In 2019, we attended a concert at Folsom Field in Boulder. The skies darkened, it started to rain lightly, and I emailed my weather guru friend in Austin, Texas: “Hey Danny, what’s happening in the Colorado front range?” Danny sent back a Doppler radar screenshot showing very bright red and deep purple tie-dye splotches running from Denver to Fort Collins. Boulder was in the bullseye. Driving over the Shawangunk Ridge, there’s a similar feel to the Boulder Flatirons. From the top of the Gunks viewshed, I could see the weather west of the concert area, and it looked pretty ominous—no Doppler radar needed.
Connor Kennedy & Onestar opened the show at 2 PM. The rain was holding off, and we were hopeful the main storm might go north or south of us. Connor Kennedy is a versatile musician, and the Onestar band is solid and fun to watch. Connor grew up in Ulster County, has a ton of local fans, and is building a wider fanbase. Look for great things from Connor Kennedy. In between sets, Larry Campbell came out to make a few stage announcements. He welcomed everyone to beautiful Arrowood Farms. Unfortunately, Teresa Williams had come down with COVID. She was home recovering and would not be able to make the show.
The Secret Sisters were up next. As their set started, the skies turned soupy, and the first big plops of rain began to fall. I grabbed my folding chair and camera bag and headed for cover. The sound crew and stagehands did a great job keeping the electronics dry, quickly covering the soundboard, stage monitors, and PA system. My friends and I checked our phones for the satellite weather images. The storm was clearing out. After about 30 minutes, the rain ended, the sun came out, and the Secret Sisters returned to play their full set.
Jackie Greene played next. His set started with a two-piece band; he was soon joined by Brian Mitchell. You could see the live collaboration and musical improvisation taking off. As they were deciding what to play next, someone from the audience suggested ‘New Speedway Boogie.’ Jackie liked the idea. He played a long guitar intro and was soon joined by Brian on piano, setting the time and adding solo flourishes to the Workingman’s Dead classic. Jackie made a stage announcement, saying hello to his wife and children in the audience. Larry & Teresa’s July Jam at Arrowood Farms is a hometown, good-time, family affair for everyone.
The weather was holding, with a few light sprinkles but no sustained downpours. Many concert attendees knew Jorma and Jack, and many may have been there because Hot Tuna was on the bill. As the stage setup was going through the final check, Jack Casady and Cindy Cashdollar greeted each other warmly, hugged, smiled broadly, danced a little waltz, and enjoyed a sweet moment. Hot Tuna’s set was solid. At times, they seemed to be deciding which song to play next. There may or may not have been a pre-written set list. 'Good Shepherd' took off, and Jorma commented after the song that Jack’s bass solo was so good he wanted to just lean back and listen. I watched it from the side of the stage, enthralled to be there.
Larry & Teresa’s scheduled set morphed into Larry Campbell & Friends. It was everyone with some loosely scripted choreography and lots of on-the-fly stage management. Larry Campbell opened with a guitar solo that screamed, "Pay attention!" Chest Fever took off, and everyone contributed to the onstage fun. Midway through the set, the band started playing a song featuring Cindy Cashdollar. After a minute, it was obvious the timing was off. They stopped, regrouped, and restarted with a faster time signature. Watching this unfold, it’s clear why I love seeing live music played in an unscripted setting. It may be great, it could possibly crash and burn, but watching the artists create their art live—there’s nothing like it. The musicians took turns rotating on and off the stage: Steve Bernstein, Brian Mitchell, Jackie Greene. Everyone seemed to be fans of the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.
Jackie played a beautiful acoustic version of ‘Friend of the Devil.’ Brian played his New Orleans-style version of Garcia’s ‘Deal.’ Larry then announced that Teresa was planning to sing the next song with Jackie. The first time she sang it, she had played it with Jackie and loved performing this song. The audience gave a rousing cheer for Teresa to get better quickly. Jackie, along with Larry & Friends, then played a show-stopping version of ‘Sugaree.’ For the finale, everyone was called back up to the stage with Jorma and Jack playing their electric instruments. Larry & Friends played ‘Not Fade Away.’ The show ended just before 9:30 PM. Larry thanked everyone and added that their July Jam could become an annual event. See you all next year at Arrowood Farms.
