Donavan Frankenreiter

I made it to the venue with time to spare. The first thing I saw was Donavan's merchandise stand. He was selling all of the usual things, except for one item. There were dozens of little packets that had a cartoon picture of his face and a costume mustache covering where his would be. These were a dollar. And I had to have one. Donavan was in a brightly lit corner taking photos with fans who were wearing their 'mustaches'.
     I got to talking to who turned out to be a close friend of his. Donavan was a pro surfer in Hawaii many years ago and was friends with Jack Johnson long before his fame.

  

The band's guitarist, Matt Grundy, opened and sang a few songs from his personal CD. It set the mood for the night. He stood on stage alone, with only an acoustic guitar, singing of camping under the stars. I don't know if I was the only one that started to really feel how much I have been anticipating summer or not.  One lyric really caught my ear, "The only difference between medicine and poison is the dose."




   After Matt finished, I used the time between bands to smoke a cigarette (hideous habit, I know). But as I walked back inside I only waited a few moments before Donavan came onstage.

   The music he played had the soft sound of Neil Young mixed with an acoustic Jack Johnson; but, there was an undertone of '70's funk that definitely made his music his own. Throughout the show there were instrument changes, the ukulele being my personal favorite, and a harmonica, which was definitely a crowd pleaser.
   This was summer music! My ideal place to listen to Donavan's music would be at a backyard barbeque, or sitting around a camp fire. I imagine him playing some acoustic music on the beach watching his old surfing buddies hit the waves. This makes me smile. Some real, down to earth, remember the small things kind of music is always a great change of pace. A touching performance of a song called "Swing On Down" made me question the priorities and importance of belongings in my own life.
   At the end of the encore, he brought some little kids on stage that knew the words to sing with him. Then, he threw the mic up to the second story to have a drunken man sing along as well. This was definitely a fun show. I looked over the crowd and saw that the majority knew the words and were singing along. I have a feeling his following is only going to get larger.
   As I left, I walked into the middle of a rainy night, but I felt enlightened, and grateful to feel the raindrops. This is DEFINITELY a show I would like to see again. But, I have a feeling the next time I see him he will need a larger venue.

Rain a Beatles Tribute

I’ve always been a fan of the Beatles, but those are some pretty big shoes for a tribute band to fill. I had seen Rain when I was a kid but couldn’t remember a thing about them. While waiting excitedly in the foyer I noticed that most of the audience was a bit older, which made sense. No food or drinks allowed in the venue…bummer. With one last swig of my soda I’m in the door.
                There were two large screens on either side of the stage showing the same thing. Before the show started it was mainly Beatles trivia. Excited chatter hushes when the lights are lowered. And then clips from the Ed Sullivan Show are shown. Screaming girls’ faces. They had cleverly edited ‘Rain’ instead of ‘the Beatles’ into the clips. And, suddenly, the curtains open.
                The first thing I notice is the set. It felt like we were blasted back to the sixties. The band was dressed in black suits on a definitely sixties set, complete with the black and white ‘applause’ sign that would light up after each song. It was UNREAL how much they sounded like the Beatles. I close my eyes and it feels like I’m actually there, at a concert of the band that changed music forever. The similarity of their voices is uncanny! I can feel some of the older patrons looking at me as I sing along to every song, not missing a word.
                It took me back to the summer when I was young. I could almost feel the heat coming down on me as I ate my snow cone. This was back before I was ‘too cool’ to hold my parents’ hands or sit on their lap, when life outside of my small group of friends and family didn’t seem to exist or matter. But mostly, when care free living and innocence weren’t just looked back upon with nostalgia because that’s what I lived, every second of every day. I remember soft eyes and smiles from my parents as we listened, and I imagine that’s how I look now. And in this moment I’m grateful that this band gave me that moment.
                Throughout the rest of the night the curtains open and close several times. The big screens entertain us while the band has wardrobe changes. The hair and beards grew longer as the outfits got stranger. But one thing stayed the same, the passion in the music.
                During intermission (yes, there was an intermission) I’m tempted to grab a soda before the show starts back up. It wasn’t until now that I realize just how hoarse my voice is. But the pretty woman sitting next to me strikes up a conversation. I’m waiting for her to tell me I look out of place. She says she’s impressed that I know all of the words for being younger. (It’s coming.) And why was I alone? (I know she’ll say something…). She tells me she could tell I was an artist because I dressed ‘different’. (Does that count?) And she tells me to keep writing because that will last longer than any of my tattoos. (There it is!!) But, when the lights dim and the curtains open, I’m oddly encouraged.
                I believe that Hey Jude was the perfect song to end with; the audience standing, screaming and begging for one more song. With the last chorus repeated several times the band brought out the crew from the Morrison Center, which, I always think is nice to show respect to the people that make these shows possible. I don’t know how many times we repeated “Na na na na Hey Jude!” but the emotion was almost overwhelming.
                This was definitely a show I would go to again. And again. I recommend it to any Beatles lovers out there. 100%

~Preston
    

Tyrone Wells

Either the meeting ended late or the show started early. Either way, I was late. My first meeting with a new company was just released and this was to be my first blog review of a show. It’d be a little difficult to do so if I completely missed it.
                I went to this show knowing absolutely nothing about the performer, and I felt pretty bad about it. When I finally arrived at the venue it was the wrong entrance (of course) but as I hoofed it to the other door I could hear a soothing melody emanating from the building. There was another delay when they didn’t know which wristband to give me (typical), but I could hear the music much clearer now. It was a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”! I eased my tense shoulders and knew this would be a good show (even though I wasn’t sure if this was an opening act or not…it wasn’t).
                I found my seat as Tyrone started talking to the audience. Turns out this is only the second date on the tour. Clearly he didn’t take himself too seriously because he told us that at the awkward age of thirteen his father taught him how to yodel and from that point on he considered himself a “closet yodeler” (a pretty good one, too).
                With his music relying mostly on just an acoustic guitar and his soft voice it’s hard to categorize him. He seems like the kind of guy that you could listen to with your friends around a camp fire or while having  coffee with your grandmother. His lyrics are delicate but the reggae under tone doesn’t leave it too soft or boring.
                The crowd cheers as he tells us he’s a new father. His daughter, Aria, was born just last month. He tells us that he and his band don’t take themselves too seriously (obviously) so they were going to play some songs from the eighties. He encouraged us to sing along. And, I must say, I was very impressed with his rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”.
                He surprised me by bringing up problems in society, mainly, the importance of women needing to look a certain way. He has a positive outlook on staying grounded and close to his fans. After the show he gave away posters. All in all it was a great atmosphere and very laid back show.