This is coming in a bit late today, but it's been one of those "run-around-do-lots-of-things-before-leaving-town" kind of days. Cass is running in the high school track meet today (YAY!) and I'm going to watch her race before leaving to go to a conference for work (BOO! to a five-hour drive). Here's a recap of how I spent last Thursday, though. Enjoy.
1. Lovett Live is a concert series that is held on Murray State University's campus in historic Lovett Auditorium. While some bands have filled the auditorium proper (Damien Rice and Ben Folds are the two I've seen since moving to Murray), most of the shows are much smaller and more intimate. That's because the floor plan actually allows the audience members to sit up onstage with the band, in comfy chairs, couches, and at tables.
2. The photo above gives you a pretty good look at the stage layout. The photo below gives you a little bit of an idea how this looks in the context of the entire auditorium. It was taken from my seat in the front row.
3. Andy Davis was the opening act -- or in this case, the supporting act, as he was billed. Apparently, he's been to campus and performed (maybe at the BSU?) but I'd never heard of him before.
4. He put on a good show, alternating between keyboard and guitar. There were some really funky numbers, with a crowd sing-along at one point (which I ALWAYS enjoy), as well as a few little snippets of Beyonce to lighten the mood.
5. I definitely recommend checking out the song Laugh So You Don't Cry. Brown Eyes is another good one.
6. After a couple of minutes for Andy and friend to clear his equipment from the stage (it was really strange sitting right there at the stage, watching -- I felt like I should volunteer to help?), Will Hoge and band took the stage. I get such a Bob Dylan/Tom Petty/alt country vibe from him -- really into his music lately. He commented on the call he'd gotten to come play this show. He told them that he didn't sell out auditoriums very often, and they explained the stage setup. He said he thought that it would either be the worst idea he'd ever heard or the best. Luckily, he thought it was the latter.
7. At one point, his guitarist switched instruments -- to a dobro, in fact. Immediately reminded me of the old Lynyrd Skynyrd song, The Ballad of Curtis Lowe. I'd never seen a dobro before, so it was neat to actually check it out.
8. The drummer cracked me up -- the dude came out in this great vest/pants combo with a tie and button-down shirt and dress shoes, though those came off right away. I was a fan of Mr. Hoge's boots and bellbottom jeans, as well as the vest, shirt, and tie combo.
9. The best song of the night was the piano version (completely unrehearsed? at least according to Hoge) of "Too Late, Too Soon." I got video of it, and I'll link it up here once I finish uploading it. Definitely worth listening to, in any version.
10. I'm looking forward to school starting again in August, so I can see what the upcoming year's lineup will be. I've been told to look for a Neko Case show sooner rather than later. I think I might just fall over from excitement if that's the case.
Whoa! I REALLY love your photographs. Feels like I was there and the emotion on the faces of the band. Really cool Audrey! :)
Posted by: Tiffany Tillman | May 11, 2010 at 10:36 PM