Greetings, Flamingos.
It may seem as if all I’ve been doing recently revolves around concert going, but I can assure you that… that is very much the case.
Just kidding! (Or am I?)
Last Wednesday, I was able to see one of my favorite bands play in Sacramento in their Acoustic and In The Round tour. It was a unique and fun experience, and I wish more bands would do this.
The set up was extremely intimate, not more than a hundred people in the room (yes, that’s considered intimate). They closed off the stage the venue had, and built their own circular stage, and the audience gathered around it. For some reason, this reminded me of a campfire, Paradise Fears being the flame in this case.
There were two opening bands, Fourth&Coast and Sunderland. Due to an egregious amount of traffic, I showed up pretty late so I missed Fourth&Coast’s set, and only caught the last part of Sunderland’s set.
Since this tour is acoustic, lead singer Sam Miller kindly asked the audience to keep the noise level down so everyone could hear the set, and we all obliged (well, most of the time. I am not responsible for the volume of my voice during Get To You).
Prior to the start of the show, they held a little poll at the merchandise table which asked the concert goers which of their songs they would most like to hear. The three with the most votes were added to the setlist. This was a way for fans to hear songs the band doesn’t normally play, like the older song “Just A Feeling.”
They did a series of covers that were not only well selected but executed perfectly. The covers were “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, and “Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” by Brand New. I loved all of these songs, and it was great hearing the band sing them.
The set was 90 minutes long, with the band’s witty banter thrown in between songs. Miller is a story-teller, that’s for sure, and most of his stories involve things his parents told him. Hilarious, awkward, and slightly profound things. “Son, do you see that street lamp?”
Cole Andre, rhythm guitarist, interjects with with his cheeky comments in response to Miller’s banter, and everyone’s all smiles. This is a band that can work a crowd, albeit in a slightly unconventional way.
For the last song, Paradise Fears sang the title track off of their latest album Battle Scars and instead of doing the traditional spoken word in the middle of the song, he added the spoken word he wrote for their “Both Of Us” cover. Not many people knew it (there were a few confused looks throughout the crowd), but I went pretty hard during it.
After the show, all of the bands spent about 25 minutes just hanging out in the room and meeting fans. I loved seeing Marcus Sand, bass player, as he is an amazing person and I haven’t seen him in way too long. Our reunion was a loud and happy one.
I was able to catch the ever popular Sam Miller for a few minutes after, and it’s always refreshing to hear him talk excitedly about his life and the tour. I wish everyone held that level of enthusiasm.
There are only a few more dates left on this tour, but hopefully they will do something similar to this in the future.
Psst. Hi. I feel as if all the great bloggers refer to their readership by a specific name. Alas, my readership is currently my friend Kay and my Mom. I think I will call you all Flamingos. If anybody has any objection, please speak now or forever hold your peace.
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