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Page 5 More Pics & Reviews
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16 HAVE YOU SEEN THE MAP OF EZRA? MISSED THE DEBUT EDITION OF THE SERENADE? CLICK HERE MISSED THE MAY EDITION? |
BTE PLAYS NORFOLK’S TOWN POINT PARK AND A
(ROCK) STAR IS BORN (CONT'D) The guys were obviously having a good time. Both Kevin and Tom made a point to comment on the beautiful night. They said they had been in Los Angeles for 3 weeks and it had been cold and rainy the entire time. This was their first real summer day and they were enjoying it. The weather and super bright, very hot lights surrounding the stage contributed to one of the evening's best moments. During a break, Tom mumbled "it's hot in here" as he fanned his shirt to get a little air flowing. Kevin appeared to be setting Tom up when he asked, "What did you say, Tom?" Tom replied "I said, it's hot in here." Travis and Kevin took that as a cue and Travis began pounding out Nelly's beat. Kevin asked with a grin, "So are you going to take off all your clothes?" With the ladies in the crowd cheering him on, Tom undid the first button on his mint green shirt exposing a white t-shirt. He paused and looked to the first couple of rows for the go-ahead. Encouraged by screams of "take it off!", Tom undid a few more buttons and added a sexy little swivel to his hips. With only about two buttons left he stopped, leaving much to the imagination. The show continued on this high trajectory and the crowd was treated to the first verse of the classic Beatles' song, "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)." The return of "Rosealia" and the addition of "Get You In" served as bookends to the band's song about their lovely hometown, "King of New Orleans." During the breakdown portion of the song Kevin sang a portion of the Outkast song, "The Whole World." After this, the evening's first low point occurred as a particularly idiotic concertgoer decided to hurl a half-full water bottle at Kevin. Luckily for everyone, the jerk threw like a girl and he missed wide right.
The crowd was shocked when, instead of giving a well deserved lecture about throwing things, the band began to play "At the Stars" complete with a snippet of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire." This was followed by "A Lifetime" which the band has repeatedly referred to as their favorite song from the Closer CD. Next was the only performance of "This Time of Year" played with audience participation during the current mini tour. An 8 year old rock and roll prodigy named Grant was pulled out of the crowd to play as the guest guitarist. A fatherly Kevin kneeled and adjusted the guitar strap to fit the little boy's body as he gently guided him through what would happen next. This tender moment invoked a chorus of "awwws" from the crowd. The guitar seemed taller than Grant, but he handled it like a pro. |
A roar of astonishment and encouragement reverberated from the audience as
Grant started to play. The band had million megawatt smiles as Grant
skillfully maneuvered through the chords. Grant nailed the song and even
Kevin was left speechless. Everyone was surprised further by how well he
followed directions. He knew when to mute the guitar and played softly
when asked. Grant was completely in the zone. When it came time for him to climb up on the drum riser, Kevin cautiously asked Grant if he wanted to do it. As Grant nodded his reply Tom, Travis and guitar tech extraordinaire Mike moved in closer to prevent an accident. Kevin made the comment that they would all end up in court saying, "Mr. Griffin told Grant to climb up there..." Everyone nervously held their breath as Grant leapt off the riser hoping that nothing would happen to ruin that incredible moment. The crowd erupted into cheers when he strummed the G chord just as his feet hit the stage. A chant of "Grant, Grant" arose from the crowd and for the first time the look of concentration vanished from Grant's face and was replaced by the most adorable smile. It was definitely a show stealing event that allowed the crowd a glimpse of a future rock god in his formative years.
Next, during "Desperately Wanting," the moron mentioned earlier decided to try for a repeat performance. He may have been angry about missing his target the first time, because this time he upped the stakes and tossed a beer bottle. Maybe he was too drunk to aim or maybe the guy next to him saw what was about to happen and grabbed his arm, but either way he missed Kevin again but came dangerously close to hitting a bunch of kids standing to the right of the stage. In Baltimore the night before, someone came even closer to hitting Kevin and he reacted by cutting the encore. So, when the band exited the stage there was some concern there would be a repeat of the previous night's disappointment, but the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when a few minutes later the guys reappeared laughing like the funniest thing had happened backstage and continued the show. The encore consisted of "Sincerely, Me" with a portion of "Sedated" by the Ramones and "In the Blood" with "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. It was an incredible show that ended with a sea of euphoric fans loudly singing along and cheering wildly as BTE left the stage. The show was over and when the crowd looked at their watches they saw it was 10:30 pm. It had flown by in an amazing, electrifying blur but they had gotten their 90 minute set. After the show Kevin was asked for his thoughts regarding items being thrown at him during the show. He was shocked. He wasn't even aware that objects were thrown at him. He reacted like it was something that unfortunately came with the territory, but said he found it "worrisome" that it happened two nights in a row. The attempt at violence may have tarnished the innocence of the
evening, but it couldn't completely steal away the magic. There is always
something special (no pun intended) about Better Than Ezra coming to town.
It takes a lot more than one guy with a few bottles and a twisted sense of
humor to change that. This night the stars seemed in alignment, everything
just fell into place, and the music made everything right with the world.
On this night in Norfolk, VA, it was more than right - it was perfect. Now that's a great review. Thanks so much ladies. |
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