It was a fantastic show at the Riverside here in Milwaukee. She's really opened up a lot since the recording of her DVD at house of blues in New Orleans. She seemed much more confident and really very personable. She played a lot with the audience between songs and kinda let you in to what goes on between towns and on days off.
The sounds was so-so at best though. They had the speakers set up on the sides of the stage but hanging from the ceiling so everything sounded like it was coming from above you and there was no real "soundstage" to speak of. We were pretty much dead center too. She kept doing some sort of hand signals all night telling someone to turn something or another down or up, but it was still great, they did about 50% new material which was very cool. I am, however, pissed that Gillian Welch wasn't still opening for her (finished touring with her at end of June) and I think the only song from the current album not played was Lonestar. One other irritating thing was the dude with the slide guitar - an addition to most songs that wasn't on the album or DVD at all and it was VERY intrusive on Cold Cold Heart - the opening piece. He pretty much dominated the song and I didn't like it at all. I was worried this was a view of things to come but he toned it down and I actually ended up liking his playing of a myriad of different guitars and a mandolin.
Oh, and she could have left off the Lavern and Shirley cracks too...
