Our music and event productions are based in the historic River Theater, 16135 Main Street Guerneville CA. Our 600 person dance hall features four levels of dance hall space, an enclosed private balcony for up to 30 people as well as state of the art video, lighting and sound systems. Liquid Light Productions proudly assumed management of this fine and unique event space on August 9th 2006. For event information, rentals and other available services please call 707-869-3194 or you can contact us at:
steve@liquidlights.com
UPCOMING OCT EVENTS AT THE RIVER THEATER
October 14th: the Avalon Allstars
The Avalon Allstars, consists of some of the best talent to grace the stage of San Francisco's historical Avalon Ballroom. Bobby Vega from Zero, Melvin Seals (The Jerry Garcia Band), Jay Lane (Rat Dog), David Nelson from New Riders of the Purple Sage and Barry Sless from Phil and Friends. Opener Gabby La La
Tickets are available in advance for $18, $21 at the door, doors 8:00, show 9:30. More guests TBA
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Strictly Amazing
From Alan Sheckter
Hi folks. Here's my article on the Weir and the
Waybacks show, Oct. 3 at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Big Room in Chico, Calif. The article printed in
today's issue of The Buzz, the weekly entertainment
supplement of the daily papers in Chico and Oroville,
Calif. Research shows that this appears to have been
Weir's first performance in Chico since 11-1-68, when
The Grateful Dead made its one appearance in this
Northern California valley town.
For you publishers, you may reprint portions or all of
the article, but must credit the author.
Thanks!
Alan Sheckter
Editor, The Buzz
Chico Enterprise-Record
Chico, Calif.
(three photos
posted online
Weir, Waybacks make beautiful fusion at the Sierra
Nevada Big Room
By ALAN SHECKTER - Buzz Editor
Chico Enterprise-Record
Article Launched: 10/12/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale replaced electric Kool-Aid.
In what was likely Bob Weir's first performance in
Chico since 1968, the Grateful Dead co-founder,
guitarist and singer joined eclectic Bay Area acoustic
rockers The Waybacks for an evening of wide-ranging
music Oct. 3 at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s Big Room.
And while the ensemble covered several Grateful Dead
songs — as well as tunes from many other artists — the
vibe was unquestionably dissimilar from the show Weir
performed as a member of The Grateful Dead on Nov. 1,
1968, at Chico's Silver Dollar Fairgrounds.
On this night, which Big Room General Manager Bob
Littell said was "the toughest ticket we've ever had"
— and that's saying something — Weir injected varying
amounts of Grateful Dead energy into the music of a
skillful, impeccably talented Waybacks crew.
Rather than getting bogged down in a
Grateful-Dead-without-Jerry-Garcia consciousness, an
almost fruitless task that The Other Ones and later
"The Dead" (both featuring former Grateful Dead
members Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutz-mann and Mickey
Hart) struggled with, this show was fresh,
unpredictable and full of youthful energy thanks to
the Waybacks.
As Sam Bush and friends helped take bluegrass to a
new, contemporary level back in the 1970s as the New
Grass Revival, the Waybacks refreshingly take
traditional American music to new heights, with a
melting pot of folk, alt-country, bluegrass, swing and
more.
Front man James Nash, a phenomenal 33-year-old
flat-picking lead guitarist, mandolin player and
singer, got more-than-adequate support from rhythm
guitarist Steve Coyle and fiddler Warren Hood, as well
as bassist Joe Kyle Jr. and Chuck Hamilton.
The quintet opened the show with three of its own
songs, including the playful and catchy "Petrified
Man," and it was apparent the Waybacks alone — who
many in the crowd were unfamiliar with — could've
satisfied the audience on their own.
But make no mistake about it; the sold-out house was
largely there to see Weir.
Appearing in fine fitness and decent voice, though the
59-year-old's hair seems to be thinning rather
quickly, Weir appeared comfortable and loose on stage,
singing and ambitiously playing new arrangements of
old favorites.
He even drank from a pint of ale that someone at a
table down front had poured from a pitcher, trusting
the amber liquid not to have been dosed.
Weir, who took center stage but did not act like a
star, strummed a bit before launching into
"Jackstraw," one of his trademark Grateful Dead tunes.
The crowd's energy, already at a high level, rose a
couple of notches as they began to appreciate Weir's
appearance in the classy, 350-capacity Big Room. The
audience also showed its respect for the Waybacks,
refreshing and excellent players who acted as Weir's
backing band for much of the balance of the show.
Weir and the Waybacks offered several cover songs —
many that the Dead used to perform — that spanned a
broad spectrum of styles, including "Silver Threads
and Golden Needles," Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried,"
Marty Robbins' "Big Iron," the Rolling Stones' "The
Last Time" and "19th Nervous Breakdown," and even a
far-from-perfect but quite ambitious version of Led
Zeppelin's "Kashmir." On that number, the crowd
affectionately howled back at Weir as he tried in vain
to reach the vocal heights of Ro-bert Plant's original
screams.
The Dead's psychedelic era was also represented with
the classic pairing of "St. Stephen" and part of "The
Eleven," which appear on the band's 1968 recording,
"Live/Dead."
A rousing "Bertha," another longtime Dead favorite,
closed the set with a frenzy. The band quickly
returned for an encore of the poignant "Brokedown
Palace," followed by an epic version of Bob Dylan's
"Like A Rolling Stone." After the crowd had partially
thinned, a second encore of another Dead classic,
"Casey Jones," ended the festivities.
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