Mipso Concert @ Lulu's Downtown With Yohos & Brantleys 14Jun24

Mipso, a keen NC Americana/bluegrass band I've been following and enjoyed for a while, toured Colorado. I was pleased when they were booked into Lulu's Downtown in COS ~ so I wouldn't need to travel to Palisade for a festival they'll play there. I got tix and then convinced the Yohanans & Brantleys and Kala to come too. We made an evening of it and dined before the concert at Lumen8, a nice rooftop restaurant in downtown COS. The food was decent; the views were excellent; the friends out supreme.

We parked close to Lulu's and walked to the restaraunt and then the venue several blocks away. The music theater is somewhat new and in the old Thirsty Parrot spot (original Lulu's Downstairs is in Manitou). It's  setup with big bar, high top tables & seats at the top, and two smaller levels before the mosh pit, was excellent. Sound was not great but acceptable for Mipso; the opening acts did not sound as good. Initially Patrick Dethlefs, a Colorado guy playing folk, was OK but throughout his vocals were hard to discern.

Second up was Patchwork Jack, a threesome of mandolin (and backing vocals), bandleader with lead/rhythm guitar and lead vocals, and bass. They were much better, all were jacked into house sound, which still wasn't good enough. The bandleader was Texan, though now from CO, and delivered Texas blues and western folk. They were worth it but could've sounded better. The house speakers are very far abreast for the venue and tucked in corners so delivered a blooming and boomy sound with insufficient mid-high and treble. There was a guy walking around with an iPad likely trying to dial it in, but they should hire me.

We came for Mipso, a Chapel Hill, NC foursome (met at UNC) I've been obsessing over, and they didn't disappoint. Except that, for whatever reason, Libby the fiddle player, songwriter, and a lead & harmonizing vocalist, didn't come on this tour. She was missed but Hannah Read, a Scottish-born fiddle player and vocalist subbed and was very skilled. I imagine her work to replace Libby was huge for her, to learn all the songs, though some of the Libby-led/Libby-written songs were not played as a result, replaced instead by some Scottish sounding stuff; she did kick ass on Big Star. Anyway Mipso was very good but was still damped initially by the sound system a bit. That is until they unplugged and harmonized around a separate cool Ear Trumpet Labs Delphina mic. From that point on the sound improved ~ even when they departed from that mic. Songs were great and harmonies were decent but Joseph Terrell, a killer musician all around, was the best. And again Libby was missed.

They played a number of favorites and I was able to score the setlist after the show. Kala laments she didn't take the video as I looked like a dufus with my ass in the air reaching for the paper. I likely snagged the one that Joe intended for Hannah as it has all the chords on it. After the show, I met Joe and thanked and congratulated him, and he signed the setlist! Cool #1. Kala even got me a Mipso t-shirt with a hook, line, and fish (there's a song about fishing with real hooks, not ones bought in a vending machine) on it. Cool #2.

Really fun evening for me with really great friends. They liked it OK.