The Caverns - Buckethead Concert (Grundy County, Tennessee)

 

A bit different from my normal write-ups, this one crosses between a few of my interests. Some years ago while visiting a friend in Nashville, TN, we attended a concert at one of the most unique venues I'm aware of - Bluegrass Underground. Since then, it has changed names to 'The Caverns', but it remains essentially the same. Part of a large natural limestone cave formation known as Cumberland Caverns on the National Landmark Register, one section play host to multiple musical acts each season. Since that first trip nearly ten years ago and especially since moving to Georgia, I've monitored the season schedule to see if there were any acts that I would be interested in seeing. The virtuoso guitarist Buckethead fit that bill. As a long-time amateur guitarist myself, I enjoy seeing those that have mastered the instrument, and this was the perfect opportunity.

After spending the afternoon in Chattanooga sampling some breweries, I checked into my hotel, and then made the final short drive to The Caverns, which is literally out in the middle of nowhere. I followed the signs and was pointed towards the parking area. Parking my car, I headed down to stand in line until the gates opened at 7:00 pm while chatting with some of the other attendees. Passing through security, we made our way into the mouth of the large cave. I thought I remembered this being much deeper underground than it actually is, but it's still pretty amazing to walk into this chasm and see the light shows of a concert starting up. Restrooms, a merchandise stand, and a bar greet everyone as we enter. 

Finally at about 8:15 pm, the tall figure of Buckethead, complete with a KFC bucket on his head and Michael Meyers mask covering his face, made his way from the cave entrance to the stage. He immediately starting shredding and put on an intense display of technical guitar talent. I only know a few of his pieces, which are mostly instrumental, and I didn't recognize any of what he played, but there were still impressive. He continued for about 40 minutes at this rate, before being joined by a drummer and launching into a cover of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs'. This was an obviously meant to be a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of metal, who passed away earlier this week. By 10:00 pm, my back was absolutely killing me from standing for more than three hours and I ended up leaving the show a little early. It was still an incredible experience and I'm glad I made the drive.