This was the first time we saw Davy Knowles since he launched his Patreon. We signed up immediately, and one of the perks is the ability to attend a soundcheck. When his concert at the Bull Run went on sale, we immediately bought tickets at our favorite front table. We got in touch with Davy, and he told us that they intended to arrive at around 3 p.m., and we were welcome to come by at any time.
We arrived just before 3 p.m., and as I walked around the front of the venue to get a photo of the marquee, a white van pulled into the parking lot with Davy at the wheel. Tod, in the passenger seat, waved to me. I walked back to the car and Craig and I made our way over to the van. Davy came over immediately and gave us a hug. We said hello to Tod (bass) and Mike (drums), as well as Davy's manager Natasha and her husband Phil (who was manning the merch table).
We went into te ballroom through the side door and got seated at our table to watch sound check. The guys loaded in their gear. They plugged in their equipment and got tuned up. One of the microphone stands was set really low, and Mike joked that it was for Ronnie Jame Dio. This was followed by a lively conversation about Dio where Craig said that he is sure he saw him "in the wild" at the local roller rink in the mid-1980's (the local newspaper had even said that he was spotted elsewhere in town on the same day). Mike said that he was a really nice guy, which seems to be the general consensus. We said that we saw his penultimate show before his death (with Heaven & Hell), and Mike agreed that was great material.
Davy came to our table and sat with us for a couple of minutes until he was called up onstage for the soundcheck, with the Bull Run's soundman (and blues player himself) Matt Swanton. We enjoyed watching the soundcheck as Davy played songs with his various guitars.
At around 4:30, they were done and proceeded to the Green Room to have some prime rib. We chatted with Mike for a few more minutes before he joined them. The restaurant staff was very kind and let us stay at our table, even though doors didn't officially open for another hour. A little before the doors opened, they took our drink orders, and after doors opened they took our food orders. We sat with Jen, a woman whom we know from other blues shows at the Bull Run (previous Davy shows as well as Shemekia Copeland) and some other friends of hers. The guys had come out fro western MA, and were talking about seeing Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore next week at the Iron Horse. We would be seeing them next week here at the Bull Run.
The venue was packed (impressive given that it is a Sunday night) and the band really rocked out. "The Invisible Man" was a highlight, with a blistering guitar solo. In addition to favorite originals such as "Riverbed", "Around Here", "One & the Same", and "Come Home," they also played some great covers including "Outside Women Blues" (totally awesome drum solo included), "Nadine", and "Almost Cut My Hair".
And the three guys are truly lovely human beings. We chatted with Davy at the merch table and I bought a baseball jersey from Phil. Davy told us to keep in touch and we were very grateful for the hospitality that he and the band had shown to us. We went over to the stage where Mike was breaking down his drum kit. We asked if we could get a selfie, and he came over to pose with us. Then Tod came over to say goodnight, and we got a picture with him, too.
Set List:
- Running Out of Moonlight
- One Wrong Move
- Tell Me What You Want Me to Be
- Around Here
- Heavy On My Mind
- Riverbed
- The Invisible Man
- Outside Women Blues
- Stay
- One & the Same
- Nadine
- Gotta Leave
- Come Home
- Ain't Much of Nothing
- Almost Cut My Hair
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