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IN THIS ISSUE:
DVD Review Jeremy Arth: The Bootlog True Experience: Friends of Ezra TTOY Hall of Fame BTE Impressions
Volume 2
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PHANTOM OF THE OPERA HOUSE
Macon, Georgia is home of legendary rock greats the Allman Brothers
Band, Little Richard, Otis Redding, and Brian Lasson. Ok, so maybe
you probably haven’t heard of Brian yet, but I have no doubt that you
will some day will. Brian is lead guitarist for the illustrious Mr.
Will Hoge and his ensemble of musically inclined ne’er do wells.
While I’ve seen Will Hoge play several times, this was the first time that I got to see him open for BTE. Will had opened for the guys a couple of times at the HOB in New Orleans. And he was positively thrilled about the prospect of opening for BTE again. This was the first time I’d seen Will’s new keyboard player. Over the past several months, Hoge’s band has made several lineup changes. These changes included adding both a new drummer and a bass player, but I was unaware of the new keyboard player. The culmination of these five guys makes for an incredible sound. Will, adorned in a Doors t-shirt, blazer, and sans beard looked altogether too precious as he opened with “Fool Again.” From there, Will went on to play “Secondhand Heart” and “King of Grey.” He dedicated the latter song to Macon’s own Otis Redding. He even sang the end of the song without a mic. As he continued, Hoge commented on the venue, an old theater, with balconies, lights, and an overall spooky feel. He told the crowd to pause for a moment and soak up all the atmosphere. Hoge and band went on to play “Ms. Williams,” followed by a song that was written after a long night and a frustrating relationship entitled “Lonely Tonight.” At was at this point in time when the crowd not only seemed to be enjoying Hoge’s antics, but also started relating to his lyrics. Will got tickled a little before launching into another song. He couldn’t seem to find the end of his cable. He informed the crowd that “We’re all a bunch of semi-professionals” and warned the Mercer students to stay in school or end up just like him. As Hoge announced the next song “Someone Else’s Baby,” the audience laughed. Will paused and said that no one had ever had that reaction to the song before and that he didn’t mean the title of the song to be taken in the “paternity sense.” Giggles continued as Hoge remarked “Girl, it ain’t my baby.” He then joined in the laughter as he told the rest of the band to remind him to call Outkast later and share his idea. Still chewing gum and swallowing
lots of Gatorade, Hoge once again won my heart over as he busted out a
tambourine on a new song and taught the crowd how to do the “Nashville
Clap.” He then shared the story behind the inspiration for the song
“Not that Cool.” One night, Hoge was watching a guy sitting in a
bar as If you hadn’t had the pleasure of experiencing a Will Hoge show yet, please, please, please do so very soon. He is well worth it. And you can start off slowly by checking out his website.
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Before Better than Ezra took the stage, I was heavily talking up
Will Hoge with all those around me (well, all those who would listen).
My chattering was soon interrupted with the opening strains of Queen’s
“Fat Bottom Girls.” Unfortunately, my fellow Ezralite Nova and I were the only ones who knew that this song meant that BTE was only moments away from taking the stage. And we were the only two in the whole theater who started to jump with excitement. Even though I was annoyed with the police officer between us and the stage, who wouldn’t let us take photos, I did appreciate the fact that he sang along to Queen. Better than Ezra
started the show with “Recognize” and followed it up with
“Misunderstood.” For the first time that night, the entire population
of the Opera House found themselves on their feet as one. “Rosealia”
came next, complete with the spectacular James Arthur Payne ending. After “Live Again,” Kevin gave extra props to soundman extraordinaire Brian. Apparently Brian either broke or dislocated his pointer finger while unloading that afternoon. He did visit the Macon ER, but Kevin said that they weren’t much help, as they all seemed preoccupied with watching “Scrubs.” Tom then began to tease Brian a bit, but was stopped short when KG
reminded him that Brian would turn off his mic if he wasn’t careful.
Kevin said that one should never screw with the front of house guy
because he can “neuter you.” Kevin told Brian that he was sorry that he
couldn’t be of more help and that he didn’t have any Vicodin because he
was “high on life and playing the Opera House.”
Kevin added the “Debra” breakdown in “King of New
Orleans.” I had my fingers crossed that he would as I’ve missed it at
the past couple of shows I’d attended. And my heart skipped a beat as
he pointed to me on the “sister” part. I don’t know why, but that never
fails to thrill. During “This Time of Year” KG included Outkast’s “Whole World” in a
breakdown. Before selecting a guest guitarist, Kevin explained that the
“chosen one” had to be able to do more than eek out “Your Body is a
Wonderland.” Daniel, a guy in khaki shorts and a button up shirt ended
up being the KG selected Daniel began to untuck his shirt and unbutton it until Kevin told him
to stop and button one back, Laura Leigh, we can always count on you for a great review. Thanks so much! |
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