by Edward Zuckerman

Audio of this show has been added to the bottom of this review.


What a great time we had last night up at the Sussex County Fairgrounds!! Last night was the first of a 3-pack of shows. RRE playing full 2 set shows on Friday & Saturday, Twiddle playing Sunday. We purchased a 4 pack of tickets in the front section plus one add-on, and drove up in my 4WD pickup truck. My plan was to see the Friday show, and if I liked it, consider attending RRE Show #2 and Twiddle’s Sunday show!!

Spoiler alert: I loved it enough that now I hope to get to the additional shows).by E
We got on the entry line at about 4pm, a half hour before the gates were supposed to open. It had been raining for days, so the grassy field was a bit sloppy, but they’d done a pretty good job of cordoning off the unnavigable spots. Still, I was glad I had my 4WD with me as the potential for problems was huge. We were the second vehicle in the line.

Once the gate opened, it was clear that they didn’t quite have their act together with ticketing and wristbanding, but I assumed they found their mojo after a few cars. We were quickly parked in the front row, center, with a dedicated space next to us for our tailgate spread! Totally happy we spent the few extra $$$ on the better seats. (so starved of music that we were happy to throw some $$ at this).

The field was well set up for this. Well marked, well lit, well organized. Including two video screens for those in the back, abundant portojohns, even a few food trucks. Seemed to be a few hundred cars in attendance, far from sold out. But looked like a healthy enough crowd to make the show worthwhile. The fans seemed totally respectful of their allotted space and followed all the rules, everyone seemingly elated to be there. The security folks were friendly, supportive, and non-invasive and I appreciated the non-existent vehicle search.

Like I said, the grounds were wet, but the rain moved out just before show time. It was a pretty cold evening, but we were all well prepared for it and comfortable, living pretty large with a perfectly compliant tailgate spread. A good call was some rugs for our designated tailgate area, to reduce mud.

RRE came out and killed it. Just such a wonderful band! I can’t even describe how good it felt to have amplified live music wash over me, with the added bonus of RRE being so f*cking good. I felt home again. Now I *have to* go back.

I was appreciative of the folks who planned and executed this. Overall it was well organized, save for the front gate’s early fumbling. With the obvious ongoing pandemic, it’s great to see that such workarounds can be done safely. Live music beats streaming!!! I’m hoping this business model is sustainable, and I for one will keep going back. I’m assuming I’d have just as much fun in one of the farther away sections where my view wasn’t perfect. Anyway, two thumbs up on this event! Loved it!!!

Audio and Set List by Jamie Burks  as found on archive.org

Set 1
Chasin’ A Rainbow
Dance Around Molly~>
Dandilion Wine
Bird In A House
The Forecast
A Day On The Sand
Saddle Of The Sun
Lordy, Lordy
Been Down This Road
Donkey For Sale

Set 2
Elko
It’s So Good
Addin’ My Voice~>
B Chord Debate~>
Head
Said What You Mean
Crossing The Gap~>
Black Bear~>
Like A Buddha~>
Running Wild Again
Encore:
Storms

Drop us a line at [email protected] with your live music news, show review, concert memory or to just say Hi!

Also, check out the search feature in the upper right to seek out articles on your favorite artist, venue, event, or genre. You’ll be surprised at the exclusive content we have spread over thousands of articles including photos, audio, and video made just for LMNR.