Happy birthday Jim!

First off, about the venue and Wilmington. The venue is beautiful. The field has a very gentle slope to it and the sightlines are very clear. I was pretty close to the rail on Mike's side, so I can't comment on the sound throughout the field, but all band members were coming in very clearly. Maybe it's me, but Mike and Page have been super clear and pronounced to my ears since I jumped on tour at Alpharetta. There was a line for early entry and another line for regular entry, and the staff was super accommodating and informative. They were constantly advising everyone on how to make entry quick and easy, and security was pretty lax. Our preshow meal and beer was at the Marina Grill adjacent to the venue, overlooking a nice marina. By the way, how about those house boats available for rent?! Pricey, but very cool.

Now the music. As expected, everyone was very excited for the music. All 3 Alpharetta shows were heaters, and as you'd expect, expectations were very high.

Set 1: Simple>Camel Walk, Gotta Jibboo got everyone dancing right away. I expected at least one blue grass tune, and we were treated to Poor Heart. It ain't Billy Strings, but it was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Pretty straightforward Cavern, but who doesn't love Cavern. Divided Sky was Divided Sky, one of my favorite songs. It also hit the feels really hard, as I've been away from home for a week and I miss my three young sons dearly (I can't wait to see them on Thursday). I really liked the Mike tune, Casual Enlightnment...it was funky and fun to dance to, and I'm all for more Mike songs (ok, maybe except Let's Go). Shade is a good cool down song, it's popular with the none die-hards and even for the vets, again, good cool down song, and it was needed IMO, because it was very warm last night.

Set 2: This is a review, so I must be honest. Aside from ASIHTOS and maybe 20YL, there isn't much to rave about. Numberline always gets the juices flowing, and Bug is a song I enjoy, and it's a good sing along for those that like to sing. I have no problem at all with people singing along, it just doesn't matter to me.

Encore: The Howling was fun. Outer space funk is a good time, and when our fearless tells us to Howl, we'll freakin' howl, whether you like it or not.

Getting out was a bit cumbersome, as the exit created a serious bottleneck effect, but the crowd easily dispersed once past the gate. We parked a block away and exit was a breeze at that point.

Whether the show is an all time great, or dud, I always have the same outlook: I'm grateful to have attended and I had a ton of fun. What these guys are doing in Year 40 is unmatched, and I'm here to enjoy every second of it.