Punch Brothers Rock Bluegrass Like No Other at Bass Concert Hall

What fan gets to meet the members of their favorite band?  What fan gets to meet them three times?  If you answered Ryan and Sarah Loyd, you'd be correct!

Friday we saw Punch Brothers at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus.  It was a much different show than we've ever seen Chris Thile or the Punch Brothers perform - although all of the times we've seen him/them, it's been a different experience.  I'll clarify.  We've seen Chris a total of four times: two times with Nickel Creek and two with Punch Brothers.  The first Nickel Creek concert we ever went to was in Helotes at Floore Country Store.  That's where we also met our friend, Billy Jacob (pictured right with Sara Watkins).  We also saw NC in Dallas at the House of Blues.  That's the only time we did not get to speak with the band afterward.  More on that in a moment.  Our first Punch Brothers concert was at the Cactus Cafe, also on the UT campus.  Our most recent, of course, September 10, 2010.

They hit it out of the park, as always.  But Chris Eldridge, guitar, couldn't perform because of an apparent illness.  We hope he gets better soon.  So the remaining four, Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle), Noam Pikelny (banjo) and Paul Kowert (bass) had to do a little readjusting of their play list to make things work.  And it worked just fine!  We saw some amazing musicians, who may have not given the most polished performance, at their best.  I believe the last statement to be an excellent compliment because, although a little awkward, the men made up the absence of a very important fifth member.  Thile unplugged at one point, with the rest of the band off stage, made the spot light guy work and move the light to the edge of the stage, as he played Bach's Gigue from the Partita in D minor for solo violin.  Impressive.  Here's a YouTube video of him playing the same piece in New York.




I finally got to sit and think at the concert why I am so intrigued by Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek, and Chris Thile.  It's because the music is so driven and complex.  It keeps my busy mind focused and concentrating on every note, word, and instrument.

The fact that I've gotten to see Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek is crazy, but the fact that we've gotten to talk to the band members is incredible.  We spoke to Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, as well as Chris, outside of their tour bus at the Helotes show.  In Dallas, there were so many people there and we were at the back of the music hall that it was just impossible to get to the front or know where they were going to be afterward, so we didn't get to speak with them then.

After the first Punch Brothers show we saw at the Cactus, we didn't think we'd get to chat with any of them, but sure enough there they were!  Chris had a beer in his hand and I went right up to him.  I forgot to 'interview' him for the podcast until after I talked with him once!  So, I went up to him again after he finished chatting with some other folks and asked him a few questions. Check out that interview below.


Once again, with the exception of a line and a more organized meeting and talking to the band mates after the show, this most recent post-show was just as great!  I didn't get to ask Chris all the questions I wanted, but it's still cool that this band shows its fans a personal side and comes off the stage to talk.

The show, no matter how it's presented, is always fantastic.  We can't wait for PB to come back to Austin.  Until then, Antifogmatic will keep spinning in our cars.  At the signing table, from closest, is Paul, Chris, Gabe and Noam.

Come back to Austin soon, guys!