Two of my most favorite things that could happen at a show took place at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights on Saturday night. First off it was the last gig of the tour. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch the last show of a tour, you know what I’m talking about, but if you have yet to experience such an event, you are missing out. It is the most energetic, emotional and enthusiastic performance of the tour. These artists will give it all they’ve got and go out with a bang.
Secondly, I always love it when I am impressed with the openers when I have never heard of them before. J. Roddy Walston & the Business blew me away. Adam Turla, lead singer of Murder By Death described them as “Thin Lizzy, Roxy Music, The Face, and Mott the Hoople combined.†J. Roddy Walston would switch between the keys and guitar almost every other song all while rocking out and singing with his amazing voice. Bassist Zach Westphal was nothing short of a character, with his crazy expressions and untamed moves on the stage. The highlight of their set was when Turla came out and had them cover “Fat Bottomed Girls†by Queen. Without missing a note, it easily turned into my favorite live cover I have ever witnessed.
Next up on the bill was William Elliot Whitmore, a folk/blues singer/songwriter from Iowa. I’ve never seen more energy out of one man and his guitar (or banjo, depending on which song it was). Before he started his set, he asked if one person would get his some whiskey, but, in Cleveland, when it rains it pours and after his first song he ended up with about 4-5 shots and one or two beers. This guy was like a mix between the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and the dark side of Johnny Cash. With songs like “Float like Anchors†and “Diggin’ My Graveâ€, William Elliot Whitmore sings of topics on the line of sin, judgment and his past. All I know is that man has got him some soul.
The mood in the venue could not have been any better once the long awaited Murder by Death took the stage. Saturday night, amazing music, whiskey shots being passed around the crowd and with no end in sight, what more could you ask for. With every note MBD brought, all that was expected came to fruition and then some. Having seen them before I was a little confused, because with the amount of energy they brought, I almost thought it was a different band entirely. You could tell it was the last show of the tour because they had their thing together. Sarah Balliet tore the cello to shreds, Matt Armstrong pounded his bass back to the store he got it from, and Dagan Thogerson never missed a beat, pounding away on the skins in the back.
Turla seemed to stop between every other song to talk about how great the tour went and how he is going to miss everybody. These bands really bonded and became like family throughout the tour and you could tell. More and more, shots would make there way to the stage and more and more speeches of missed friends were made until their last song and climax of the evening. William Elliot Whitmore joined MBD for their last song and everyone slowly made their way off stage. Of course they came back for an encore, and they couldn’t have picked a better song. As they started to play “Comin’ Home†for the last song of their last gig, everyone from every band started coming on stage to play/sing a long for one of the most emotionally intense collaborations I’ve been around for.
Rounds of hugs and good-byes started before the music was over which was pretty comical to watch. Everyone was giving hugs while still trying to play the song, and they did it (surprisingly) successfully. Afterwards everyone just stood around, had some beers and BS’d. Overall it was an amazing show. J. Roddy Walston & the Business, William Elliot Whitmore and Murder By Death really know how to put on a performance and I can’t wait until any one of them comes back around.
Murder By Death: website | myspace
William Elliot Whitmore: website | myspace
J. Roddy Walston & the Business: website | myspace
Pingback: Murder by Death @ Terminal 5, NYC (photo essay) | popwreckoning