|
|
 |
|||
|
IN THIS ISSUE:
A Pat on the Back / DVD & Live CD Travis Speaks - The Bootlog What You Did & Didn't See At the Show BTE Trivia
Contest Winners TTOY Hall of Fame BTE Impressions
Volume 2
|
AHOY THERE! A LITTLE ROCK 'N' ROLL PIRACY AT ST. JOE's
BTE played to an energetic crowd at the outdoor beachfront stage in St. Joe, Michigan this past weekend at St. Joe's annual Venetian Festival. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, this cozy little community celebrates with the annual parade of sea going vessels and turns their town into an erstwhile street carnival. There is indeed something for everyone. A big part of their summer festival is the inclusion of several outdoor concerts. Better Than Ezra was one of many acts to play at the Venetian Festival. The band took the stage at about 9:45 and opened with "Misunderstood" and followed that up with, as Kevin likes to say "...a brand new song"..."Good." This got the crowd going and the band was definitely on their game this evening, and had the sound dialed in perfectly in this outdoor venue. Next came Closer cuts "Rolling" and "Extraordinary," which whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Kevin joked that he would be singing one of the songs later in the show from the top of the ferris wheel, which was only a couple of hundred yards away from the stage. KG mused that he never thought BTE would be playing as a "carnival act". Next, the band played Allison Foley from How does your garden grow? This was the 10th time I had seen BTE perform and it was the first time I heard this one performed live. It was excellent, and I think it's great when the band gives their fans something new once in awhile. "Rosealia," "At the Stars" and "King of New Orleans" came next, followed by "This Time of Year." The funniest moment of the concert came as Kevin was singing the first verse of TTOY. At that moment, a small pirate ship came sailing down the river adjacent to the amphitheater. Kevin drew the attention of the crowd to the ship, and said it was being guided by "Captain Jack Sparrow" and then sang the entire verse of the song in a heavy pirate accent.
|
"A Lifetime" and "Desperately Wanting" completed the set and the band left the stage only to return a few moments later to continue entertaining the energetic crowd. The encore was "Recognize" and "In The Blood." It was a fairly short set list due to the fact that Kevin did so much ad libbing with the crowd and jumped into more covers than I have ever heard in 10 BTE shows including material from Rush, Van Halen, Bob Seger, Blue Oyster Cult, Foreigner, Nelly and Led Zeppelin. At about 30 minutes prior to midnight, their adoring crowd left the amphitheater and headed back through the Carnival midway of the St. Joe Venetian Fest, happier from the great musical experience.
Thanks for a great first review, Ted. We appreciate your contribution! |
||
