Nels Cline (Minus Julian Lage) Unitarian Church, Burlington, VT - 11/21/14

[radiowilco]

So, Nels showed up for the gig last night here in Burlington - but Julian did not.  Poor Julian was up the hill at the University of Vermont Medical Center.  Nels described him as "very, very ill and not able to use his right arm very well."  We did not learn much more than that.  I hope he is okay as last night was the start of their short run of shows in New England and northern New York.

 

Nels came to the stage of the church clutching a large glass of red wine.  He told the almost capacity crowd that playing solo is "not his thing" and that when he does it he "surrounds himself with lots of gadgets to create loops and soundscapes."  When he plays with Julian - he obviously never uses those items.  He then told us that he was going to play a bunch songs and that if we wanted our money back - he was cool with that.

 

Nels played three Ornette Coleman tunes, which were absolutely stunning to my ears.  He then played two songs from his recent record with Lage where he used a mic to "sing" Julian's parts of the composition.  This was bold stuff and it worked very well.  He said he made the decision to do this on the fly.  He played a Scott Amendola original song, and closed with a couple of his own original pieces - both dedicated to the late, great guitarist Jim Hall.

 

It was really inspiring to see and listen to an artist who hours earlier thought he was preparing for a duo show with a "young man" he said "that may one of the greatest guitar players ever - when all is said and done.  I mean that - I really do."  He could have easily cancelled the gig for a very good reason.  He did not.  He played beautifully for 90 minutes - talking to the crowd about the songs and sipping his wine.  "It's come to this," he said, "drinking on stage" to the laughter of the audience.

 

I am completely certain that no one asked for their money back...

[theashtraysays]

Sorry to hear that about Julian, but that sounds like a wonderful evening. 

[Magnetized]

In interviews and in his own writings, Nels comes across as insightful, hip and articulate. I remember one long video where he discussed all his gear for almost an hour and it seemed like he could have gone on forever. It was all guitar geek stuff but his obvious passion and enthusiasm made it very engaging even for a non-technical person like me. I would love an intimate show like this with Nels.

[Hixter]

In interviews and in his own writings, Nels comes across as insightful, hip and articulate.

I'd be surprised if respected publications and universities haven't approached him with offers of employment; his writing is impeccable and his musical knowledge is encyclopedic. When he hangs up his touring shoes it'll be a travesty if he doesn't wind up as a professor at a prestigious institution.

[bböp]

So, Nels showed up for the gig last night here in Burlington - but Julian did not. Poor Julian was up the hill at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Nels described him as "very, very ill and not able to use his right arm very well." We did not learn much more than that. I hope he is okay as last night was the start of their short run of shows in New England and northern New York.

 

Nels came to the stage of the church clutching a large glass of red wine. He told the almost capacity crowd that playing solo is "not his thing" and that when he does it he "surrounds himself with lots of gadgets to create loops and soundscapes." When he plays with Julian - he obviously never uses those items. He then told us that he was going to play a bunch songs and that if we wanted our money back - he was cool with that.

 

Nels played three Ornette Coleman tunes, which were absolutely stunning to my ears. He then played two songs from his recent record with Lage where he used a mic to "sing" Julian's parts of the composition. This was bold stuff and it worked very well. He said he made the decision to do this on the fly. He played a Scott Amendola original song, and closed with a couple of his own original pieces - both dedicated to the late, great guitarist Jim Hall.

 

It was really inspiring to see and listen to an artist who hours earlier thought he was preparing for a duo show with a "young man" he said "that may one of the greatest guitar players ever - when all is said and done. I mean that - I really do." He could have easily cancelled the gig for a very good reason. He did not. He played beautifully for 90 minutes - talking to the crowd about the songs and sipping his wine. "It's come to this," he said, "drinking on stage" to the laughter of the audience.

 

I am completely certain that no one asked for their money back...

Thanks for the report! Sounds like you guys got a little bit of a serendipitous performance from Nels (maybe because he didn't have too much time to think about it). I saw that they decided to cancel the following night's show in Portland, ME, though I'm not sure about the rest of the dates. Hopefully Julian is doing better because the two of them together really are terrific, but sometimes you get "lucky" to see Nels get to do his own thing. He certainly doesn't do it very often, and I think it genuinely freaks him out to play solo — hence the red wine — even though he's obviously more than capable of it. He's such a natural collaborator and an empathetic player, but sometimes it's nice to see him go truly off on his own and get the chance to follow him there.

[Albert Tatlock]

A very nice little report. I think you captured the mood of what must have been a special evening. Thanks.