Incredible performances in the City of Music and The Gateway to the West.
Until recently, I had never attended a concert in my life. I consider myself a huge fan of alternative music and music in general, but I had not yet heard the sound of a live performance.
These two artists have now hooked me to the concert life, as many had warned they would.
Farewell Yellow Brick road Tour - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN 10/02/22
Elton John is indisputably one of the greatest and most
influential artists of all time and it would have been almost sacrilegious to have never seen him deliver his legendary sound in person. I attended the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour date in Nashville with my girlfriend, Kaylie, who was given the tickets by a close friend of hers.
(Shout out Kaylie and especially Kristina, I will never forget this.)
Sir Elton John, in his golden years, delivered a performance that both amazed me and yet did not surprise me. It IS Elton John after all. Time has passed, but his incredible sound has certainly not. His recount of past performances, retelling of stories, and overall appreciation of all of those in attendance was the cherry on top of his delivery of his greatest hits such as "Benny and The Jets," "Tiny Dancer," and "Rocket Man."
The collective "Laa, la-la-la-la-laa" from an entire stadium singing "Crocodile Rock" is a moment forever etched into my brain.
The Pageant - St.Louis, MO
11/01/22
Sloan Struble is an incredible performer and relatively new to the industry.
Under the stage name of Dayglow, Struble has quickly gained a loyal following, and it was in full effect at The Pageant venue in St. Louis. Dayglow has released multiple hits since 2019, his most popular being "Can I Call You Tonight?" from his debut Fuzzybrain album. One of my favorite artists, Struble delivered an interactive performance unlike anything I had seen.
His stage presence was electric and he knows how to manage a crowd's energy. The momentum carried into the final song of the night "Close To You" which heavily involved the crowd and resulted in a standing ovation and subsequent playing of one more song to end the night.
The opening act deserves recognition
Ritt Momney has all the talent in the world and is still somewhat under the radar.
Jake Rutter formed the band Ritt Momney before going solo after a split with his fellow band members. I had listened to Ritt Momney before, but was not entirely familiar with his music. He was soft-spoken when addressing the crowd and perhaps somewhat nervous, but once the music started he became an entirely different person. He is one of the rare exceptions where an artist sounds as good as the recording, if not better. Rutter praised Struble for his own talent during the show and mentioned the two were great friends, as well as discussing songs they had worked together on. If he isn't already on your radar/playlist, he absolutely should be.
Only two concerts? Rookie!
I'm still new to this concert thing, but I can promise you these are far from the last two I'll be attending.
Wallows, Cage The Elephant, The Backseat Lovers, Glass Animals, Joe P, Current Joys...my bucket list is endless, but for now these two concerts have shown me a side of music that I hadn't been able to experience.
