falling endlessly

From the moment I found out that Jonny was playing the theater at my university to the time the Wharton Center box office offered me second row, center . . . I thought, why couldn't ALL concerts be this hassle-free?!!  When my brother-in-law and I attended, we found a pleasantly blues-oriented crowd waiting amiably for the concert.   We chatted with people around us who had been to see B.B. King and Eric Clapton in concert (If only, overheard on the Albertane Tour, "I've seen Chuck Berry, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin . . . I thought I should check out Hanson since they were in town."  ::smirk::)  These were middle-aged men and college guys with their wives and girlfriends, who were simply into the blues.  There was not one posterboard in sight, not one sign of Jonny's name scrawled across any of the whiskered faces, not one squeal before the show?!!  No one was standing!  There had not even been any mild frisking for cameras or other contraband at the entrances. I shook my head in disbelief.

My first mild heart attack of the evening occurred when the opening band, a brother band from Austin, TX (My first thought, "Should I ask them if they happened to have been at South by Southwest in March of 1994?" ::grin::) took the stage.  The bassist looked like a blond pony-tailed Zac Hanson!  In the shadowy darkness before the stage lights beamed on, I wondered in shocked disbelief, "Had Hanson decided to join Jonny for a random appearance?" Sadly, and undoubtedly, no. At the same time, this band put on a great show . . . I felt as though they were part of a Jonny Lang fraternity: their hair (Jonny circa 1997), their passion and their prodigious youth.

When Jonny wandered on stage, his back was turned to the audience. The silhouette of his hair, the white tank and his lankiness added to the long-held and completely groundless theory that Jonny and Hanson share the same gene pool.   However, the fact that Isaac's haircut mirrors Jonny's recent "I'm growing out my crewcut" look is further evidence of the eldest Hanson's JL groupie status.   It's undeniable the striking similarities between Jonny and Isaac . .. well, actually I'm going to say Isaac/Taylor . . . a combination of these two band members. Old news, to anyone reading this page, I'm sure.

The music? Stunning!  There's something about hearing all of your favorite songs sung by the artist himself.  It's like he inhabits, for one brief moment in time, all of those moments when you listened to the album on your own.   No one can carry the passion you feel for the emotion and lyrics in quite the same way as the person who first gave them life.  He opened with Still Rainin' and then it never let up. The evening simply became a blur of passionate playing and onstage camaraderie that the audience was invited to attend.  Jonny engaged in some friendly dueling with his bandmates by wordlessly challenging them respond to spontaneous rifts.  The sax player and bassist refused to give up without a fight.  In fact, they each matched and at times outplayed Jonny which only left him grinning in apparent delight. The Interlude during I Am inspired real frenzy.

How can I describe the impact of Leaving to Stay?   Impossible, except for you to imagine a single spotlight that flashes across the darkness illuminating a voice that reaches out to carry hope straight to your heart.   The beauty of Breakin' Me was made more poignant by the fact that it came at the end. I wondered throughout the performance, did I miss this song?  Live on acoustic guitar, there is no comparison to the album version.  Simply whoa!   Songs that I don't usually include in my first breath when responding to the question about my favorite Jonny numbers were equally as breath-taking.  Before You Hit the Ground was non-stop energy . . . "It don't feel too good, when you hit the ground."  The album could never capture Jonny's smirk as he gives the audience a quick glance after he delivers this line. 

I have to admit that during the entire evening I had the sensation of falling endlessly into the incredible passion and talent that is Jonny Lang. If you've never been to one of his concerts, I would highly recommend it. Obviously.   ::smile::  My brother-in-law who has been seen to make gestures as though he were choking whenever I mention Hanson (to tease me, naturally) asked how this concert compared to my Hanson experiences.  I had to admit, "I can only say, it was incredible!"  I think I've exhausted my store of superlatives, so this review is finally over.  (c;