rffamilyband09

6/17/2010 Dallas, TX  The Granada Theater

We have been looking forward to coming back to the Granada ever since it was put on the calendar.  Now, I remember why.  They always take such GREAT care of us when we are here.  Thanks so much G!!
AND tonight, we got to play with the Carolina Chocolate Drops!  They are so awesome!!  I actually got some pretty great shots of everyone onstage..

Ruthie and the band went on during their set and did Richland Women Chocolate Drop style!





They all joined us for the Family Band's set and did Hole In My Pocket, a string symphony!  Just beautiful!










Our Set List:

Up Above My Head
Hole In My Pocket
I Really Love You
Runaway Soul
Another Rain Song
When It Don't Come Easy
Woke Up This Morning
Stone Love
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin In Your Face
Mama Said
Thanks For The Joy
Heal Yourself
Travelin' Shoes

Encore:
Joy On the Other Side

Hopefully we will see you all on the road, next stop is Monterey Blues Festival in California on 6/26!

~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

6/16/2010 New York City, NY  Madison Square Park, Oval Lawn Series

Ruthie and I have been here for a couple of days, it's just like coming home, in a good way.  The gig tonight was no exception.  Some old friends of mine came out to see the show, and that was beautiful getting to spend time with them (Love you, Eric, Dean and Rick!!).  The band came in this morning, and we again were worried about rain, but in the true Ruthie Foster Family Band tradition, we hit the stage for sound check and the skies parted, and the sun came out!







It really is a cool setting, just a little park in the middle of the city.  The noise of the city continued behind them, but that didn't seem to phase the band as they rocked the socks off the people in the park!  I didn't get any pics of this, but toward the back of the park, people were practicing their ballroom dancing to the band too.. as always, it was a great energy to behold. 



Our set list tonight:

Woke Up This Morning
Fruits of My Labor
Up Above My Head
Smalltown Blues
Richland Women Blues
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin in Your Face
Joy
(You Keep Me) Hangin' On
Stone Love
Travelin' Shoes

Encore:
Real Love

A Huge thank you has to go out to the festival staff for taking such excellent care of us!!  It was an awesome day for us all!!

We are off to Dallas tomorrow, early early early.  So maybe we will see you at the Granada?  Hopefully so..
Night all!

~~Lauren, Ruthie's Tour manager

6/12/2010 Warm Springs, VA  Virginia Blues and Jazz Festival

Have you ever been to Warm Springs?  I recommend it, what a serene and beautiful place.  When I was advancing this show, everyone kept telling me, it's a twisty drive from Roanoke to here, but it's beautiful, having done it about 4 times now I can say that they weren't kidding!
We had some delays with Delta getting here (how do you just cancel a flight for no apparent reason?  Really?!?), but everyone has been in great spirits about it, even though Sam and Tanya had to spend the night in Atlanta.  Now that we are here we are so grateful.  We were put up in the Manor house on the property of Garth Newel, and what a jewel it is!!  Not only is it enormous, but the festival was just down the hill from us.  Couldn't have been more convenient!



That's our pad for this gig, the big white house up on the hill there!  I know I always talk about food on our blog, but a lot like a family we like to break our bread together, and I have to give props to the hospitality people at this festival.  The kitchen was full with food (delicious BBQ for dinner..) and anything we could have wanted for the two nights we were here and it was just amazing!  Thanks so much you guys for EVERYTHING!!!!

It almost started raining during our set, but Ruthie and the band managed to hold it off.  We also got to hang with some old friends, the Holmes Brothers and Marcia Ball.  It really was a beatuiful day!







Haddy gets so happy!  I love it!!!





Our set list today:

Up Above My Head
Fruits of My Labor
Runaway Soul
I Really Love You
When It Don't Come Easy
(You Keep Me) Hangin On
Real Love
Truth
Travelin' Shoes

It rocked, and they had the whole field up and dancin!
I have to do that windy road again tomorrow.. so I need some beauty rest, night all!  See ya on the road!!

~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/23/2010 Seattle, WA   The Triple Door

It was totally an early morning today, and the running joke going on all day is that all of us have lost our minds a little bit.  I thought I forgot my credit card at the airport, Tanya thought she forgot her shoes and it turns out she didn't wear them today, Scottie cracked his head on the door to the minivan, and Sam couldn't figure out how to get her door shut..if it's not one thing..  I think the sleep deprivation has gotten to us all!  Rock and Roll!!!  If we weren't so tired I would have made the band come down to the Pikes Market and get some cheese and coffee, but I know everyone wanted to rest after our weekend of sight seeing in Juneau.

