Blues Traveler 
July 16th, 2003
Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL

Master creation: 
AKG c480b+ck61 > Apogee Mini-Me > D8
by Owen Williams [owen@theclerk.com]

Conversion: 
D8 > 7 pin/COAX > SB Extigy > CD Wave Editor > FLAC 
 
by Owen Williams [owen@theclerk.com] 

CD 1
01. Introduction		[00:28:66]		
02. Unable to Get Free>		[05:03:41]    		
03. Back in the Day		[03:57:04]
04. Can't See Why>		[04:02:36]
05. NY Prophesie		[07:12:27]
06. Support Your Local Emperor> [07:43:33]
07. Carolina Blues>		[07:07:04]
08. Business as Usual		[09:38:27]
09. Conquer Me>			[06:12:20]
10. Freedom			[05:37:12]
11. Trina Magna>		[04:11:40]
12. Thinnest of Air>		[03:28:36]
13. Trina Magna			[02:47:32]

CD 2 
01. Just Wait>     		[07:08:65]
02. This Ache			[05:22:50]
03. Defense & Desire>		[04:06:14]
04. Felicia>			[07:11:73]
05. Slow Change>		[07:19:07]
06. Sweet & Broken>		[04:05:30]
07. Go Outside & Drive>		[16:49:34]
08. Stumble & Fall		[06:32:49]
09. Eventually			[04:02:31]
10. Hook			[05:46:36]
11. Band Introductions		[01:22:48]
12. Let Her & Let Go		[04:11:65]

Notes:
- There's a second dropout in Disc 1, Track 5 that is also on the master
- Ravinia is not the friendliest of venues. Mics were at head level throughout the show, so some chatter was picked up
- Thanks to RevKev for the gear and Avanti's Italian Restaraunt in Normal, IL for the free ranch dressing

My review to the blackcat mailing list:

The Ravinia is an interesting venue. That's the nicest way to put it. I know where the interest of this venue lies, and I can deal with it, as it's of no surprise. Walking around the lawn area, I get the feeling that I'm at a party to which I would never be invited. Wine booths. A "Better Homes & Garden" sponsored dinner. People eating brie cheese and crackers before a BT show. I mean, I love brie cheese, but you just typically don't see that at a pre-show party. It is just *weird*.

Run into Craig, Brad, and Andy pre-show. Craig fills me in on the list chaos that I missed while bumming around greater Highland Park, IL. Found the saddest mall a few miles out. Now playing at the GKC Theaters on screen four: "Closed". Sounds like a winner. Craig and I discuss which was more vomit educing: Downing the bottle of syrup or the pictures of Brian in a Hooter's shirt. I voted for the syrup, as the thought tends to invoke my gag reflex almost immediately.

Mere seconds into the show, I had an altercation with a woman sitting behind me (involving my tendency to, you know, dance when I hear music) that consisted of her poking her finger painfully into my ribs and getting a security guard in less than three seconds. Again, I learned to deal with it. As for the first set, we start out with three new songs (Unable, Back in the Day, Can't See Why) before jumping into the way-back machine as we get a series of great old songs. "Can't See Why" segued into Proph, which always seems like bring the energy up. Emperor is next, which is the first of many songs I heard in St. Louis, but they can play Emperor every night for all I care. And I'd like to note that I think Marc was right about the band changing a few of the chords, as at this show, John was singing in the exact same key as he had for the previous two Emperors, but the rest of the band was playing in a different key, and it sounded much, much better. We hit the high point of the song and I can just feel everyone wanting to get up and groove, but...no. We can't move. Cue Chan's guitar intro for Carolina Blues. John walks off-stage for something and I guess forgets there's a show going on, as he sprints out right before his part and does a running jump for his harmonica, missing two or three notes of the beginning. Funny stuff. Things really start clicking when the segue into Business as Usual. Per Craig's request, we get the second of three "oldies but goodies" in Conquer Me. We get a trifecta of old tunes with a set closer Trina Magna > Thinnest of Air > Trina Magna. The segue back into Trina Magna sounded much better than at Red Rocks. Still not my favorite segue, but better.

John walks out and instructs everyone to "come on down" and dance and do whatever they like. The energy in the band definitely picks up after some life is brought back into this show. Second set opens with John on guitar (first time I can remember in recent weeks), which moved a heavy "Ache." Four recently commonly played tunes at strung together with Defense > Felicia > Slow Change > Sweet & Broken (Slow Change always gets a response) before moving into, as someone described, an "inspired" Go Outside & Drive. We get a couple of new songs (Stumble and Eventually) before closing the set with Love & Greed into Hook. Band comes back out and closes with Let Her & Let Go and, due to time constraints, scratch off Motherfunker. I'm later told to inform everyone that they "had" to play Let Her instead of Motherfunker because XRT (local radio station) wanted the new tunes for later playback. I'm cool with that...I mean, "Let Her & Let Go" is obviously the better of the two songs. Heh. No, really, it's understandable.

We then say goodnight, and hopefully forever goodbye, to the Ravinia. Overall a good show. Enjoyed St. Louis better, but the first set was great, and the GOAD in the second set was fun. Thanks to everyone who made everything possible.

- Owen

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