closing few songs of the first set (all drawn out and spine-tinglingly jammed) made many people in the audience wonder whether That Would Be It for the night. It was THAT INCREDIBLE!! People thought the show HAD to be over after the amazing close. The first set was around an hour and twenty mins or so, and the Doin My Time -> Levee -> Doin My Time was probably at least 15 minutes. SPECTACULAR!!!!!!! It is bewildering how much Pete Sears adds to Salmon, in my opinion. The solos that Pete took (practically every song, by the way), were all quite compelling. I had never heard "Breaking Through" before (Drew tune), and well, it was WONDERFUL!! I LOVED IT!!! ...Beautiful song. I can't wait to hear it again, and even more thoroughly slamgrassed than it was earlier tonight. Those of you who have yet to see Salmon on this tour should get PSYCHED, although I realize that you may not be blessed with Paul and Pete. Hot Burrito Breakdown was Serious, even though Paul wasn't there. Drew's prowess on the mandolin and violin never ceases to amaze me. I was laughing at times at how brilliant he is on these instruments (not to mention the damn guitar). I'd never heard them do this breakdown before, and loved it! ...Euphoria, Bettah and Highway (repeats from Friday) were with Paul McCandless (and Pete Sears, of course), and were improved on from last night. Euphoria and Bettah *RAGED*... McGraw Gap's guitarist, banjoist and mandolinist came on stage after Highway. That's right. On stage there was: Pete Sears on keys, Drew and a McGraw Gap guy on mandolins, Mark and a McGraw Gap guy on banjos, Tye on bass, Vince and a McGraw Gap guy on guitars, Michael on drums and Paul McCandless on transverse flute (and a pipe thingy). 10 people on stage. AND IT SOUNDED WONDERFUL!!!! MAJOR KUDOS TO THE SOUND MAN!!!! =^] Salty Dog and REACH were both so thoroughly jammed and so magnificent that your jaws will drop and your eyes bulge upon hearing them. What an profoundly magical night of music. EUPHORIAAAA!!!!! =^] One of the greatest shows I've ever seen (of several hundred, all sorts of music). Thanks VERY MUCH to Vince, Mark, Drew, Michael, Tye, Pete and Paul for one of the most blessed musical experiences of my life so far." <dirkch00@dons.ac.usfca.edu> [Responding to the message above] "That was three words :-). But yep - McCandless was friggin amazing last night. His solos were inspired, unpredicable, jamming, and fit right in to the Salmon groove. ...last night's show was among the best of the dozen or so LoS shows I've seen so far - it's right up there with 3/16/96 Fillmore w/Grisman and last year's High Sierra late-night circus tent set w/Sam Bush et al. The band was *on* and in serious jamming mode for the entire show, and Pete (per usual) and Paul were excellent additions. That Doin My Time>Levee>Doin was for me the highlight of the many highlights in the show - the jamming on this was just sick, leaving my brain twisted and scrambled by set break, and I have yet to recover. What he said - this one's a classic, folks." <mikea@uclink4.berkeley.edu> "as for the Fillmore shows: of all bluegrass being played on planet Earth the last two nights, this was the incomparable best. LoS has really gotten into a picking realm that is superb, as demonstrated by managing 10 musicians up on stage at once all going zonkers together. They continue to get tighter and were picking some brilliant lines the last two nights. My fav was set two of 4/4 just because of the sheer stript-down bluegrass action that went on. The Fillmore also turned off those silly psychedelic gel-and-oil screens on the wall and I think that helped the band and the room sink into the collective vibe being generated. It was amazing to see the look on Herman's face as he joked and urged on the other musicians while they took solo's, the joy of his smile was fantasticly radiant and seeing them having such a good time came full circle to the crowd..." <zaq@LELAND.STANFORD.EDU> [Some excerpts from a discussion of the concepts of "IT" and "the hose"...] "I still consider 'IT' or 'Hose' a concept of transcendent, mystical proportions, even though I realize that some people use the term loosely. IT is the fruit of the communication of musical genius and being with an Other; with Love, with Life, with Being Itself. The apotheosis of humanity through music, IT penetrates the fiber of our existence and gloriously uplifts, strengthens and fulfills us. Many of us, anyway -- although I believe that everyone can experience IT... I reserve the use of 'Hose' to describe improvisation when I get the impression that the band, audience and music have gelled into a triune Being of world-transcending blessedness. Jams that jettison the soul skyward in a manner that is mystically astray from the expected and typical course, but which *WORK* and weave tapestries of enchanting, bissful melodies around our souls. The improvisation of the 2/15/73 Eyes of the World, early 70s Dark Stars & Elevens & New Potatoes, the 5/8/77 ScarletFire, etc. [continue this thread with more obscure versions of your favorite jamming band... :-) ]... 'Hose' to me is a word that should be reserved for INTENSELY thrilling & passionate improvisational events, and not for the Same Old Kickass Jam Segments. If someone tells me they were 'hosed' by a given 'Antelope' or 'Chalk Dust' or 'Possum,' I'll raise my eyebrows and smile. But check out the version. "Hose" to me isn't merely ass-kicking. IT is Earth-shaking and Revelatory. IT is of Profound Significance in Phishtory; an event not merely "special" but worthy of the highest esteem." <dirkch00@dons.ac.usfca.edu> "Thanks Charlie, for sharing the Phishy Santana thoughts about the "hose." I buy the idea thoroughly. For one thing, it definitely helps explain why everyone in the Fillmore on April 5, 1997 was soaking wet with flower food and joy during and after Leftover Salmon (with Pete Sears & Paul McCandless) played that 25 minute Rueben's Train --> When the Levee Breaks --> Rueben's Train workout.... ;-) Euphoria, indeed!" <tlynch@violet.berkeley.edu> "...the whole reason I cc'ed the leftover list on that post was because, for the first time **EVER**, I truly got ***IT*** with leftover salmon during the "Doin My Time" on Friday, and most of the show on Saturday with Paul McCandless was practically "hose" as I see it." <dirkch00@dons.ac.usfca.edu> "Man the boys ripped @ the humboldt Arcata show. My brother Erin and I got autographed printouts of his killer salmon pics. Mark wails!! He is on the same level as Bela Fleck, more fire. yes i love that rippin sound." <rmc10@axe.humboldt.edu> "my name is andrea and i'm a student at berkeley.....but i'm originally from ohio, which is where i saw my first leftover show --> cincinnati, 94. i worked in a little independent music store with this *amazing* guitarist/banjo picker who turned me on to them (along with many other new and less mainstream bands). anyway, when they came around later that year, we caught their show and i was hooked! for me, they enabled me to open my mind to all of those old bluegrass cats -- they built the bridge for me, so to speak ;P -- who my dad had always been trying to get me to understand......now i've got him listening to salmon too :) anyway, i saw them twice more in ohio and then was lucky enough to catch this past fillmore show 4/4/97 -- blew my damn mind, i tell you. and thanks to los and the good ol' macgraw gap boys, my boyfriend is now into los and straight bluegrass too......they are just an incredible band, with more energy than most musicians today. so cheers to the boys in salmon, and i'm looking forward to seeing them again (hopefully at telluride)!" <bluesky6@uclink4.berkeley.edu>