Chris Robinson Brotherhood at the Colonial Theater
Posted on Thu, Jul 05, 2012 @ 09:29 AM
Mick Huska
Thank You Pittsfield!
On Tuesday, June 26th, I attended the Chris Robinson Brotherhood concert at The Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. For me, this show is one of the many highlights of the very positive direction in which Pittsfield is heading.
Let me give you some back story. I remember when the Colonial was being refurbished and there was a lot of excitement surrounding it. However, many locals scoffed at the idea. There was the sentiment that the entertainment would cater to out of town folks, it would strictly be classical music and essentially that it was destined to fail.
However, throughout the years the quality of the entertainment has gotten progressively better. The Colonial was starting to become a big draw! I came to this realization in 2010 when John Oliver from The Daily Show packed the Colonial with his stand up comedy routine.
But the CRB show last Tuesday… that was personal for me. In my mind, it was the greatest thing to happen to Pittsfield, well, ever. Many would attest that Chris Robinson is my favorite musician of all time (and I won’t disagree). His music is the reason I travel to at least a dozen shows a year. He’s the reason I support all varieties of live music and other artists. As you can see, this show meant a lot to me. This show is the peak of live entertainment in The Berkshires, but it is also an indicator of the direction in which this county is headed.
In recent years we’ve quietly been seeing the Berkshires become a hub for live entertainment. One of my favorite bands, Wilco, has put on two very successful music festivals at the Mass MoCa in North Adams. We’ve seen the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington welcome Mavis Staples, the great blues master Johnny Winters and even Bob Marley’s backing band The Wailers. Even this year the Colonial has brought in CRB, Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Dark Star Orchestra and in August, comedian Bill Engvall will be doing stand up
It seems to me that with the revitalization of downtown Pittsfield, coupled with all the great entertainment that seems to be stopping our way that Pittsfield is becoming a can’t miss stop on many tours. We owe all this to the great people at the Colonial for all their hard work, the many folks both locals and tourists who attend these shows and to the entertainers who have given Pittsfield a chance.
For years, we always had to travel to see the entertainment we loved. Now, it’s coming right into our backyard. The Berkshires aren’t just a summer destination for entertainment anymore. It’s a year round destination.