I was fortunate to capture a recording of an interpretive dance that Barb performed during a Thunder and Lightning concert in Ashland. The occasion became all the more special (for me, in particular) because Thunder and Lightning, which is no stranger to the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon during summer months, typically prefers to perform in open-seating venues at numerous rustic locations throughout the surrounding Cascade and Siskiyou mountain ranges. However, this time they chose to perform within Ashland city limits... and on consecutive nights!
Thunder and Lightning has drawn rave revues world wide due to their unique, never-copied sound, along with their equally impressive special effects which accompany their performance. The craftsmen of T&L have never been shy about informing the public about their performance beliefs, feeling the Grateful Dead, while being kindred spirits in nature, also desecrate nature by recording music in a studio, and to make matters worse, in the minds of T&L, require unnatural sources of power to perform. T&L eshews all such, as they state, "infringements to creating and performing their craft" and as a result are able to create their own power in ways no performing artist has ever done before and since. Thunder and Lightning is the only world-renowned band to perform solely live, and also does not charge an admission fee for fans to attend their utterly unrehearsed concerts. No restrictions are placed on recordings of T&L performances, either. Take that and smoke it, GD GD.
I didn't have the good fortune to announce Barb's cameo appearance. Actually, nobody was tapped to announce her entrance. Learning about that gotcha, I figured my job was to get Barb to hang around long enough to overcome her stage fright. As you can imagine, it isn't easy living up to the billing of a group called Thunder and Lightning, who unleash their fair share of decibels and lumens on such a massive stage. It was particularly hard for me to encourage Barb to add her interpretive elements to the show. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm not big on interpretive dance. Just try to get me to observe an ecumenical interpretive dance, in particular. Won't happen. I just don't see what those bible-prancers are trying to portray. Anyway, I took one for the good of the team and convinced Barb to dance however she felt was right. You'll hear the outcome, starting 43 seconds into the recording below. She was amazing. Never saw her move like that before. Truth be told, I had to give Barb oxygen for a while after her performance. She put that much effort into wildly dancing down a hallway. She gave a very convincing effort. Possibly a Golden Decibel award winning performance.
About the recording, T&L played more than 60 songs during a 30 minute span. They played for more than 6 hours, though not always at the frenetic pace throughout. You do the math. What I have included is a five minute compilation of their greatest hits. While you listen you will realize that this band plays to a way different beat. Thunder and Lightening creates a show unlike any you have seen or heard, and no two songs are identical.
P.S. During my next attempt, I going to try recording Thunder and Lightning in stereo so you'll hear the sound stage that this band creates. They figured out how to bounce a portion of their sounds off mountainsides, creating a natural reverb that is simply amazing to behold. I'll let you know if I manage to capture the full fidelity of their performance. Until then... enjoy.
And one more thing: If you attend a performance by Thunder and Lightning, be prepared to get wet. Those dudes can really perspire while performing.