There were moments during the Revival Tour that I seriously regretted the two large waters I drank before the show. Eight uber-talented artists playing music for 4 straight hours was not something my full bladder was prepared for, but the show started with everyone performing together so they didn’t need any time between sets to switch out equipment and tune. They would just manage the stage in disorganized shifts, moving in and out of each others’ sets as they pleased. When was I supposed to give up my coveted spot right behind the sound guys to go battle the lines in the well-stocked restroom of El Rey? (They sell Mentos and Twizzlers in the bathroom there, no joke.)
After reviewing his latest album, Gold Country, I knew Chuck Ragan was an artist I definitely had to catch, and I’ve been listening to Lagwagon since my pre-teen years so Joey Cape with an acoustic was something I just had to see. Hadn’t had a chance to hear Jim Ward since that At the Drive-In show I went to while in high school, and Audra Mae’s new EP Haunt is amazing so I definitely wanted to see if she could bring it in a live setting. Someone told me before the show that Konrad Wert, the fiddle/banjo/guitar playing virtuoso from Possessed by Paul James, was one of the most talented artists on the stage, and Frank Turner…do I really need to tell you why I didn’t want to miss any of him? With John Gaunt tearing up the fiddle and Digger Barnes providing the rhythm with his upright bass, this was one event that I literally couldn’t even momentarily tear myself away from, bladder be damned.
The show opened and finished with everyone on stage and this was by far the coolest, most open and honest collaboration I’ve ever been witness to.
Possessed by Paul James’ blues-heavy folk took center stage next, and Konrad Wert was joined by Barnes and Ragan for a few songs.
The two stayed on stage for the first couple songs of Jim Ward’s time to shine, and when he asked at the end of the set who wanted to join him for a cover of “Wild Horses,” not a single artist decided to sit out.
Joey Cape was next, and I have to admit I was grinning from ear to ear when he led the crowd in an impromptu singalong of Lagwagon’s “Razor Burn” halfway through his set.
If there was one name that was called to the stage more often than the others, it was definitely Audra Mae’s. This artist was in high demand by her tourmates, and I could see why during her set. Beautiful voice, and she covered Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection.” A lady with talent and a penchant for muppetry? What more could you want?
Chuck Ragan took center stage next and played a mix of songs from his solo albums and his Hot Water Music days. He also proved while on stage that it’s possible to be both punk and adorable by dedicating songs to his wife and his mother. You could almost feel the collective sigh from the women in the audience.
Frank Turner was the last artist to perform his set, and it was well worth the wait. He dedicated a song to a guy in the crowd who’d gotten a tattoo that day, and I felt like he summed up the whole evening with one line: “There are no such things as rock stars, there are just people who play music.”
