Needtobreathe Tour De Compadres Tour Tuscaloosa, Alabama 4/23/15

Charleston, SC band NEEDTOBREATHE has come a long way since 2006.

From playing a water park in Decatur, Alabama for 30 people to playing amphitheaters for 7,000+, the band has worked their way to popularity through perseverance.

Night one of Tour de Compadres kicked off right here in Tuscaloosa with the band Colony House from Nashville.

The name comes from an old apartment which brothers Caleb and Will Chapman shared.

The band has already made their television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers, playing their song Silhouettes. Several people commented their appreciation for their quirky sound and energy, which was a wonderful way to start the evening.

Following them was another prominent East Nashville band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors.

Holcomb is currently promoting his new album Medicine and here at 90.7 The Capstone, we have been spinning the first single Shine Like Lightning.

He surprised the crowd with a Tom Petty cover of Running Down The Dream followed by his most popular song, What Would I Do Without You. He also announced he and the band would be back on November 13th, to play a show at the Bama Theatre.

Ben Rector walked out to a crowd full of screaming girls and played a crowd favorite White Dress.

After, he commented on how quiet and “attentive” we were as an audience. When he talked, it was silent.

He used the silence to tell a story about Danny, the taxi driver, which led him into new song “The Men That Drive Me Places.” The song goes through the life of a taxi driver trying to learn how to speak English and go to school for computer programming, while taking care of his family. The crowd was enthralled.

He closed out his set with the catchy “Let The Good Times Roll” and left the crowd in a frenzy for what was next.

NEEDTOBREATHE graced the stage with energy and anticipation. Brothers, Bear and Bo Rineheart have ties to Tuscaloosa, as they were named after Paul “Bear” Bryant. They spent their summers in Alabama as kids.

The look of overwhelming excitement and joy on their faces is something that will always be remembered.

The band played for an hour and a half. The set-list was:

State I’m In

Oohs and Ahhs

The Outsiders

Girl Named Tennessee

Wasteland

White Fences

The Heart

Something Beautiful

Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now

Oh, Carolina

Difference Maker

Multiplied

Keep Your Eyes Open


Brother

Washed By The Water

During Difference Maker, Bear ran to the soundboard and performed the song to the people in the back.

During Brother, all of the bands on the tour came out and sang with NEEDTOBREATHE and confetti cannons went off into the crowd.

NEEDTOBREATHE closed the evening with an emotional Washed By The Water. The crowd sang with Bear, while Bo, Seth Bolt, and Josh Lovelace looked into the crowd with awe.

Opening night for the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater and the first day of Tour de Compadres rang triumphant.

Voodoo Festival Day Three New Orleans, Louisiana 11/2/14

And we have made it to Sunday.

Everywhere you turned, someone was ranting or raving about Foo Fighters closing out the festival in the coming hours.

Personally, I was super excited to see Foo again, considering it had been over two years since the last time I saw them.

But, before we can talk about the wonderful man who is Sir Dave Grohl, we have to discuss the bands that lead up to the evening.

The first band of the day was Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors.

I had previously seen them in 2013 when they opened for Needtobreathe in Birmingham at Boutwell Auditorium and their set was wonderful. This time proved to be no different.

They played the festival like they were playing to thousands in an arena despite the hundred or so in attendance. There is something to be said about bands that carry themselves in that way.

They played

Good Light

Nothing But Trouble

Tennessee

American Beauty

Here We Go

Live Forever

What Would I Do Without You

Can't Take It With You

Rooftops

Fire and Dynamite

Afterwards, I went to see the John Butler Trio.

I was somewhat familiar with this group because of the song Ocean (which seems to be a crowd favorite)

To classify Butler as a Reggae artist would be too simple.

He blends rock, bluegrass, funk, blues, and jam along with a traditional Reggae sound.

While some people love Reggae Jams, they are not for me.

But, Butler's guitar skills are astounding and he knows how to move his audience.

He played

Cold Wind

Hoe Down

Better Than

I'd Do Anything (Soldier's Lament)

Blame It On Me

Pickapart

Ocean (Extended Improv Jam)

Zebra

Livin' in the City

Since 2011, unless you have been living under a rock, the song "Sail" has been listened to, or made fun of by you or someone you know.

AWOLNATION's Aaron Bruno is the man behind this five times platinum single.

I was looking forward to this band but once I entered the photo pit, I took three pictures and left the stage.

Why?

They were so loud and the speakers were thumping so hard they almost burst.

The bass made it hard to breathe.

After escaping that new kind of hell, I made my way to the back, where the sound was still so loud, but more distorted and it was hard to determine if you were hearing music or static.

Even though the sound was terrible, the performance itself was great for getting the crowd moving and even more pumped for Foo Fighters.

They played

Megalithic Symphony

Guilty Filthy Soul

People

Not Your Fault

Jump on My Shoulders

Kooks Everywhere

Kill Your Heroes

Soul Wars

All I Need

Some Kind of Joke

Sail

Burn It Down

In anticipation for Foo Fighters, Trombone Shorty entertained the crowd with original jazz compositions as well as covers of Green Day's "Brain Stew" and The Guess Who's "American Woman."

*Drum Roll please*

FOO FIGHTERS TIME!!!

I am just going to get straight down to the near perfect set-list.

