BoDeans
2008.07.13 Waterfest "Flash Flood Make-Up Date" • Oshkosh, WI

Sam Llanas, Kurt Neumann, Bukka Allen, Eric Holden, Noah Levy

Sunday July 13, 2008
Waterfest "Flash Flood Make-Up Date" - Oshkosh, WI

For the second time this summer we made our way south to Oshkosh in hopes of seeing the guys play. Thankfully this time around the skies were clear and the show went on as planned. Despite the weather woes of years past, I've really come to enjoy the annual Waterfest show. The venue is fantastic, the crowd is always enthusiastic and the guys always seem to really enjoy the shows as well. It's things like that which really *make* a show in my book. And because of it, Sunday night's show is right up there with some of the best of them.

We staked our spots up front, thoroughly enjoyed the GB Leighton which was playing over the speakers, tapped our feet to those Rowdy Prairie Dogs, and patiently awaited the guys to grace us with their presence. I realize that pulling off this make-up date probably took a great deal of effort from everyone (especially the band) and am so grateful that the evening finally took place and with such a great turnout as well! The guys finally came out at 7:30 to a great crowd, Kurt ran to the edge of the stage and mimicked diving off to the crowd and pretty much set the pace for a fun-filled evening with lots of smiles on and off stage.

Setlist:
1. Idaho - Kurt greets us all and asks where's the tornados? Because it "wouldn't be right to be here if there weren't tornados!"
2. Texas Ride Song - As directed by Kurt and Sam, we jumped and made sure not to spill our beers in the process. And then there's those famous 4-up front shots that everyone loves so much. After all that energy from the song, Sam threw in a "b'gosh, b'gosh, b'gosh!!" at the very end.
3. First Time - Such a treat to see Kurt's lovely purple guitar again.
4. Good Work w/Batman - Despite having technical difficulties early in the show, Bukka was on fire on those keys. Granted, he's always on fire with this song! Kurt like always made sure to throw that Batman riff in the middle and I even caught Sam singing along to Batman off mic.
5. Still The Night w/Hey Pretty Girl - Kurt introduced this song by asking us to "take a journey back. Before you were born...and you were born...and you were born... [as he points to some of the younger folks]...back to a time of vinyl." Of course the crowd really enjoyed this one, singing along and such. After they finished their sped-up ending of Hey Pretty Girl, Sam told us that he's been asked if he ever gets sick of that song. His answer was "you've never heard those people in Oshkosh"
6. Naked - always such a crowd favorite. Now here's something you don't see everyday....a pair of pink panties sitting on the side of the stage. Needless to say I was a bit curious upon noticing a pair of those cute pink panty/briefs that have been available at the merch table is now sitting on next to Kurt's equipment.
7. Everyday - hmmm....7 "everydays" and as the 7th song too....must be our lucky night. And everyone can use a little luck 'everyday', right? Afterwards Kurt walks over, picks up those pink panties and proceeds to fling them into the crowd. hmm....did I hear a *PING* with that? :)
8. Feed The Fire w/Light My Fire - it's hard NOT to really feel this song. Just all around fantastic guitar work by all the guys.
9. Makes U - Kurt mentioned going back to 2004 and Resolution with this song and how it's about "trying to find happiness in the midst of a lot of ugliness". Afterwards Kurt pulls another pair of panties out and flings it into the crowd as well. Sam jokes about two guys fighting over them too. :)
10. Runaway - Sam explained to us that he had been walking around the park about 6am the morning before the big flood and after seeing the sunrise thought to himself that "it's gonna be a great night" - I don't know...I had a great night despite the canceled show. But I must admit, the guys sure made up for that canceled show this time around though.
11. Lucille - She's always a really good dancer. Not to mention you gotta love those 'communal Becks', too!
12. Fadeaway - this song never gets old for me and seems to get better each and every time I hear it live. I love that about it! Sunday night was no exception either, definitely deserved a big WOW in my notebook. And that's exactly what I wrote! (I also tried to time it, but alas, I forgot to check when it ended. I was still distracted by power of the song after it ended :)
13. Closer To Free - one of the best things about the Waterfest stage is how nice and big it is...and for songs like this, it's great to see the guys using ALL of it. Whether its more 4-up front moments, or Kurt & Sam switching sides, or Eric and Bukka wandering all over. Just makes for a great part of the show. As always, Kurt made the usual band introductions, only this time he introduced Sam as being "on acoustic and barefeet", while Sam made sure to introduce Kurt once again as the "Guitar Hero"
- encore- Kurt thanked everyone for coming out and for the years of support after walking back out on stage and explained that "every time I play a chord, it sounds so much cooler when you're part of it" - awe, how sweet! :)
14. Far Far Away From My Heart - nice to have a slower song in the mix. Sam always seems to really get into the song, it's pretty cool just to watch him on this one.
15. You Don't Get Much - such a truly powerful song. Those guys can make magic with a song like this. And then that same power, energy and magic just spill right on over into....
16. Good Things - sorry to see the show come to an end. But the smiles on the guys faces as the crowd sings their part is a great thing to see. It's gotta be such a rush to be standing up there looking out from the stage. I have a feeling that at times like that, the guys are enjoying the moment as much, or even more, than those of us in the crowd. All in all it was a fantastic show. The guys played until about 9:30pm and we were lucky enough to have perfect weather the entire evening. Overall the crowd seemed really appreciative to have a second chance at this show, and I know couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my Sunday evening!