I rarely attend concerts on Friday night due to Shabbat, but this last Friday I went to see The American Acoustic Tour at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I went because my good friend, Matt Coffman, came to town specifically so we could go to this live performance. It didn’t disappoint.
We pulled in to the gardens about 15 minutes before the 8pm start time. A few friendly people welcomed us as we squeezed in to what amounted to the 2nd row of the outdoor venue. From where we sat we had a perfect view not only of the stage but of the lily pond at the foot of the stage. Over the course of the evening we watched an extraordinarily vibrant lotus flower slowly close right before our eyes. Frogs, dragonflies, and eventually bats all contributed to the vibe of the show.
The American Acoustic Tour is a traveling band of top notch musicians that includes: The Punch Brothers, I’m with Her, and Julian Lage. Over the course of the evening they played in at least 15 different permutations, covering songs from their individual catalogues as well as a handful of bluegrass and acoustic classics. There were a couple of times when all nine musicians were on stage together. It was quite a scene.
With musicians as talented as Julian Lage, Chris Thile, and Sara Watkins it’s not really possible to do the music justice with words. It can only be experienced.
In reflecting on the experience of hearing these incredible musicians I’m struck by the virtuosity, diversity of musical compositions, and power of acoustic music. While some of what they do as musicians is simply beyond imitation there are at least a couple of lessons that pretty much any musician (or person) can take away including, the power of listening, dedication to craft, sense of humor, balance of tradition and innovation, and the connection between music and specific times, places, and traditions. And last, but certainly not least, observe the lotus!!!!
If The American Acoustic Tour passes through your town—– GO.
