On Monday, I went to yet another Needtobreathe show. These dudes have been through a lot in the past year or so. They are pretty open about the fact that after 14 years, a couple of them were not getting along and things were headed south, just as they were finishing their latest album. Long story short, they worked it out and their fans have never been so relieved. Their current album, "Rivers in the Wasteland", reflects that crazy time in life.
We saw them at the ever faithful Fillmore in Silver Spring (those chandeliers!). This venue holds a lot of people but remains personal no matter where you are. We always choose to go up to the balcony and lean on the railing-- usually a perfect spot because you are right above the stage looking down at everything. This time, though, they put seats right below for people who wanted to pay $20 to sit. Except they didn't sit-- they stood and blocked everything for those of us who were above them. Way to blow $20, people. ;)
These two (Alan Powell; Caitlin Nicol-Thomas) were promoting their movie and music from the movie. I thought it was kind of weird that they did that... but the music sounded good and the chick is a heck of a fiddle player. It's called "The Song" and it'll be in theaters if you want to check it out.
Then, the real openers. The Oh Hellos. I have liked them for a while now, but hadn't seen them. They are a brother and sister duo, but add in a lot of people for bigger shows. And good Lord, can they jam. It was almost a better moment for me than Needtobreathe, dare I say. They had a lot going on but every single person had energy and their music is just incredibly written. When they get into it, you feel it.
Needtobreathe! (You can see the $20 seat people as promised.) They had a Native American setup which I was kind of confused about, since that wasn't really the theme of the album. But then again, maybe it was and I just didn't get it. That's not to say it wasn't cool! Teepees are always cool.
They always do a little acoustic action together, which I love. I loved it even more because my favorite long haired dude, Seth, was finally in my line of sight... he had been blocked the whole time by the floating heads in front of me.
An encore jam is always welcome. Overall, I came away from this one thinking that their last tour was better. I know, I know. Laura already yelled at me for that. :) At one point she looked over at me and said, "You look so bored!" I wasn't bored-- just taking it all in and honestly, trying to figure out if their new performance tactics were something I liked or not. They had a lot of random rock jamming in between songs, when I kind of just wanted to hear their music without the showy stuff. They are so good that their music speaks for itself-- I didn't think they needed to add one extra thing in. At one point they totally lost me when they added "Float On" by Modest Mouse to the end of one of their songs... and I hate "Float On." I was disappointed that they threw it in there. It happened early on, so maybe it just made me feel weird about the rest of it. That's just a matter of preference, I suppose. But I didn't sing along at all, which is weird for me. Overall, their music is always incredible, so that wasn't so much of an issue. I definitely enjoy their album "The Reckoning" more than "Rivers". And their tour for "Reckoning" left me feeling amazing-- this one just didn't live up to it for me. They really are insanely talented musicians and writers, and that did not go unnoticed. I think for me personally, this one just couldn't match up to the last tour. Laura is already calling me crazy, so you don't have to. ;)
If they come to a venue near you, don't hesitate to see them! It's an amazing experience!
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