Music comes to you in certain times of your life. The Wood Brothers came to me on a mountain in Humboldt County working a farm for the season. More often than not, the Wood Brothers were on the Bluetooth in the garden for the entire two-day drive home. They definitely found a place in my heart.

Tonight’s show at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix was a dream come true. I have been a fan of Chris Wood’s for a very long time. Medeski, Martin and Wood have been in rotation on my Spotify for a while. They broke out a few songs from their new album but for me, Shoofly Pie was the clincher.

I know Chris and Oliver hadn’t played together for a long time. To see the trio on stage was amazing. It was nice to hear Chris on vocals live. The harmonies among Chris, Oliver and Jano were spectacular. They played ‘Two Places’ and ‘When’ gathered around one single microphone for a huge and unexpected bonus. Since I have O.B.D. (you may too, it’s Obsessive Bass Disorder), I thoroughly enjoyed Chris and the little jig he danced and his prowess on the harmonica.

I was really hoping to hear ‘Luckiest Man’ and thought I had been shut out but the encore proved me wrong. A strong cover of The Band’s ‘Ophelia’ closed out the night in outstanding fashion. The trio gave us their all and it was a fantastic night of music to start the West Coast leg of the tour.