"...and we could be connected just like this." pt. 1

in the last three weeks, i have attended three concerts,
each different and satisfying in it's own right.

february 8: donna the buffalo
(from whose song the name of this blog entry is taken)
what's that band called again?
electric-folk/country/appalachian-rock-zydeco-jam-band from Ithaca.
known for their live shows, touring for the last 15 years almost non-stop.
also the first band i had heard of who chartered a cruise with their fans ("it's pretty much just like this, but everything's rocking back and forth a little," jeb says).
devoted fans. joint songwriters tara nevins (vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle, washboard), and jeb puryear (vocals, electric guitar), have two distinct styles that mesh into song creations that make you want to dance; intelligent, heart-felt lyrics with a zydeco-rock groove. anyway, the concert...

thursday night, we're the youngest people in the venue because it's 18 & up without some sort of guardian. for the first part, we're standing down on the floor and i'm trying not be embarrassed by my father, who's taking pictures with an impossibly blinding flash, and everyone around me is talking about the headache they're getting, and when someone's going to make him stop. but then, the thing happened that i was waiting for, that i knew would come, having been to DTB concerts before--the inevitable point in the show where you forget that there is anything outside this room, when you are no longer conscious of your body, it's just the music. sure, devoted jam band fans (donna groupies are affectionately called "the herd") aren't the nicest smelling people, but there's always this hippie sort of vibe going around, people are just letting the music move them, dancing, and apologizing when they bump you, which is quite often. as far as i'm concerned, the connection between the audience and the performers is the most important thing. and it's strange that i would be saying this, as every band member played with their eyes closed almost the entire time. their connection to the audience happened through the music--especially the first encore, in which just jeb and tara came back on stage and played a stripped, intensely emotional jam of jeb's song "me & depression"--no exaggeration, one of the most beautiful things i've ever experienced. i left completely satisfied, clear-headed, and with an awesome t-shirt.