Article by guest conributor: Walter Man!

The Bridge is amazing! After having gone on a national tour their first show back in Maryland, at Santa Fe Café, reflects just what this tour has done for them. The difference between this show and their show at Santa Fe last month is towering; touring has taught them how to improve their live performances, and it shows in their jams.
The first word that comes to mind when thinking about the show this past Tuesday is chops. Chops, for those of you who don’t know, is a slang term for ones ability to play an instrument, in terms of mastery and virtuosity. Chops were most certainly displayed at the show.
In addition to a significant improvement in their playing, their stage show has also gotten better. At one point Kenny Liner (Mandolin, Beatbox) tagged the group of people on the left side of the stage as “my peoples”and “the real crowd”, this started a friendly crowd cheering competition. Though The Bridge have always been personable, I thought this was very endearing as a fan.
In addition to seeing the show at Santa Fe, the Maryland Music Business Society arranged a meet & greet with the members of The Bridge, which showed a different side of the band we’ve come to know and love. During the meet & greet the bridge were asked questions ranging in topics from their upcoming tour in Europe, to their feelings about The Disco Biscuits, and their residencies at the 8×10. The event was revealing not just about The Bridge, but it gave a good insiders view on today’s jam scene.
Over the weekend when I was getting excited about the upcoming show I wasn’t expecting a bigger and better Bridge, but here they were The Bridge 2.0. As musicians, as performers, and as people they seem to have matured greatly over the past few weeks; if this is only a taste of what’s to come, then bring it on.
Dear The Bridge, If you guys keep coming back to play, we’ll keep coming back to see you. In the words of George Zimmer (that guy on the Men’s Warehouse commercials) “I guarantee it”.

Written by Walter