|
|
 |
|||
|
PAGE 1
Mardi Gras Madness
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
PAGE 7
PAGE
8
PAGE
13
PAGE 14
PAGE
15
PAGE 16
PAGE
17 |
DAY FOUR (CONT'D):
After "Recognize" the band played "Misunderstood" and the chart topping "Good." It was during their performance of "Good" that the show reached a fever pitch comparable only to their legendary Mardi Gras shows. The crowd, without any prompting from any members of BTE, drowned out Kevin Griffin's vocals. This prompted Kevin to just step back from his microphone and signal the crowd to just go with it. From that point forward it was a no holds barred show. BTE continued rocking the house with "Rolling" and "Live Again" followed by a very catchy new track called "Special" that is currently being considered for their forthcoming album. The band then moved right along into "Extra Ordinary." Next, the band introduced the audience to the extremely moving "Simple Song" which to many fans September 11th undertones. This song is yet another strong contender for a spot on the new album. Next came crowd favorite "King of New Orleans." Another show highlight occurred during the "breakdown" portion of the song when Kevin began to channel the spirit of "The Purple One," and launched into a very visual version of "When Doves Cry." The audience laughed hysterically as he acted out the lyrics to the song. After which Kevin commented with a disbelieving grin, "I've never done that, I swear to God, and I'm never doing it again." The "breakdown" also provided the crowd with a display of Travis' critically acclaimed drum skills as he provided a cymbal solo per Kevin's request. As Travis’ solo came to an end, Kevin told the audience that Jim was going to "get Wide Spread Panic on your [the audience's] a**." The multi-talented Mr. Payne obliged Kevin's request effortlessly. |
BTE then played the unreleased, but often requested. "Hollow." During
the interlude after "Hollow" Kevin began to tell the audience a story
about hearing an ad for a children's album that popular artists had
recorded. On this album the artist Tom Waits had recorded a song. KG
stated that Travis had been resting upstairs in the dressing room when
suddenly, out of nowhere, this "sexy, gravelly" voice came from Travis.
McNabb was doing a Tom Waits impression. Kevin said that the told his
band mates "the crowd has to hear this." Suddenly, the spotlight was on Travis and Kevin was handing him the microphone. Travis took the microphone from Kevin, placed his head on his drum kit, and covered his face with his arms and with some prompting from Kevin, Tom, Jim and the audience, a very red faced Travis reluctantly began his imitation of Tom Waits. It was a performance that brought down the house! After the mirth, a devilish Kevin poked some fun at his comrade and said, "See, Travis, it's pretty easy to make an a** out of yourself when you got the mic." To which Travis emphatically nodded, yes, while laughing with relief that his ordeal was over.
Yet another crowd pleaser followed with "At the Stars." During the breakdown segment Kevin had the crowd giggling yet again when he realized that he had become entangled in his guitar cord after dancing around the stage. The always-clever Mr. Griffin dubbed the cord fiasco the "Guitar Cord Quandary" as he figured out how to untangle himself. A spirited rendition of band favorite "A Lifetime" followed. The band then surprised the crowd with the first verse of "Waxing or Waning" before they launched into "Sincerely Me." They ended their set with "Desperately Wanting" and after a quick break the band returned for the encore. The audience was treated to yet another new song titled "In A Little While." BTE next played the high-energy favorite, "In the Blood". The audience was then treated to the last of the four new songs – "Daylight." This song ended the show with the crowd singing along loudly even though most of the fans had never heard it before. This is an amazing audience "participa-shon" song that could show up on the new album when it is hopefully released in August. All in all, BTE put on an amazing show rivaled only by their (in)famous hometown shows. The guys were relaxed (must have been the hot tub at The Norva!) and they seemed to be genuinely having a good time. But then again, when you love what you do like Better Than Ezra does, how could it not show?
|
||
