John Hendow

On Saturday 7/10 The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed at Redmond Derby Days. Outdoor festival shows bring their own idiosyncratic challenges with strange acoustics, short changeover times between bands, and random issues with power / grounding. This performance took place on a stage that was covered with a large tent / awning, and it creates a strange acoustic space where some sounds reflect and others seems to disappear entirely. I knew, from previous experience, that this event would be a parking challenge so I packed as light as possible. This meant bringing the Hot Rod Deluxe rather than the Twin. While the HRD is lighter, it definitely doesn’t have the big-stage delivery of the Twin, and about half way into our set I started to wish I had just packed the bigger amp.

The set ended with “Don’t Stop Believin'” and during the solo I felt inspired to leap out the front of the stage, and from there I crept out onto a little ledge that overlooked the grass. Having gotten that far I decided to jump down onto the grass, estimating the drop to be around four feet. About halfway down I realized it was taking a long time to reach the ground… needless to say, my rangefinding might need to be recalibrated. Fortunately, I did stick the landing and had fun running around with the dancers in front of the stage. It was a bit of a hike to get back… but was worth the effort. After the show we had a great BBQ and spent a fun evening chatting and relaxing. Another wonderful gig with great friends.