PATTY GRIFFIN at Gruene Hall 4-29-09

Not sure where to start - Patty or Gruene Hall? I guess I'll start with Gruene (pronounced green). This is about 45 miles south of Austin. I think Gruene may have it's own zip code but it is actually in New Braunfels. Anyway, Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas, built in 1878. I don't think much has changed since then except for the neon beer signs inside. I have been hearing about this place since I moved here but until Wednesday night, hadn't make the trek down there. All I can say is, you have to see it to believe it. As my friend James said, "I've been coming here since 1975 & it hasn't changed one bit." It is a wooden building with a tin roof, no air conditioning, a long bar up front, pool tables on one side of the room, a dirt patio outside, picnic tables inside for seating. Really, you gotta see it. Shows are general admission and normally the only seats are the picnic tables with a big dance floor separating them from the stage. For Patty's show they put metal folding chairs on the dance floor for some up close seating. It was a no dancing show until the very end. I'll get to that later. Procedure is, the doors open an hour before show time. They kick everybody out of the bar 15 minutes before the doors open. For Patty's show, the doors were opening at 7pm. We got there around 5:30, just in time to walk in and see Patty finishing sound check in her tank, shorts and flip flops. Had a couple of beers and when people started lining up outside around 6:15 we got in line too. The stage is no more than 1 foot off the floor and the front row of seats were no more than 2 feet from Patty's mic. I'm guessing nowhere on this tour will you get any closer to her.
Patty. For my money, there is nobody I'd rather sit and listen to. Well, except BRUUUCE. That's it though. There is just not another voice out there like hers. She has a new record coming out later this year and it is a gospel record. She said she loves that music and when asked about doing an album said as long as they didn't mind that she is a lapsed Catholic, she'd love to! So the show consisted of probably 5 or 6 songs off the new album along with her past material. One of the new songs she played is a duet with Mavis Staple called Waiting For My Child To Come Home. The other new songs, I don't know the names of. But they all sounded terrific! To get a taste, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5jWPHq6WDU&feature=channel_page

The concert lasted about 1 1/2 hours. We got to hear some new arrangements on several songs including Love Throw A Line and standard arrangements on Useless Desire, Top Of The World, Icicles and Heavenly Day. Heavenly Day ended the main set and this is where the dancing came in. There were a couple of morons sitting up front who just had to get up and slow dance to this song. After all, this night was all about them. Never mind the thousand or so people behind who had to endure this distraction. Poor Patty, also. Literally 3 feet in front of her were these 2 mopes. And to top it off, they couldn't even dance! They basically rocked back and forth like a couple of sick cows. Enough about those jokers.
This was the 2nd night of the tour. This is a new band except, of course, for Doug Lancio, her lead guitarist. There is a new drummer, bass and keyboard player.
The cool thing about this show was how much fun Patty had. She is normally not that animated, chatty, open, so to speak. She loves Gruene Hall and talked about how much she loves playing there. She danced a lot, smiled bunches, was very talkative and clearly had a great time. As did we all.
One more thing, about the crowd. The place was packed, wall to wall. There were no disruptions, no people talking or anything. Everyone was completely attentive. It was an awesome night.
Lastly, the acoustics were outstanding. Can't wait to go back to Gruene, that is for sure.