Showing posts with label Needtobreathe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Needtobreathe. Show all posts

6.10.2010 - Bonnaroo, Day 1 - Manchester, TN

So, our stuff is all set up, we head out to find the elusive "Centeroo" we've heard about.  As we are walking the couple of miles (yep, you heard that right, miles) from our tent to Centeroo, we notice that 95% of the vendors that aren't selling food are head-shops.  And that 90% of the people we pass are stopping to shop there.  This should be fun...Oh, and it's hot and extremely humid.  Like "I'd be drier in a swimming pool" levels of liquid in the air.

The first show we went to was Fanfarlo, 4:15 at The Other Tent.  I was stoked to finally get to see this band - I'd heard their name tons of times, but had really no idea what to expect.  They were really great.  I don't even know where I'd place their sound - somewhere around Folky/Indie-pop.  There is a special place in my heart for bands that incorporate a ton of different instruments into their music - and these guys had a clarinet, mandolin, violin, guitar, trumpet, drums, bass, and, if i remember correctly, one of those mouth-operated accordian-like things that I don't know the name of.  And they have accents, seeing as they are London-based.  And the lead singer, Simon Balthazar, is Swedish.  I never cease to be amazed when you listen to a band and hear no accent at all in their songs, then they open their mouths to speak in between and wow you with the coolest of European accents.  Great way to kick off 4 days of amazing music.

Next up was catching a little bit of Diane Birch's set as we nibbled on humongous vegeterian burritos on the outskirts of That Tent.  Hadn't even heard her name before checking out the Bonnaroo schedule.  She's from New York, and has more of a singer/songwriter style.  We listened to a few songs, and weren't blown away by her performance, but that might have been because we were so focused on chowing down and keeping stray black beans and sour cream off of ourselves.

We then sat through the Manchester Orchestra set back at The Other Tent - mostly because we wanted to be in prime position to get up close for Needtobreathe.  Manchester Orchestra has more of a hard-rock/metal sound, which isn't really our cup of tea as they say, but they did draw in a huge crowd.

Needtobreathe is a great band to see live.  They have a lot of energy, and seemed to have extra Bonnaroo energy compared to what we saw at The Vogue in Indianapolis a few months ago.  I think that every song they played at Bonnaroo ended in some epic rockstar-esque guitar solo.  They performed some of their big songs, like "The Outsiders", "Stones Under Rushing Water", "Something Beautiful", and "More Time".  There always seems to be a buzz of energy in the crowd at their shows - we highly recommend going to see them if they come to a venue near you!

Our last band of the night was Blitzen Trapper.  I've heard their name tossed around lately, but again had no idea what their sound was like.  And they happened to be playing the same tent right after Needtobreathe, so we decided to keep our prime locations at the front rail and check out a few songs in their set.  They are an Indie Rock group out of Portland, OR.  We enjoyed their sound, you can definitely get into their music.  Unfortunately, we were exhausted, and the massive crowd was getting to us, so we skipped out after a few songs to start the miles long trek back to our humble abode (read: oversize tent) for the evening.

As much as I've heard that people have trouble sleeping at Bonnaroo becuase of noisy neighbors, music that goes into the wee hours of the morning, heat, etc...we drifted off to sleep within minutes.  There are a few times in life when exhaustion actually works in your favor!

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Posted in | , , , , , , , | 0 Comments »

3.25.2010 - Graham Colton, Stephen Kellogg & the 6ers, and Needtobreathe @ The Vogue

This Thursday evening show was one that Erica and I had been looking forward to for a long time. When we were on the Cayamo cruise sponsored by Sixthman back in February, we had heard a little about Stephen Kellogg and his band and managed to catch some on their shows as we were racing back and forth to other shows and the buffett. We had heard some stuff from Needtobreathe and have a couple of their songs on our iPhones. Erica had one Graham Colton song (Best Days) on her iPhone, but we hadn't heard any of his other stuff.

