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You'd think with the bonus day, I could manage to fit in a concert in February? No such luck. March, however, is going to make up for it!
The venue
The Grey Eagle is in the River Arts District of Asheville, and southwest of the main city center. It's an older area of industrial buildings, mid-1900s homes, and gentrification and development. I got to town early enough that I scoped out the location in advance, and I'm glad I did. The un-widened roads that wound around up and down the hilly landscape made it pretty clear that parking, while free, was at a premium, and my offhanded thought of "I could just take a rideshare" would be the way to go.
It's a single story cement building that could have been pretty much anything in a past life. Accessibility was the norm for this type of building: maybe one step up to get in (minus the gravel parking lot), room enough to get in, make the turn to the hall leading to the music room and restrooms. The bar would be harder to navigate for someone in a chair, but the place wasn't so packed that no one could move. There was a steeper transition from the bar to the music hall than I was prepared to encounter (multiple times. klutz), which makes me think that the beautiful wood floor (or perhaps that whole section) had been added at a later date.
The bar & restaurant
the bar offered the usual local brews, with some wine and liquor, along with a fair selection of NA drinks (bottled root beer and mineral water were my two picks), plus giant dispensers of ice water on opposite ends of the room. You can tell I don't get out much if I find this a nice perk. They also run a taqueria, but the kitchen closes at 9, and I missed the chance to try it out.
The staff was all friendly, there was lots of outdoor space, the restrooms were clean and spacious (and not right next to the stage). The place had a great vibe, and I'd see another show there for sure, and get there extra early to get a bite to eat, too.
Darren Jessee
Darren and Zach were fresh off a show the night before in Atlanta, also opening for Chatham County Line. I ran into Zach in passing, and while I saw Darren in the bar, he was talking to a couple (his producer Alan, I think) and didn't see me, and we never connected after that. CCL's steel pedal player sat in on about half the songs, which was a cool twist. The volume balance seemed off, though, and the pedal steel got lost a bit at times. His set was shorter than normal by a couple songs, and he cut one song short. I think the crowd on the far side was giving him shit, and he was having none of it. First he said "Stay with me, folks," and then a minute or so later he shot back "Hey, you bought the ticket" to someone. Ouch. He did NOT play his brand new single, and I wonder if the decision was made based on the crowd?
Chatham County Line
I knew nothing about these guys going in, except what I'd read on the "about" section of the ticket purchase page. Clearly, everyone in Asheville knows about these guys, and they were ready torock stomp. Joke's on them hecklers, though: Darren played drums with CCL! From what I gather, having a drummer is a new thing for the band, and while someone else had drumming credits on their most recent album,, I wonder if Darren is taking over for the tour? He has done gig/tour drumming for many different bands, so it's not out of the question. Anyway, it was a thrill for me, as I've never seen him on the drums before. soft-spoken acoustic guitarist to cymbal-smashing beast in just 20 minutes!
The band proper consisted of Dave Wilson on lead vocals/guitar/harmonica, John Teer on mandolin/banjo/fiddle plus harmonies, and Greg Readling on upright bass, the aforementioned pedal steel, and harmonies. three part harmony? I'm in! John Teer was probably the standout of the three, killing it on a fiddle bit that turned into a solo while the rest of the band got a break off-stage, to the intro to another song. just enough of the "show-off" to reel everyone in, but not so arrogant as to be off-putting. Dave Wilson had this really cool way of getting his guitars on/off around his 10 gallon hat that looked like a magic trick.
Getting there
I scheduled my Lyft once I got to my hotel, and the 5.5 mile drive cost $22 plus tip. I waited less than 10 minutes for the return Lyft, and it was $14 plus tip. (Uber doesn't have the ability to schedule a ride in advance, and I've great luck/service with Lyft)
The venue
The Grey Eagle is in the River Arts District of Asheville, and southwest of the main city center. It's an older area of industrial buildings, mid-1900s homes, and gentrification and development. I got to town early enough that I scoped out the location in advance, and I'm glad I did. The un-widened roads that wound around up and down the hilly landscape made it pretty clear that parking, while free, was at a premium, and my offhanded thought of "I could just take a rideshare" would be the way to go.
It's a single story cement building that could have been pretty much anything in a past life. Accessibility was the norm for this type of building: maybe one step up to get in (minus the gravel parking lot), room enough to get in, make the turn to the hall leading to the music room and restrooms. The bar would be harder to navigate for someone in a chair, but the place wasn't so packed that no one could move. There was a steeper transition from the bar to the music hall than I was prepared to encounter (multiple times. klutz), which makes me think that the beautiful wood floor (or perhaps that whole section) had been added at a later date.
The bar & restaurant
the bar offered the usual local brews, with some wine and liquor, along with a fair selection of NA drinks (bottled root beer and mineral water were my two picks), plus giant dispensers of ice water on opposite ends of the room. You can tell I don't get out much if I find this a nice perk. They also run a taqueria, but the kitchen closes at 9, and I missed the chance to try it out.
The staff was all friendly, there was lots of outdoor space, the restrooms were clean and spacious (and not right next to the stage). The place had a great vibe, and I'd see another show there for sure, and get there extra early to get a bite to eat, too.
Darren Jessee
Darren and Zach were fresh off a show the night before in Atlanta, also opening for Chatham County Line. I ran into Zach in passing, and while I saw Darren in the bar, he was talking to a couple (his producer Alan, I think) and didn't see me, and we never connected after that. CCL's steel pedal player sat in on about half the songs, which was a cool twist. The volume balance seemed off, though, and the pedal steel got lost a bit at times. His set was shorter than normal by a couple songs, and he cut one song short. I think the crowd on the far side was giving him shit, and he was having none of it. First he said "Stay with me, folks," and then a minute or so later he shot back "Hey, you bought the ticket" to someone. Ouch. He did NOT play his brand new single, and I wonder if the decision was made based on the crowd?
Chatham County Line
I knew nothing about these guys going in, except what I'd read on the "about" section of the ticket purchase page. Clearly, everyone in Asheville knows about these guys, and they were ready to
The band proper consisted of Dave Wilson on lead vocals/guitar/harmonica, John Teer on mandolin/banjo/fiddle plus harmonies, and Greg Readling on upright bass, the aforementioned pedal steel, and harmonies. three part harmony? I'm in! John Teer was probably the standout of the three, killing it on a fiddle bit that turned into a solo while the rest of the band got a break off-stage, to the intro to another song. just enough of the "show-off" to reel everyone in, but not so arrogant as to be off-putting. Dave Wilson had this really cool way of getting his guitars on/off around his 10 gallon hat that looked like a magic trick.
Getting there
I scheduled my Lyft once I got to my hotel, and the 5.5 mile drive cost $22 plus tip. I waited less than 10 minutes for the return Lyft, and it was $14 plus tip. (Uber doesn't have the ability to schedule a ride in advance, and I've great luck/service with Lyft)
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