May 7

May 7 Review: String Cheese Incident at Salvage Station — Night 3

My first two nights seeing The String Cheese Incident at Salvage Station were memorable in their own ways, but felt like a build-up to the band’s third and final show of its latest Asheville trilogy. The outdoor venue can hold up to 3,000 people, and on the closing night it felt at capacity despite there still being plenty of room to move about when the music took hold. As was the case the previous night — albeit doubly so — I was surprised the band had anything left in the tank after giving their all on Friday, but SCI had saved even more energy for the series’ final performance.

The music was faster, the bass hit a bit harder, and the crowd danced with more abandon than the previous nights. There was also less space between blankets on the mulch-covered slope for concert-goers to rest, and the main crowd extended out farther, but the fans still retained the SCI vibe from Thursday and Friday.

An hour into their set, Michael Kang’s five-string mandolin dropped out of the mix, which required the crew to come on stage and troubleshoot. This unexpected interruption broke the band’s typically hyper-professional stage demeanor and prompted Kang to smile wide as he heard his instrument come back into his monitor.

To SCI’s credit, I never noticed an aspect of the music missing, just the confused look on Kang’s face and then a technician rushing on stage. The rest of the band kept the groove moving and seamlessly picked back up when Kang was able to rejoin. Little moments like that are what I go to live music for as it breaks the usual flow and allows the improvisational techniques of the performers to shine through while the issue is sorted.

As the evening drew to a close, it was neat to see a barefoot Macheal Travis step out from behind the drums to thank the crowd before returning to his throne to finish the encore. But that was not the end of the music. After SCI finished, an announcement over the property’s intercom requested that people calmly, but quickly, move away from the dance area and towards the property’s indoor stage. There, Captain Midnight Band was set up and ready to play.

The Nashville-based group describes itself as "Waterbed Rock ‘n’ Roll," and while I don't exactly know what that means, after hearing them play, I think it fits. Especially after SCI, it was evident they are more rock than jam, but the packed crowd didn't mind as it embraced the guitar-driven rock.

Though I’d never heard of Captain Midnight Band, and only saw them because of the late night support booking, they won me over with their engaging stage presence and accessible sound — and their outfits made sure they won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Sporting glasses with green LEDs, vocalist/guitarist Captain Midnight was flanked by Lil Rae Rae on keys, donning a leopard print skirt and platinum blond wig; percussionist Jelly Mac, adorned in silver sequins and white hair; and bassist Parker Jackson, rocking a Hawaiian shirt.

Neighbor Tom was hidden in the back on drums, but placement had no effect on the sound coming out of the speakers turned to 11. The effect had a sort of ’90s space explorer vibe but fit right in with the wild dress of a SCI show. Make sure to check out CMB’s new single, “Fuzzy Puzzle,” that just dropped on Mother’s Day, and a soon-to-be-released live album, Leisure Mgmt., that was recorded at Asheville’s own The One Stop in 2022.

Singing both bands’ songs a capella on my drive home, I looked forward to their next shows in the area. I will also be eyeing any excuse to go to Salvage Station to dance under the sunset and then the stars.

(Photos by Arlo Abrams)