March 11, 2007

I’ve been baptized in the Church of Taylor Hicks, and re-emerged with a cleansed soul.

The Ryman show was an almost two-hour non-stop, energy-filled, sweat-dripping revival of the soul. When it was over, Taylor gained a new fan - my Mother, who accompanied me to the show, along with my brother, sister-in-law, and 7-year old niece.

We started out at the Melting Pot for a fabulous 4-course fondue dinner (and I DO mean fabulous!); then walked the couple of blocks over to the Ryman. I hadn’t been back in the Ryman since my first husband’s band was showcased back in the early 80’s, so it was a welcome reunion. (For those who’ve never been there - be sure to check out more information about the auditorium - it’s history is luminous, to say the least.)

The opening band, The Greyhounds, was great. They had a Zydeco flavor to their music - upbeat and foot-tapping. Almost 45 minutes’ worth of entertainment that primed us for Taylor’s performance.

I was expecting Taylor to come strutting through the audience, but he surprised me coming out from the sidestage instead. His first number was Gonna Move, which segued into what I think were about 3-5 different songs before he finally stopped to catch his breath.

A little later, Taylor launched into a jazzy, soulful medley of Hold On to Your Love > Man’s World > Jesus is Just Alright > Can’t Trust Your Neighbor that absolutely brought the house down! To me, it was the best performance in the set. Other highlights included Supertramp’s Goodbye Stranger - which he said was a new one they were working into the show.

After an hour-and a half of music, Taylor ended the main set with The Runaround - only to be beckoned back on-stage for an encore by the VERY loud insistence of the by-then rowdy sold-out crowd. He closed out the show with Soul Thing and Will The Circle Be Unbroken, very befitting for the Mother Church. (See end of this post for a full set list.)

Despite the bad acoustics (we were sitting under the balcony that poorly dampened the sound), it was an amazing show. I didn’t take my camera, but I feel confident other Soul Patrolers there - i.e., Heather Anne (who I got to chat with prior to the show), have some great shots they’ll be posting shortly.

As I was driving away from the Ryman, I spotted Mandy making her way around the back door where Taylor was exiting, but didn’t get to talk to her as my niece was wiped and ready for bed. However, do check her Blog for her always insightful and entertaining posts.

I’m looking forward to the Borgata show next month. Until then, for those attending any of the shows - get ready for some throw-down entertainment. You won’t be disappointed!

Set List
Gonna Move
Heaven Knows
The Maze > Let’s Get It On >You Make Me Feel So Free
Hold On to Your Love > Man’s World > Jesus is Just Alright > Can’t Trust Your Neighbor
Just to Feel That Way
Give Me Tonight
The Deal
Heart and Soul > Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Goodbye Stranger (Supertramp)
Dream Myself Awake
Compared To What
Young Turks
The Right Place
The Runaround > Cold Baloney

Encore:
Soul Thing > Grits Ain’t Groceries
Will the Circle Be Unbroken

This entry is also posted at my other blog at TOSP

If you enjoyed this story, please subscribe to the full RSS feed. You can also have it delivered straight to your mailbox. For something different, mosey over to eScapes and check out dKaye's take on life through photos.

|  Printable version | Posted in reels and squeals | Tags: american idol, music, reels and squeals, review, taylor_hicks.