Topic: Wisconsin Gigs - Green Bay (May 12) and Madison (May 13)
I was lucky enough to attend both of Joe’s Wisconsin shows – Thursday in Green Bay and Friday in Madison. It was nice to do a little road trip around my home state for once instead of having to battle air travel.
I thought the Green Bay show was terrific. The Weidner Center at UW-Green Bay was a lovely theater. Best thing about it – bouncy seats which were great for chair dancing! We were in the second row on the left side so we had a great view.
With all the chatter about Michael Rhodes I had been wondering how much better he could be than Carmine. Well, just... WOW! What I liked about him simply was his sound, but he also just seemed to be doing more with it. I’m not sure how to properly articulate. And, of course, Anton is a fantastic addition. Tal is great but I sometimes found him overwhelming. Reece is a joy to listen to and the horn section is not only easy on the ears but fun to watch. I love that the horns are still in the lineup and hope it stays that way. I did not miss the percussion from last year. That often felt like too much to me. And then there’s our man Joe. I don’t understand how he can continue to get better and better. The playing and singing are just phenomenal! And collectively, I think this is by far my favorite lineup of musicians. I left that show thinking it was one of the best I had seen. Had a chance to say “hi” to Phil and Natasha. Thanks for the intro with Paulie!
On to Madison we went. We were chilling on the couch in the lobby before the show when Paulie literally landed on us for a chat. He is a special kind of person – so warm and kind and funny. I feel as if I’ve known him for years. For this show we were seated in the 4th row on the left side again. No bouncy chairs, though. Only hard folding chairs. Same set list as the night before but this was no repeat of the previous night. Just when you think Joe can’t possibly give you anymore, BAM, he turns it up another notch. Absolutely a crazy, awesome performance. The vocals, the solos, the jams – it was all off the charts! The crowd was pretty amped up, too. The roaring was some of the loudest I’ve heard at a Joe concert. And even though they were definitely having a blast, I didn’t notice anybody yelling out during the solos. So if I thought Thursday night was one of the best, then I’m not sure how to categorize Friday night. Best ever? Maybe. But I’m pretty sure he will surpass that next time around.
So Joe, if you’re reading this, the screaming girl in the #4 jersey from Thursday night thanks you so much for giving her, and all the fans, this gift of your music. I’ve been to 16 shows now since I started in 2011 and the memories are mostly the best I have… of anything!