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.

Ben Rector Bama Theatre Tuscaloosa, AL 10/8/14

Ben Rector made his second Tuscaloosa appearance last night at The Bama Theatre in support of his newest record, The Walking In Between.

This sold-out show featured an electric crowd and sounded like the audience of a One Direction show, but it made for a good time.

The first performer of the night was Jon McLaughlin.

He was a little John Mayer-esque, but he had a sense of humor that carried him through the tough job of being the opening act.

When Ben took the stage, the crowd was on fire.

It reminded me of the first time I saw Justin Bieber: screaming girls everywhere.

There were a few guys in the mix, though and their turn in the spotlight came a little bit later in the night.

Throughout the 12 song set, Ben transitioned from playing guitar to the piano: the piano being more prominent.

His set consisted of:

When I'm With You

Let The Good Times Roll (On the setlist, it says Roll (Tide))

Moving Backwards (Ben said "It's about to Kenny G Up In Here when the piano player played the saxophone.")

When A Heart Breaks

Summertime

I Like You

Ordinary Love

Forever Like That

Hold On, We're Going Home (Drake Cover)

The Beat

White Dress

Encore:

Sailboat

Before the Drake cover started, Ben told the guys in the crowd that they were about to dance. He demonstrated two separate dances: one for the shy guys and one for the more outgoing. One guy was hilarious with his dance moves and got a shout out from Ben. It turned out that the guy's name was Ben as well. ("Guy in the red shirt is your name really Ben? If not that is the cleverest thing you've ever done.")

Closer to the end of the show, Ben told the audience that most of his songs were not written about his wife, they were just made and we were here to listen to songs about his feelings. He told the story of a guy in Iowa, who, when he told the story, said "Ugh! Aww! Ugh!" when he found that out. After the show he asked Ben if what he said on stage was true. He repeated the same "Ugh" response from earlier and Ben asked, "Would you rather me have lied about it?" The guy answered affirmatively. 

The last song, Sailboat, evoked a wonderful crowd response and I saw several girls cry.

It's not a show unless someone cries, whether it be happy or sad tears.

Props to you, Ben Rector, props.