When we parked and walked our way to the Vogue, we were surprised to find that there were already quite a few people in line, despite the cold and rain. In fact, the line wrapped into the neighboring bar under the outdoor canopy. It is usually at this point that I look around and try to get a feel for what the audience will be like. This crowd was pretty diverse, made up of 20 something hipsters, the more adult types, college kids, and everyone else in between. One of the local radio stations, WTTS was sponsoring the show, which undoubtedly brought in some of the older crowd. As I did some research on Needtobreathe, I noticed that they have been at the top of the Billboard Christian Music charts and nominated for multiple Dove awards in 2008 and 2009. With that in mind, I knew to expect some the contemporary Christian music crowd, and they did show up in a big way. I even saw one of my old youth pastors in the crowd! All that to say, it was an interesting crowd but a very polite and respectful one, which we've come to appreciate more and more when we go out to see live music.

Graham Colton started off the show. It was just him and his guitar to get the crowd warmed up. Colton has a very clear, strong voice, and played his songs very well. His vocal range reminded me of Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, but obviously a little softer. One thing I loved about Graham Colton's material is that it all sounded familiar, as in it is stuff that should be played on the radio.

Highlights from the Set List:

First Week - needs to be a radio hit
Cellophane Girl - one person screamed when he said he was doing this song and he responded with "Thank you, fan."
20 Something - from his new acoustic ep.
Love Comes Back Around
Best Days - definitely his most popular song, most likely a popular wedding song.


Colton's show was a good warm up for the other acts and he took the time to sign and meet people at the merch table, which always is a good thing for artists getting their start.

Next up was Stephen Kellogg and the 6ers. It was easy to tell that for some people in the audience, they were the band they were there to see. The collective energy of the crowd went up throughout their set. The sound was great and they showed off their fantastic harmonizing abilities. In a way, this band had a bit of a country feel, maybe more of a southern rock thing, but regardless, they got the crowd riled up in a good way.

Highlights from the set:

  • Wagon Wheel - showed off the harmonies.
  • You Changed - just an excellent song that is easy to relate to.
  • This is My Life - they said it was their life story.
  • I Never Wanna Get Old - showed off their "Jonas Bros. choreography" and dancing skills.
  • The Bear - excellent tuba solo.
  • On Fathers Day - even though the crowd was riled up, Kellogg got them to quiet down a little as he sang this song about being a dad on the road.
  • Thirteen - Kit "Goose" Karlson, who plays bass, tuba, and keys physically showed his love for the audience and did an amazing version of a Chris Farley inspired dance. And in the middle of all the music, the band broke out into some Kriss Kross "I Missed the Bus," and "Jump Jump."
These guys have a lot of good energy and it is obvious they love what they do. They signed back at the merch table, as well. Their performance definitely got us more interested in their music and in seeing them perform again when they come back to Indy in October.




When Needtobreathe took the stage, the crowd was ready for them. Their stage set up was pretty cool: they had 4 big LCD screens covered by silkscreen portraits of people from the 1800's, with black strips over their eyes. It was a pretty cool effect and certainly the first time I had ever seen such a set up in a place like the Vogue. Even though it was cool, when the effects on the LCDs started up, they were hard to see, probably because they were meant for bigger venues. Regardless, it definitely gave them a true rock show feel. Perhaps this is a great time for Needtobreathe to get big, because they certainly have an audience, and their sound is very similar to Kings of Leon. They have great stage presence and it's easy to tell they've been playing together for a long time.

Highlights from the set:

  • The Outsiders
  • Locking Me Up - used the distortion mic and sounded great.
  • More Time - one of their more popular songs; could hear the crowd singing just as loud as the band.
  • Girl Named Tennessee
  • Stones Over Rushing Water - Bear Rinehart, the lead singer, talked about how grateful the band is to be here. He remembered playing to 50 people, then 100, then 200, and tonights show was packed (probably in the 500 plus).
  • I Believe In a Better Way - added in a little version of "Get Back to Where You Once Belonged."
  • Lay em Down
  • Through Smoke
  • Washed By the Water - had a cool southern rock feel and they played it completely unplugged. The crowd loved it and they managed to throw in a little bit of the Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
Overall, this was a really good show. We left that night excited to find out more about these bands and we want to hear their music. They accomplished what all bands should do when they go out on tour to raise interest in their music...they had a good time, we had a good time, and in the end, everyone went home feeling good.

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Sunday, March 28, 2010 Posted in | , , , , , , , | 0 Comments »