String Cheese Incident | 07.12 & 07.14 | NYC

Words by: Brian Bavosa :: Images by Michael Weintrob

String Cheese Incident :: 07.12.07 & 07.14.07 :: Beacon Theatre :: New York, NY

SCI :: The Beacon :: July 2007

The scenario is becoming eerily familiar. The dreaded “break up” tour is always a bittersweet mix of emotions. On one hand, you realize a chapter of your life is coming to a close, while the don’t-let-it-get-you-down celebratory vibe stiffens your upper lip as you trudge onward. Over the years, I managed to see the String Cheese Incident often enough, especially when they would come to my home of New York City. Upon first seeing them in 1997 at The Wetlands Preserve, I was quickly drawn to their bluegrass roots and the extremely fun environment that surrounded them. Over the next decade, I would see some amazing performances at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Hammerstein Ballroom, Central Park SummerStage and Theater at MSG. This past week, SCI kicked off their final tour (at least for now) at the Beacon Theatre before the impending break up, with not only the last four night run in NYC but also their final East Coast shows.

Bill Nershi – SCI The Beacon :: July 2007

Throughout the two shows of the run I caught (7.12 and 7.14), some elements that I remembered about “Cheese” most certainly still remained. The atmosphere seemed to be festive, and fans were generally excited and in good spirits. Special guests littered the stage throughout the run, too. However, some things seemed to be different, changing over the years much as my own life had. Bill Nershi (guitar) – the member who’s decision to focus on other musical directions set this farewell tour in motion – has switched from strictly acoustic guitar to a lot of electric, a shift that coincided with SCI’s move from bluegrass to much more electronic-oriented jams in the latter years. In many ways, he was and is the sound of this band. A few years ago, the line-up added percussionist Jason Hann full-time, representing another shift in its sound. He joined the current line-up consisting of Nershi, Michael Kang (mandolin/fiddle), Michael Travis (drums, percussion), Keith Moseley (bass) and Kyle Hollingsworth (keys).

Thursday night’s first set contained some exquisite moments, particularly the “Got What He Wanted” > “Will It Go Round In Circles” > “Got What He Wanted” sandwich, and rare gems like Sam Bush‘s “Stingray,” which had not been played since 2001.

SCI :: The Beacon :: July 2007

The second set began with the maiden voyage of Pink Floyd‘s “Comfortably Numb.” Moseley handled lead vocals and did the tune justice. Later, Trombone Shorty added his work on Miles Davis’ “So What?,” which was followed by a run-of-the-mill version of “Rollover.” Thursday’s encore featured more friends, namely the Blind Boys of Alabama who lent their voices to “Amazing Grace” set to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun.” It was nice to see but felt a little flat upon exit. Even so, the second set on Thursday night was probably the most enjoyable set I saw since it had a fluidity that the others lacked.

I was off celebrating my buddy’s wedding but, at least on paper, Friday night looked to have the best setlist of the Beacon shows. After all, it included an appearance from guitarist Eric Krasno (Soulive) for a first set closing “Texas” > “Footprints” > “Texas,” which more than one source claimed to be the highlight of the entire run.

Michael Kang – SCI The Beacon :: July 2007

Saturday – SCI’s last ever NYC show – had the crowd pumped. However, when the band hit the stage and opened with four acoustic songs, it left more than a few people scratching their heads, myself included. Not that acoustic Cheese is bad, but rather the placement and timing were a little befuddling. With three previous nights at the same venue, two of which fell on weekdays, most were ready to blow the roof off by Saturday night. Clearly, we would have to wait.

Thankfully, an extremely strong “Eye Know Why” hit mid-set, with Kang scorching his solo through the rafters. Still, other staples such as “Mouna Bowa” seemed lifeless and stale – hardly a New York sendoff for one of the most fitting covers this band plays. Thank goodness, after the break the band seemed determined to end things on a high note.

“Don’t Say,” another rarity these days, showcased Hollingsworth’s impressive chops, and morphed into “Rivertrance.” The Celtic fiddle tune has remained a huge fan favorite since its debut almost eight years ago. The shifting, snakelike jam conjures up images of Michael Flatley eating a magic four-leaf clover, boarding a canoe and being led by a mystic guide through the journey of his life down a raging river. It showcases nice work and textures by every band member, especially Kang on electric fiddle. Travis held down a hypnotic beat that grabbed a tight hold of fans and didn’t let go until we were completely submerged in the river. Once that monster shifted into “Howard” the band finally locked in.

Kang & Nershi :: The Beacon :: July 2007

“Howard” is another of SCI’s strongest efforts, which, not so coincidentally, holds true to their original electric bluegrass formula. Capped off by “Land’s End” > “Way Back Home” (which also opened Friday’s second set) for the encore, I caught myself during the “Glory Chords” portion of “Land’s End” reminiscing a little, sort of taking it all in, as I saw much of the audience doing the same. And, just like that, the last edible bite of Cheese in New York vanished from the menu forever.

The start of their farewell tour included a little bit of everything – the good, the bad and, at times, the lackluster. It also showed that many songs that haven’t seen the light of day in ages are fair game, as well as introducing new ones like the Beatles‘ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the Talking Heads‘ “What A Day That Was.” When I look back on The String Cheese Incident, and their legacy, I will be happy I caught them a few more times before they were gone. But, the band that most certainly lives on in my mind’s eye will be the one from 1997-2002. They always proved fun, safe and hoop-alific, but this final Beacon run still lacked a certain X-factor that would have put these shows over the top. Still, I’ve always liked a little cheese on my food, and for that matter, my music as well.

Setlists

SCI :: The Beacon :: July 2007

07.11.07 :: Beacon Theatre :: New York, NY
Set I: On The Road > Can’t Stop Now, MLT, Barstool, Sometimes A River > Miss Brown’s Teahouse > Black Market, Close Your Eyes
Set II: Shine > Pack it Up, Dudley’s Kitchen > Missin’ Me, Bumpin’ Reel, Farther, Ring of Fire > Black Clouds > Shine
Encore: Freedom Jazz Dance, Round The Wheel

07.12.07 :: Beacon Theatre :: New York, NY
Set I: Doin’ My Time, Love Is Like A Train, Solution, Got What He Wanted > Will it Go ‘Round in Circles > Got What He Wanted, Stingray, Outside Inside, Rhum ‘n’ Zouc, Rain > Drums
Set II: Comfortably Numb, Best Feeling, So What, Piece Of Mine, Windy Mountain, Yo Se, Joyful Sound, Rollover
Encore: Amazing Grace (w/ Blind Boys of Alabama)

07.13.07 :: Beacon Theatre :: New York, NY
Set I: Lonesome Fiddle Blues > Lochs of Dread > Lost, Boogie On Reggae Woman, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Smile > Betray the Dark > Texas* > Footprints* > Texas*
Set II: Way Back Home > Desert Dawn > Valley of The Jig > Desert Dawn, Seventh Step, Little Hands, What a Day That Was > Search
Encore: Restless Wind, Shakin’ The Tree
* with Eric Krasno (Soulive)

07.14.07 :: Beacon Theatre :: New York, NY
Set I: Lonesome Wind Blues1, Good Times Around the Bend1, Chili Dawg, Long Journey Home1, 45th of November, Eye Know Why, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Mouna Bowa, Big Shoes > It Is What It Is
Set II: Pretty Polly, Just One Story, Don’t Say > Strawberry Fields > Rivertrance, Howard
Encore: Land’s End > Way Back Home

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