They played

All My Life

I’ll Stick Around

Rope

The Pretender

My Hero

Generator

Walk

Learn to Fly

White Limo

Arlandria

Cold Day in the Sun

Big Me

Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen cover)

Something From Nothing

Breakout

Monkey Wrench

Hey, Johnny Park!

Times Like These

Dear Rosemary

Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)

Best of You

This Is a Call (with Trombone Shorty)

Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie cover)

Everlong

Few bands can play over two and half hours and still have a crowd on their feet. The band played to their crowd, but also to their die-hards (like me) who wanted to hear the deep cuts and rare B-sides.

Overall, Voodoo was a wonderful, spiritual experience for me and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year.

Interview with Drew Holcomb at Voodoo Festival 11/2/14

While AWOLNATION was performing on the main stage, I was in the press tent getting ready to interview Drew Holcomb. He played earlier in the day on the Flambeau stage to a crowd of about 50 people. You can read about it here.

Without further ado, here is our interview with Drew Holcomb.

How was your performance today?

It was good. Anytime you're in a historic music city, it's always great. We don't have a lot of touring history in New Orleans; it's only our second time. We never play here. It was great: beautiful day, beautiful weather.

You have a new album coming out next year?

Yep. In January.

Can you elaborate on that?

It's our fourth studio album. It is probably the most fun I have ever had recording. We just went in with a bunch of guys we really trust and went to a studio we really liked. We tracked the whole record in eight days, which is usually like 8-10 weeks for us. We had fun and we did it quick, which was good.

You did Moon River [Festival] this year. How was that? I specifically want to ask about the band booking process and why you chose Will Hoge, because I love him.

I've always wanted to host my own festival and more specifically, I've always wanted to host it in Memphis, my hometown.

I was just there a few weeks ago for Pearl Jam.

Oh yeah! At the FedEx Forum.

The way I chose bands was, since it was the first year, I asked my friends. Will and I have become good buddies in Nashville: very similar style of music. It's become a good hang.

Do you think the festival will happen again?

Oh yeah. We already have a day. We haven't announced it yet, but we definitely have a day. It was very successful.

What is next for the band?

We are leaving from here to go to the west coast, then in January we releasing the record and going to Europe, coming back to tour and headline all over the U.S.

Is there anything else you want to add?

We've been at this for a decade and it feels like we're finally doing it exactly how we're supposed to be doing it and that's a good feeling.

On a side note, the cover album y'all did a few years ago, I actually played the John Prine cover (Long Monday) on my radio show.

Oh! That is so awesome! Thank you!

Emily: I had never heard that before and it was great!

I wanted to ask why you chose that particular Prine song. That is an extreme deep cut, not popular song.

When I first got married, that record came out. My wife was a school teacher and we were apart a lot and that was like our anthem. We were like "we are going to spend these couple of days together. It's going to be great. It's going to be a long Monday when I have to go back out on the road.

Congratulations on your baby, by the way. She is precious.

Thank you. I think so too. 

Needtobreathe and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors Birmingham, AL 4/5/13

Ah, Needtobreathe: one of the meanings of my existence. A band that I have seen more times than almost any other band. Over the last several years, I have seen them every time they have been to Alabama. They put on one of the best shows in Rock and Roll and that is not an opinion. It is a fact. When I found out they were coming to Birmingham, it was not long after I had just seen them in Huntsville. Heck yeah, I was so there! The first band of the night was Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors. I had never heard of them but they were decent. They all walked out with their instruments and I thought it was pretty cool when the girl in the band, also Drew’s wife, Ellie, walked out with a mandolin. They harmonized very well and they are a cute little band. The opening slot on this tour will definitely work in their favor. Their newest album, Good Light, was released in February and most of the songs they played were off that. Go get it.

Then it was time for Needtobreathe to grace the stage with their presence.

Their stage setup was simple, but intriguing with a black curtain as a backdrop, a cello (girl, look at that cello, ah!! *to the tune of Sexy and I Know It.* ;)) a small piano, and an oversized drum. They opened with Girl Named Tennessee and I could have cried because that is one of my favorites. Then they went straight into Washed By The Water. That is my favorite crowd song to hear because everyone sings it in harmony and it is purely beautiful. After that, they played a new song that I cannot remember the name of at the moment and The Reckoning before they disappeared from the stage. When they walked back out, the cello and the big drum were gone. The black backdrop fell and then there were ropes hanging everywhere behind the band. When they came back out, they played (not in the right order at the moment)

Devil’s Been Talking

More Time

Stones Under Rushing Water (Ellie from Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors came out and sang the girl part)

Something Beautiful

Drive All Night

A Place Only You Can Go (Electric)

Wanted Man

White Fences

Start A Fire (New Song)

Stand By Me (Ben E. King cover, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors came out and there was a huge party on stage. It was awesome.)

The Outsiders

Keep Your Eyes Open

Difference Maker (New Song, Acoustic and with the whole band on vocals)

When they walked on stage after the curtain dropped, Bear thanked Birmingham for always having them back time after time and told us that they had played here at least 25 times in their careers and they love it.

Before Difference Maker, Bear told us that there was no way we could top last nights show in Knoxville because there was a 67 year old lady in the front row and she told them “I’ll make youll dinner when you come back!” Bear proceeded to talk about how nice and funny it was and then a guy in the crowd yells “I’ll make you dinner when you come back!” Bear responded instantly by saying “It’s not cute when you say it!” That was definitely one of the funniest things that happened.

To sum up this show, I guess I could say that 8^th times a charm, right?