Where is one to begin describing a show, the epitome of which was a 4-year-old girl who had not yet mastered the English language dancing like a wood nymph with several obviously intoxicated but delighted hippies?

For lack of a good answer, I’ll just start at the beginning. The show was Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, and on Saturday night they put on quite a show at The Pageant.

Doors opened at 7, and by the beginning of the show at 8, there was barely room to breathe. Aside from the intoxicated hippies, there was a strong presence of college students, assorted teenagers and an almost equal number of middle-aged adults.

My comrade and I arrived somewhat late, and so we had to take a place amongst the standing. Now, for a three-hour show, one might think this wouldn’t be so ideal, but this concert was well worth the foot and leg fatigue we inevitably suffered.

Bela Fleck, the group’s leader, is considered the world’s premier banjo player. He began playing banjo at the age of 15 after being awed by the bluegrass playing of Flatt & Scruggs. In 1989, Bela formed the Flecktones.

Their self-titled debut, recorded in 1990, was a blu-bop mix of jazz and bluegrass. Soon after the CD’s release, Bela and the Flecktones became a critically acclaimed, well-known band. The Flecktones, composed of Victor Wooten (bassist), Jeff Coffin (saxophonist/ composer) and Future man (inventor/ scientist/ drummer/ composer) are all masters of their craft.

In February of this year they released The Hidden Land, a CD that ranked high on charts and established Bela Fleck and The Flecktones as a timeless band that will never cease to amaze its audience.

At the start of the show, a technician came out stating that The Pageant was having lighting problems and informed us that we were going to be watching the concert in the dark. Not that this posed a problem for anyone; rather, the crowd seemed pretty enthused by his news.

However,(surprise!) it was a joke. The band made a dark and smoky entrance, but the lighting problem magically fixed itself as Bela kicked off the show with a dramatic banjo intro. Band members introduced themselves with solos so perfectly complex and awe-inspiring that they seemed almost superhuman in nature.

The set list was a good mix of the old and the new, including “Hurricane Camille,” “Throwdown at the Hoedown,” “Kaleidoscope,” “Subterfuge,” “Who’s Got 3?” and “Stomping Grounds,” as well as two encores. The music was traditional Flecktones style-a melodic blend of jazz and bluegrass. The playing was done in a wave-like fashion.

Each song started out with just one member playing. Then, tantalizingly, one member at a time added in until all four blended together climactically, unleashing a truly ethereal sound.

Frequently, at the end of a song, three of the members would leave the stage, and the one who stood alone would solo for several minutes, exhibiting his or her unimaginable talents.

For example, Jeff Coffin, during his solo, whipped out an extra saxophone and, completely unwaveringly, played two at one time.

Then there’s Victor Wooten, a man whose reputation is that of possibly the greatest bass player alive at present. Wooten plays the bass in such a way that, to the blind eye, one would be sure that at least two people were on stage. Bela Fleck himself put on an incredible show.

I could not tear my eyes away from his hands and fingers, which moved so fast and so incapable of error that they seemed to defy all logic and nature.

The intoxicated flower children (who considerately cut right in front of my friend and me and then proceeded to wave their hands over their heads and scream/chant “ooooooooh!”), along with the parentless 4-year-old-girl (?) and several other concertgoers, gave in to the urge to move with the music, which had a soul of its own, to be sure. Many, however, myself included, just watched in awe and disbelief.

After the show, which lasted about three hours-a set break and two encores included-the crowd emerged, smiling and blinking into the night.

I felt like Plato’s cave prisoner who, upon leaving the cave, finds himself enlightened. All words failed my friend and me, and as we tried to discuss the show we could only mutter “. that was really good.”