Interrupting this Substack …

to recommend a concert venue

Live music was not something my late husband enjoyed. To be fair, he had trouble hearing. Listening to recorded music suited him better.

I, on the other hand, like the energy and vibe and experience of being one among many, singing along to familiar lyrics, dancing in the aisles, letting gooooooo.

Which is why I mostly attend concerts solo.

I went to The Caverns Sunday night to see Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mavis Staples, and Hurray for the Riff Raff.

It was my first visit to this venue, and most likely, given my age, it will be my last. It wasn’t on my bucket list, but you might want to add it to yours. The Caverns has two performance spaces: an amphitheater and a cave. When I first bought my ticket, the concert was scheduled for the amphitheater – outdoors. A couple weeks ago, it was moved to the cave.

I was excited. I really wanted to be in the cave in the first place, but when you’re seeing that lineup, you take what you get. Having my wish come true was a delightful surprise.

I was spending a long weekend in Chattanooga; the drive from Nooga to Pelham was easy and not too long, maybe an hour. Pelham is in the middle of nowhere, and The Caverns are even more in the middle of nowhere. You drive past tiny cabins and campsites, as well as regular homes for regular people – I couldn’t help thinking how disruptive concert traffic would be for the locals. I mean … I live in the middle of nowhere, but heavy traffic on my road would be two or three campers heading to a nearby river on a holiday weekend. Or a line of Amish buggies going to Sunday service.

Although I hadn’t reserved premium parking, I was directed to park in the premium lot. I’m pretty sure the man directing traffic took one look at this old lady and gave me a break. He said the walk from general parking would be much longer. The walk from premium parking was long enough; I appreciated his generosity. (And I closed all three rings on my Apple watch by the time I headed home! Heh.)

Gravel paths turned into paved walkways as I approached security and ticketing. Everyone who worked there was friendly, charming, helpful, and fun. As I rounded a curve past a couple of food trucks, I kind of gasped. The entrance was so lovely. I stopped to take a photo at the same time a tall, white-haired man paused to do the same. I offered to take his picture, and he gratefully accepted, saying he wanted to show his wife back in California.

He was dressed all in black and carried a guitar case and came out on stage to play bass with Mavis Staples. I looked him up: Gregory Boaz. So that was fun.

All of the usual concert amenities – restrooms, concessions, merch booths – were there. There was no line for merch as I entered, so I picked up a t-shirt on my way in.

Acoustics were great for all performers except Mary Chapin Carpenter … her vocals were buried beneath the band, which was disappointing. I’m going to blame the sound mixing, not the venue.

The website says that the cave temperature stays at a steady 53°, and to bring layers. I really didn’t need the jacket I brought along. A couple thousand bodies generates plenty of heat. Considering that Tennessee temperatures were in the upper 80s and the humidity was even higher, I wasn’t surprised that I was too warm. Even in a cave.

The layout of the performance space is such that the artists enter and exit along the right side (facing the stage) of the audience floor. My seat was the last chair on the right at the end of my row. How’s that for a cool bit of serendipity? Mavis high-fived me on her way out.

I confess that, because of the late hour, I left early to drive back to Nooga in the rain and missed most of Rhiannon Giddens. Riff Raff was clear and lovely. Mavis was ah-MAZ-ing. What a legend. Highly recommend.

And I highly highly recommend The Caverns. There’s a two-day CaveFest coming up in October that looks like lots of fun. I’ll be at the beach, and I’m really not a camper, so I probably wouldn’t go. But if you love live music and could manage the trip … you won’t be disappointed.