We were so grateful to come back to the Triple Door, what an amazing club it is!  I hope everyone from Seattle knows what a gem this place is.. Not to mention the food is FANTASTIC!















Our set list tonight:

Up Above My Head
Another Rain Song
Richland Women Blues
Small Town Blues
When It Don't Come Easy
I Really Love You
Ocean of Tears
Runaway Soul
Hole In My Pocket
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin In Your Face
Real Love
Stone Love

Encore:
Travelin Shoes

We were so glad to be here tonight, it was such a magical evening!  I get to spend a couple more days here with my dear friends Conor and Juli, but I have to be up early to get the band to the airport.  We are off for a couple weeks, our next show is in Warm Springs, VA, on June 12.. Come out and see us!
Night all!!

~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/22/2010 Blues Cruise, Juneau Jazz and Classics

I think that it's impossible to have a bad day here.  Every where you look, it's just gorgeous.  There's no describing it.  Our walk to breakfast today, was stunning, and everyone from here kept saying how we lucked out with the weather too, the sun was shining and it was crisp out.





That's just from our walk to breakfast.  Ridiculously beautiful.. that's all I can say about that.
We decided to take a tram up the mountain to check out Juneau from above, and that too was just incredible.









The ladies and Hal, who was so generously showing us around all weekend, posed for a picture for me at the top of the mountain.



So, after our excursion we embarked upon our blues cruise for the evening, and again, there's nothing bad to say about this boat and where we got to go in it.  Ruthie kept saying Magnificent, and I couldn't agree more!  We have NEVER played in a more panoramic setting than this and we got to do 2 sets!  It was amazing!!











That's one of our sound guys, Steve and me, they were amazing too!!!  There really isn't ANYTHING about this that wasn't great!!









Our set list for the first show:

Woke Up This Morning
Runaway Soul
Up Above My Head
Richland Women Blues
Smalltown Blues
Fruits of My Labor
I Really Love You
When It Don't Come Easy
Walk On

The Second Show:

Up Above My Head
Another Rain Song
Cuz I'm Here
Hole In My Pocket
Stone Love
Truth
Ocean Of Tears
(You Keep Me) Hangin' On
Heal Yourself
Real Love
Full Circle

It really was amazing and because we are leaving at 730am tomorrow for a gig in Seattle, come out and see us, I am going to bed now.. it's been a sensory overload kind of day.  But I will leave you wtih a sunset shot from the boat that I got, and again.. enough said!

Night all!
~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/21/2010 Juneau, Alaska  Centennial Hall




This is a beautiful and magical place.  Today we got to have a wonderful trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, in Juneau.  I've never seen a glacier before, they are totally incredible!  It was an amazing hike we had before the gig today, and its just gorgeous here!









Wow.  It was just breathtaking.  Stunning, one of my favorite tour adventures EVER!!!
So, after our wonderful morning of nature, we went and had lunch at a place here in Juneau called the Twisted Fish (does that sound right up our alley or what?!?), and it is my culinary selection for the day, just delicious!  Scottie got some king crab legs that were ENORMOUS and totally delicious looking!  I can also recommend the twisted garlic bread, holy cow, like nothing I've ever eaten before!  Awesome!



So when we got to the venue, we found that they had really out done themselves for our green room, and I had to take a picture of it, it was just beautiful!  We could totally get used to this 5-star treatment!



And we played a show tonight. The sound was fantastic, thank you guys, and between the chairs in the hall there's a huge dance floor.  It's awesome, people dancing all night!  I loved it!!











Any night that people are dancing all night to the Family Band's music is a great night!

Our set list tonight:

Up Above My Head
Another Rain Song
Fruits of My Labor
Runaway Soul
I Really Love You
 Small Town Blues
You Keep Me Hangin On
Turn Me On
Hole In My Pocket
Joy (w/ Tanya on Violin and Scottie On Mandolin)
Woke Up This Morning
Real Love
Travelin Shoes
Encore:
No Woman No Cry/ Three Little Birds

I was almost in tears tonight, that's how good this show was, and we get to have TWO more tomorrow, I think the air here has this band completely rockin!!! 

And the Jet Lag from yesterday's 15 hour travel day from Tampa has finally sunk in, so I must sleep now.  But I will post again from Alaska tomorrow.  Night all!
~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/15/2010, Tampa, FL  Tropical Heatwave

Yesterday was a great day.  The photo shoot was awesome, even in the Florida heat!  I can't wait to see how they turned out!  My aunt threw a party for us in St. Petersburg afterward at her place on the bay.  The food was plentiful, spirits were abundant and great times were had by all!  Thanks Auntie Doe!

