Cat Clyde & Eric Johnson Concert @ eTown Hall ~ A Rip With Wilks Before & An Awesome Show 29Mar26

The Mini-Rip... I headed to Boulder for a Cat Clyde concert today and went up early in the FlyBox to say hi to T&L and give Wilks a taste of Porsches in canyons. He has a motorcycle himself and buzzes the canyons in good weather, so he knew a good route for the time allotted, Left Hand Canyon to Pk2Pk Hwy. We had a blast ripping the tight canyon with confident corners at speed. Sure we hit traffic now and again; some would let us pass, others not. Still it was good seeing and rippin' with my old friend. No pics; I'm a dumbass, but I think Wilks liked the ride.

The Venue & Offer... After dropping Tom back home I was quickly off to find nosh and the show venue, eTown Hall. I grabbed a sammy at Snarfs, found street parking, and hit the queue by 5:45pm, my objective. I was 3rd in line for 6pm doors ~ I didn't expect that! Folks around me said for the GA-VIP tickets I had, even for the great shows, there's no rush at this venue. The hall was 'cute' and is actually a Town Hall for other Boulder events. It holds just 200 people in seats and pews on the sides (remnants from old church). Sound was OK but small ~ I was just slightly askew of center and hear the imbalance. I held 'Gold Circle' tix for +$20 and sat anywhere in the front 3 rows. Being just 3rd in line I sat in the 'center' of the first row along with Carl, #1 in line, and a huge live music fan. I was slightly to the side of the center filming camera position but the operator said he'd stay low the whole time (and did). I've seen eTown vids on YouTube and production is strong. There were many cameras but none in my way... this was a taped event to be streamed later and on YT. Simultaneously it was cast on radio on 100 US channels; eTown is recognized my NPR as a player. I wasn't allowed to take pictures or videos during the show so all I have is before and after.

The Format... I wasn't expecting the staged format with hosts Nick & Helen Forster introducing, interviewing, and collaborating with the artists throughout the show (can't call it a concert really as it is tightly produced by the locals for radio and YT vids). They also featured a local author Hillary Rosner, a prof from CU, an animal person concerned for what humans are doing to them, whom Nick interviewed between Eric's set and Cat's set. While a surprise to me, it was all actually pretty cool ~ we sat in on a clever radio studio music show. I didn't like that I was asked to clap wildly and hoot prior to everything starting (to be used a audience excitement fill), and I was a weak participant there. I don't even like when artists ask me to do shit like wave or clap or sing a line or dance. Don't look for me on YT vids as they just wanted my voice and hands, and you won't get much of that either.

The Performances... Here it shines even brighter. I came to hear Cat Clyde, a rural Canadian sourced spectacular folk & rockabilly singer-songwriter with clever lines and funky chops. But, I was completely pleased with the co-artist playing this night, the 13-album, silver-tounged, IL now LA-based, Grammy noms, obtuse leader of the Fruit Bats (he really is the Fruit Bats), former Shins member, and co-founder of the wonder-star band, Bonny Light Horseman, Eric Johnson. What a lineup! They did not disappoint. Eric opened, and was solo; his playing is strong as is his writing but his voice is other-wordly excellent. I was mesmerized sitting on his capo. I love the Fruit Bats and BLH and live from row 1, this was amazing. Then, full band in tow, full makeup on (kind of odd but I expected nothing really), mostly wailing great tunes from her latest excellent drop 'Mud Blood Bone,' Cat Clyde takes the stage and fill the room with completely engaging vocals and material. Contralto with funky breaks, eclectic vibe, and backcountry playing yet modern aware sentiments in the lyrics... she delivered with a full band. The lead guitar was present on his riffs and good, but the show was all Cat. Thank you both. I only scored Eric's setlist and he didn't sign as I didn't see him at the merch table. I didn't wait for Cat to show at merch and I own all the music already. Cat's setlist was well known by all and needn't have been written down I sense - very professional delivery with little banter. Yet, she was a hoot during interviews and the extra session on covering classic 'Bye Bye Love' where the house band and Cat & Eric all played. Really good show but I'm aware each artist basically only plays 30min on the night... that said, the artists that come to eTown Hall are excellent and nearly all in my wheelhouse. Look for these YT vids when they hit your streams.

The Friends... Worth noting are my wingmen at the show in row #1. The traveling hockey dad to my left had two sleeves of tats and came for Eric. I engaged and he works and spends much of his time and money supporting his kid's hockey dreams on travel teams. Yet he grabs ~20 live concerts/year. To my right was Carl, #1 in line (though just 5 min before me ~ local knowledge). He's a single Boulder guy building spook satellites with Ball Aerospace. He was a fount of info on music and especially concerts... our tastes were very similar and we'd been to many of the same shows but how could we not as he now scores 120 concerts a year!!