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IN THIS ISSUE:
Xmas Shows NOLA Sights Trivia Etc. A Gift for Our Readers Fan Profile Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Archives
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FEELING THE FESTIVE It was hard to believe, but it had been an entire year and a half since BTE had last played Central Florida (i.e., Orlando and/or its surrounding metropolitan areas). The setting once again was the House of Blues at Downtown Disney, on the coldest night of the year, with a wind chill in the rare 30s. Opening up yet again was the female-fronted Jayla. I promise to be only positive, so I will say that they did a very serviceable cover of U2's "Pride (in the name of love)." As the main attraction took the stage, it was nice to see that the venue was packed, and perhaps had even sold out - not bad for a Thursday night in Florida. Now is the time when we discuss the opening song. I'm sure that there have been volumes written in the annals of rockdom about what type of song is best to open with. Some bands choose their biggest hit, some choose their loudest or fastest song, etc. I had heard that Ezra had recently toyed with the idea of opening with "In The Blood" instead of ending with it, and I was looking forward to the idea... even though the song seems to fit well in closing (with all the la-la's of course), and it has that melancholy feel that blends with the ending of a show, after a while it seemed like perhaps it was almost a waste of one of their best songs (Discussion Topic: "In The Blood" was a much better song than "Good." Had it been released first instead, would the band's path or perhaps maybe their perception among the press and public been different? Now discuss among yourselves). After now hearing "ITB" as an opener first-hand, I have to say that for now, this is THE perfect way to start the show. It's a song that almost everyone in the crowd knows, from the casual fan to even those who don't think they know anything by the band at all. Add to that KG's jumping center stage immediately in his guitar-between-the-legs-rock-stud pose, and the crowd was as fired up as I've ever heard them. Next, without a pause, the band launched into "Hollow," and even though it's not as familiar to the crowd, it rocks more than it ever has – the 1-2 punch of "In The Blood" and "Hollow" just felt right. |
Many in the crowd were starting off a week of Ezra that would culminate in the New Orleans Xmas shows just a week later. Even Tom noted that there was a bit of a "Mardi Gras" vibe to the night. Kevin decided that the audience was made up solely of the cast of Cirque du Soleil (whose "tent" shadows the House of Blues from across the walkway). We were also treated to Travis' Words of Wisdom - which mainly consisted of three "words": "L...S...U" One of the most welcome surprises was the always-haunting "Beautiful Mistake." The new songs sound even better - most notably, "Special." The guitar solo is now nothing short of blistering, and prompted a fellow concertgoer – not familiar with the newer material – to mutter simply: "Damn!" The two newest songs are "Avalanche," which only consists of a verse and a couple of choruses but manages to implant itself unknowingly into your mind. The other song is an as-yet-untitled acoustic snippet that we've been hearing for a year now but still cannot identify! There were also new cover songs - one verse of Outkast's "Hey Ya," but slowed down and sung as a ballad, as well as a piece of Electric 6's "Danger! High Voltage!," which came with an order by KG for us to "buy the album!" The out-of-the-ordinary show ended on a different note, closing with the sultry "voodoo" version of "Porcelain." This climax was enough to keep us warm above the near-freezing temperatures awaiting us outside the venue. As they ended the show, the group invited everyone to follow them to St. Petersburg for an acoustic Christmas show the next night. But, that was another story altogether... Awesome review, Shari. Sounds like it was quite a show. Cheers. |
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