The Revival Tour hit Little Rock and hit it hard. Four talented main acts and several other gifted musicians took the stage at Juanita’s by storm.
I got to the venue early to ensure a good spot, but quickly had to leave because security said there were no cameras allowed. I got back to the stage area quickly, with a 24oz Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand, and anxiously awaited the start of the show. The venue quickly filled up, and the show started very near on time, which I still find unusual for most places. However, that was fine by me.
Tom Gabel, of Against Me!, was first up to the microphone. He walked up with an acoustic guitar and a swagger in his step and commenced to play. As he started, nearly everyone in Juanita’s, who was standing in the vicinity of the stage, inched forward to get closer to Gabel. His voice was kind of grating, but I expected that because I knew of his punk roots in Florida. Nonetheless, he’s got a commanding presence on stage and the ability to play his heart out. I was not necessarily there to see him, so I didn’t focus on his songs as much as I should have, but I am interested in his solo project, so I’m going to check it out in the near future.
After Gabel played for half an hour or so, Tim Barry, of the band Avail, came up to the stage. With just an acoustic guitar in tow, Barry started singing about life. He sang proudly of life and loss in between calling on the audience to raise their drinks. He also encouraged everyone to live life to the fullest, because as cliché as it may sound, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. He can’t be over 35 and he already seems like an old and wise soul, which I found really interesting. Even though I had never heard of him, he left a great impression on me and kept my mind spinning all night about life in general.
Ben Nichols, of Lucero, took the stage next. He came up on stage and Todd Beene, who has been known to play with the likes of Glossary, Ghostfinger, and Lucero, also came up there. Beene accompanied Nichols on the pedal steel, which was a nice departure from solely acoustic guitar. As these guys started playing, there was another surge in the crowd to get to the front of the stage. I feel like most people at the show were there to see Nichols & Gabel, which was made very apparent by the constantly changing crowd. What can I say? Nichols was Nichols. He sang with his trademark gravelly voice, and had nothing but smiles for the audience. He was on his best behavior because his parents made it out to the show. He played several of the really popular Lucero songs and several songs off his solo album. I even got a personal shout out because he wasn’t going to play the song I wanted to hear because the full band wasn’t there. Needless to say, I was amused and all the Lucero fans in the audience were happy with what they heard.
Finally, Chuck Ragan, from Hot Water Music, had his solo shot for the night. I wasn’t really paying my full attention to him, but he can sure play the harmonica. When I was focused on him, and not talking to my friends, I was captivated by his charisma on stage. I left the venue for a couple minutes to grab my camera because everyone and their mom had one there. I figured I would chance security so I could get some photos of everyone. He’s a great singer-songwriter, and I can honestly say I wish I had paid a bit more attention to his set.
The night ended with a few more songs with everyone on stage. All four guys, plus the accompaniment from the upright bassist, pedal steel player, and violinist rounded out the feel of the evening. I was particularly thrilled when they broke in to Gabel’s cover of “Wagon Wheel.” It’s a great song, and it united the crowd. Overall, it didn’t matter who you were there to see, you were singing along to that song. The show was worth the $15 cover charge, was most definitely one for the memory books, and I know I’m not the only one who left feeling that way.
-L
RSS Feed