I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: November 4, 2023] Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

I had purchased these tickets a pretty long time ago–a chance to see The Head and the Heart again after the disastrous last time we saw them.

Then The Last Dinner Party announced that they were playing a couple of shows i the U.S. and I grabbed a ticket trying to decide if we could blow off The Head and the Heart.  But I thought it would be more fun to see a show with my wife, so we went.

Then Drew Holcomb came on and I was sure I’d made the wrong choice.

Holcomb is a Tennessee country singer.  Ouch.

His voice wasn’t the worst in terms of twanginess.  But his songs were so generic and bland it was sad.  His lyrics were also really meh.

In the first song he lists a bunch of things that “I am” an endless list which included

I am a mocking bird, I love to sing

In the second song “Dragons” he sang

But I sang like a sparrow, lost in the wind

Two songs, two different birds. The fact that I picked out these words does give credit to his clean vocals.  The people behind us were quite chatty, and I found myself closing my eyes and drifting off during this set, which was for the best.

Then he introduced his song “Family” and offended me greatly by saying that since I was sitting here listening to his music I was now part of the family.  The first word of every line was “family,” by the way.

The songs were mostly rollicking although “On a Roll” slowed things down so he could “wax poetic on the brokenhearted.”

The next song I though the words were cheesy too, then I found out that the song was an Adele cover.  Somehow the lyrics don’t sound as cheesy when sung in a pretty, powerful voice instead of a good ol boy voice.

It continued on like this for a little longer.

He was kind of funny and very sweet when he brought a little girl up to the stage and gave her an album “now you have to ask your parents for a record player.”

And for “Find Your People” Jonathan Russell from The Head and the Heart came out and sang with them.

It was all perfectly harmless and probably  the kind of thing that certain people think is great music.

Not all opening acts can be winners.

And holy cow, the guy has 14 albums out!

1. Fly ⊗
2. Dragons £
3. Family £
4. On a Roll ⊗
5. When We Were Young (Adele cover)
6. American Beauty ϖ
7. The Morning Song §
8. What Would I Do Without You ∇
9. Find Your People ⊗
10. Dance With Everybody ⊗

⊗ Strangers No More (2023)
£ Dragons (2019)
§ Souvenir (2017)
ϖ Medicine (2015)
∇ Good Light (2013)