"And I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I sure saw AC/DC."
--Let There Be Rock, Drive-By Truckers

Charlie Daniels may just be the best goddamn fiddle player in the whole goddamn world. Just in case, you know, you were wondering just who the best goddamn fiddle player in the whole goddamn world is. You can thank me later.

This Saturday, Justin went all by his lonesome to Central Park Summerstage to see Charlie Daniels Band and Drive-By Truckers. The reasons for his being alone ranged from laziness to a lack of appreciation of this country's rich southern heritage. No matter the reason, it means that nobody else got to see a show that was so good I would have stood around in the sun twice as long for it.

The opener, Drive-By Truckers, is a rock band heavily influenced, indebted to, and in tribute of Lynyrd Skynyrd. They rock it hardcore, and I'm not too surprised that every displaced Southerner in the TriState area must have been there. Mullets (or "Kentucky Waterfalls" as they're also known :) as far as the eye could see, not to mention the big bushy beards. I am now jealous of people from the South solely because they apparently make better audiences than people further north. DC punk scene, I'm talking to you.

Nifty bits... two songs really stood out for me, "Let There Be Rock" and "Bulldozers and Dirt." The former is all about being a rock fan in Alabama during the late 70s/early 80s, getting wasted, tripping, etc etc. The fact that it mentions Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others, is just cake under the icing. Live, the song was extra supercool (as the French say) because all four mobile members of the band crowded the center of the stage, hanging ten and adding in an extra few minutes of showing off the mad musical skills. That second song, oddly enough, is a love ballad. Awwww... Any love song where the guy and girl meet when she stops him from stealing her TV by using a shotgun is a classic as far as I'm concerned. The trailer and three year old daughter just make it that much better.

So besides just being a rocking band (no band should have less than three guitars), there were two other things that endeared me to DBT. One is the fact that they're from Alabama. I'm not going to dignify that with an explanation, because I'm sure you'd all make fun of me for liking a place just because someone I have a crush on is from there.

Wait... damn.

The other reason is something that Mike Cooley, one of their three guitarists did. After the applause for "Let There Be Rock" died down, he shouted out to the crowd, "Y'all know what this is?" And then... \m/\m/! So what'd we shout back? "Too much metal for one hand!" Thus cementing my opinion of DBT as (in Cristl's words) "REAL MAN MUSIC! >:O"

After the Truckers left the stage I went and bought their new album Southern Rock Opera, a double-disc well worth the money. Sadly this did not take up enough time, so I got to stand around for a good long time. Did I mention it was really really hot out, and there was nothing resembling a breeze going on? I could have refilled my water bottle several times over just with the sweat that dripped off. On the bright side, the music they played during the break was wholly appropriate to the event, and that can take a lot of the pain of waiting off. The last song before the main event? "Sweet Home Alabama" \m/

Eventually, the Charlie Daniels Band took the Central Park stage, for the first time in 26 years might I add. Why yes, yes I might. Thank you. If you don't have any idea who Charlie Daniels is, he's the mastermind behind "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which everyone and Wayde's Mom has heard. If you still don't know who I'm talking about, please email me re: the rock you just crawled out from under.

Charlie Daniels plays a mean guitar. But that's merely interesting trivia in comparison to his fiddle playing - he's like a tiny god. He can do things with his bow that would make the most dexterous of drumstick twirlers jealous. In fact, he faced off against his drummer doing just that. During one of the songs, he took turns dueling with his guitarist, the drummer, and the synth player. He then proceeeded to playfully insult the guitarist he had "forgotten" by playing basic scales, and "Mary Had A Little Lamb." The look on the guitarist's face, though staged, was priceless.

There were probably more people present, and definitely more people crowding the stage, than there were for Kodo when I saw them. As much as I like the one song that everybody has heard, my knowledge of Charlie Daniels' repertoire was actually zip before this show. But I went anyway, and had a great time. Let that be a lesson to you. Amyways... the Southern thing definitely played a big part in the music, as would be expected. The level it was taken to might not have been - one of his new songs, "High Speed Heroes," is actually about NASCAR. It mentions Dale Earnhardt by name. That frightens me. But it was ok, because the song was good. Everything was good. When he finally got to "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" in the encore, I felt like linedancing or something. As it was, I contented myself with bouncing.

There was a large block of material that was heavily patriotic. One of the songs off the new album is entitled "The Last Fallen Hero," and written in memory of the events of 9/11. Charlie Daniels gave a speech before the band played it, and as far as I can tell it was more moving than anything Bloomerg has ever said about it. The police and fire departments got big cheers, and so did we. Sometimes it surprises me that it still effects my emotions - and everyone else's - so much. At times like that, though, I just go with it. I shouted myself hoarse along with everybody else. Other songs in the same vein were "This Ain't A Rag It's A Flag" and "Simple Man." Good stuff.

Now, this being an audience full of Southerners, there was a guy front row and center that had brought an American flag with him. I don't mean a little flag, now. I mean something that might look right above a garage or something. He brought it out during the pre-song speech, and that got one hell of an audience approval. He brought it up again during a few of the other songs too. But when CDB launched into "The Star-Spangled Banner," possibly the best rendition I've ever heard, it meant even more that someone had the presence of mind to do that. Everybody stood up, all the ballcaps and cowboy hats came off and over hearts. Then a breeze picked up. I swear to god, it must have been the only one of the day. But it set that flag out straight and fluttering for the duration of the song. And at that point, I couldn't tell what was sweat and what was tears.

And then there was a riot.

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