Little Guitar Means…
It was a sing-along from the first song.
Love him or hate him, Butch Walker can command a crowd like no other performer that I have ever seen. He says it, they do it. Me included.
Butch took the stage solo with his acoustic guitar, playing a few old favorites and Marvelous 3 songs before inviting the rest of the Black Widows on stage with him for the rock set.
As I expected, the songs that I wasn’t in love with on the new album translated very well to a live show. The entire show was packed with energy, life and fun. Butch, and his bandmates, genuinely seemed to be having the time of their life.
That this was a spectacular show isn’t that much of a surprise. Butch consistently surrounds himself with exceptional musicians and chooses opening acts that mesh well into the show as a whole.
The idea of the concert as a whole show is something that should be considered when a band plans a tour, but Butch (or whoever plans his shows) always does better than other people. Years ago, he played with American Hi-Fi. They played before him, and then acted as his backing band. This meant no set change between opener and headliner. Very good for my lack of patience.
The Double Door showed the same excellent planning. Rather than having a number of opening bands with set changes between each one, Butch had members of the Black Widows come up with their side projects and play 3-5 song sets. Shovels and Rope played a full set, with Butch coming for a guest appearance on one song. Overall, this setup gave the show a good flow and I didn’t feel like I was ever waiting through a band to see something good or waiting too long between sets.
