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IN THIS ISSUE:
2004 Christmas The Bootlog Some Ezra Sights From New Orleans Listening Party Update
News & Links TTOY Hall of Fame Cowbell Hall of Fame BTE Impressions
Volume 2
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2004 CHRISTMAS SHOWS (CONT'D)
Graham Colton Band, Friday Night This was a different band than the more or less unknown ensemble that opened for BTE at the 2002 Christmas shows. Their set was drawn entirely from their major label debut Drive, except for an R.E.M. cover, and was an ample demonstration of their musical progress since then. Check out the setlist here.
The one small negative for the night was that Drew Nichols, one of their
guitar players, was temporarily not with the band. Even so, Turtle and
Graham’s guitar work managed to more or less make up for his absence and
the ever formidable rhythm section of Ryan Tallent (bass and keyboards)
and Jordan elder (drums) put on
Much like BTE, GCB typically interjects a cover into their set, but usually the entire song. This night they delivered R.E.M’s “The One I Love.” And I’m sure next time I see them, they’ll have another tasty morsel on the menu. And it rocked just as much as every other tune they performed. Of course, the finale of their set had to be another song co-written with KG – “Cigarette.” This is such as great song and brings the rock every time I hear it performed. And, I believe I heard Graham mention that it just might be hitting radio in February. This will be long overdue exposure for what is without a doubt the best song from their CD and their best live number. I can only hope that the Graham Colton Band will continue to enthrall Ezralites for a long time to come. If you haven’t seen them live, definitely do so when they venture to your town.
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Howie Day, Saturday Night I suppose some "purists" would take issue with the use of these devices, but technology is for using and Howie manages to put all the bells and whistles together and marries them with a tremendously powerful and surprisingly soulful voice. Howie Day isn't necessarily breaking new ground with these effects, but he's putting them to exceptionally good use and fuses them together into a cohesive presentation. And this is no small accomplishment. He certainly kept the House of Blues crowd mesmerized throughout his set. Day delivered a very diverse set that covered his
earlier material with the current big hits from his CD Stop All the
World Now. Coincidentally, his major radio hit "Perfect Time
of Day" and the current single "Collide" were also co-written with Kevin
Griffin. Check out the setlist
here.
Day is also known for covering Better than Ezra which he often credits as one of his favorite bands. Back in the day he used to cover "At the Stars." Most recently he's been covering Ezra's "Live Again." This evening his Ezra homage took concertgoers a little by surprise in New Orleans. As he himself put it: "It's kinda weird to play a little piece of a cover of the band you are opening for." Later on, he came out and performed the entire song with BTE during their set delighting the audience.
Howie also displayed his gift for humor as he did an impression of David Gray singing Macy Gray: "they're no related, but they kinda sing the same, don't they?" He also threw together a collection of tunes within a cover of Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" which he dubbed a "guitar lesson." The lesson included snippets of such diverse artists as Joan Osborne, Bush, and Sarah McLachlan. Finally, the set concluded with a passionate rendition of what has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written (with Kevin Griffin), "Collide." If you haven't heard this song, request it on the radio or get out to see Howie do it live. You will definitely not be disappointed. |
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