I like being on the road, but I really like playing in my home town, I have to say.  It's wonderful sleeping in my own bed and getting up for work that way.  Kinda silly, I know, but very awesome.  The show today went great and the heat didn't seem to slow anyone down at all! 











Our set list tonight:

Up Above My Head
Fruits of My Labor
Runaway Soul
(You Keep Me) Hangin On
I Really Love You
When It Don't Come Easy
Joy (w/ Tanya on Violin)
Woke Up This Morning
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin In Your Face
Heal Yourself
Travelin Shoes

Encore:
Real Love

I have to give a shout out here to Melissa who spent the last two days following us around with her camera, great job mama!  Love you, mean it!  And a HUGE thanks to Lori, Ruthie's Social Networking guru who came down for vacation and ended up catching everything I dropped the ball on... you rock too!!

So we are off to Alaska next, the great white north.. we might even cliimb a glacier.... hmmm...
Hope to see you guys on the road!

~~ Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/13/2010 Orlando, FL  The Plaza Theater

This is a cool venue.  When you drive up, you aren't sure what to expect, but it really is neat.  Kind of tucked away in a shopping plaza, its very unexpected to find a multi space venue that's had some of the greats there!  AWesome!!

My sister, Susan, decided to come over and sell merch for us at this gig.  I love it when my family makes time to come see what we do on the road.  It's so nice to have home town people around!  Thanks Fooh!











Our set list tonight:

Fruits of My Labor
Up Above My Head
Runaway Soul
I Really Love You
Another Rain Song
When It Don't Come Easy
Richland Women Blues
Small Town Blues
Hole In My Pocket (w/ Tanya on Violin and Scottie on Mandolin)
Joy (w/ Tanya on Violin)
You Keep Me Hangin On
Stone Love
Travelin Shoes

Encore;
Woke Up This Morning

It was a very special and intimate evening.  Tomorrow we are off and on our way to Tampa Bay for a photo shoot and dinner at my Aunt's house!  I love playing at home!!!

See ya at Tropical Heatwave on Saturday!

~~Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/2/2010 New Orleans, LA  New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

It's amazing what a few hours of sleep will do to a person!  I felt so refreshed today!  I have been looking forward to this gig in particular since it was booked, I have tried to come to this festival for years, and it never worked out before this day.  So exciting!  I know the band and Katie were stoked too!!!

It has been raining all day, so we were prepared after our Mudfest yesterday.  Panchos and rain boots, we have.







The crowd was amazing!  Such energy zipping around the festival, it was like nothing I've ever experienced!  A beautiful afternoon, even with the rain.









Our set list today:

Up Above My Head
Fruits of My Labor
Runaway Soul
I Really Love You
Stone Love
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin In Your Face
Woke Up This Morning
Joy (w/ Tanya on Violin)
Travelin Shoes

It was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  I can't say enough about it.. really a highlight of my career!

We are off for a couple of weeks now, but hopefully we will catch some of you in Orlando and Tampa in the middle of the month!  Until then, night all!

~~ Lauren, Ruthie's tour manager

5/1/2010 Memphis in May(Mud), Memphis, TN






This is the view of the sunset during our set over the Mississippi River.. Beautiful!


It's a crazy run we have this weekend.  It's weekends like this that really make me feel like we are total rock stars, just cause of the craziness of it all.  We flew into a very rainy and overcast Memphis this morning, and after a delicious lunch on Beale St. headed to the festival.  A couple of years ago I toured with the North Mississippi Allstars and I was chatting with them this morning, and they told me the down low about this festival, it's "unofficial" name is Memphis in Mud, and now I know what they meant by that.






But other than our van getting COMPLETELY stuck in the mud, it was an awesome evening.  We were clowning around while we waited to get our van pulled out of the mud






On stage before us was our buddy Alvin Youngblood Hart, and he was AWESOME!  So great to see him!!!  The Allstars were playing when we pulled in, it was like another homecoming for us!  Also, we had some ribs here at Blues City Cafe like I've never experienced before, holy cow.  It was praise worthy!!!







Our set list this evening:

Up Above My Head
Fruits of My Labor
Runaway Soul
i Really Love You
Woke Up This Morning
Phenomenal Woman
People Grinnin In Your Face
Travelin Shoes

It was stupendous.

We play New Orleans Jazz Fest tomorrow, yes, we drove here tonight, so I should hit the hay.  Plus, my alarm from yesterday morning is ringing on my phone, that means I've been up for 24 hours straight!  OH MY, we are total rock stars!

Hopefully we will see you tomorrow at the signing tent after our set!

~~ Night all, Lauren Ruthie's tour manager