We finished dinner a little before six and headed over to the Marquee theater, which was really only a few minutes away. Since Bela Fleck & the Flecktones came on at 7 p.m. - a very early start time - we figured we'd just wait at the venue. Might as well sit and be comfortable for a while, right? We ended up having to stand in line, however, and as more and more people gathered behind us, and the clock ticked closer and closer to 7 p.m., it started to dawn on us that this show was probably not going to start on time. As if a wave of revelation swept over a small group of us, we all pulled out our tickets - clearly with the same thought in mind. Re-reading the ticket a little more closely, I found that instead of starting at 7 p.m., it simply said "doors open at 7 p.m." So what time did the band take the stage then? I figured 8 p.m.

Eight o'clock rolled around and still no Flecktones. All the equipment was laid out and set up on stage. Two of Victor Wooten's basses sat idly by his amps, a four-string fretted and a five-string frettless, Bela's electric and acoustic banjos loitered near his rack, and next door Jeff Coffin's two saxes, two flutes, and clarinet stood at attention. Off to the far right rested Futureman's growing percussion set, having added an odd box-shaped kick drum triggered by a remote pedal, along with his usual assortment of electric and acoustic percussion items.

Twenty minutes later a lone figure crossed the stage to check that all the equipment was on and warmed up, leaving a setlist at each musician's station. He stopped at Vic's basses and began tuning, pulling another one out from behind Wooten's equipment, then did the same to Bela's instruments (momentarily revealing the odd "Swiss Army Guitar" Bela plays on some songs.) Instruments tuned, he grabbed Bela's electric banjo and Vic's four-string bass and headed backstage again. The must be ready to go on, right?

Wrong. Another 10 minutes went by and another figure emerged on the other side of the stage from behind a ruffle of curtains, swiping a blanket off an odd shape there. Within seconds hoots and hollers began - the man quickly picked up Futureman's Synthaxe Drumitar and swept it off stage. Occasionally, from my perspective, a Flecktone or two could be glimpsed slipping between the backstage area and a door in the back, but none ventured forth to the stage. Within moments, the crowd grew more restless and began a demanding, rhythmic clap, and many comments could be heard wondering why the band was so late.