In today’s society a “concert” has become another option for a night out. You’ve seen that movie, you’ve tried that restaurant and now you’re looking for something else to do. People gather to be entertained and possibly let a boogie or two go. But very, very rarely are you treated to an actual experience. You know, something that grabs hold of that time and that place as though it was the only thing going on in the world. For the lucky 350 souls that made it inside the Bottleneck in Lawrence recently, they were treated to an incredible experience courtesy of Nashville duo The Civil Wars.
Joy Williams and John Paul White is a pair of singer-songwriters who have been blessed with an amazing talent. From the harmonies they make, to the notes they hit and the chords they play, it’s obvious their sound comes naturally and from deep inside. So the opportunity to see them perform live was one I was not going to pass up.
Their first full length LP is only about 2 months old, but has managed to gain them swarms of fans all along their tour. Our particular night was filled with nearly every song they’ve written and a few masterpiece covers.
The Civil Wars have a few sides to their music. One of the sides is reminiscent of a quiet town, nestled in the back roads of the Deep South. This is easily seen in selections off Barton Hollow, one of which – “20 Years” – made its appearance near the beginning of night. As John’s fingers danced across the notes on his guitar in an almost renaissance fashion, your attention is automatically grabbed in the first few seconds. The airy harmonies float with the steady chords throughout the rest of the song.
The interaction between the two was possibly more enjoyable than the music itself. The apparent admiration they have for each other was refreshing. And even when they spoke of their “most depressing” number “You Are My Sunshine,”it still came off as genuine.
Upon the first listen of “Barton Hollow,” I was blown away and excitement grew for the new LP. And so when smack dab in the middle of the set, John quietly slipped out: “and this one’s called ‘Barton Hollow’” – cheers proceeded to pipe up from every corner of the venue. Then within moments the powerful “whoo’s” were bellowing from the stage. You wanna talk about Deep South? Well then this song has got to be in the conversation. The incredibly strong beat coming from the top of John’s guitar, instigated a down-home kind of foot stomp from crowd. This was one of the many elements that only further proved why that venue with its worn wooden floor, was the perfect setting. While feet were stomping, the vocals were coming out so soulful and gut-wrenching, that they too would’ve felt at home in any Alabama Sunday church service. The participation from the crowd came in a few ways. As mentioned before, most stomped, but a large part of the crowd also stepped in for the chorus. And when the amazing song was finishing out, John obviously had recognized the audiences’ ability to not butcher their awesome notes and let us harmonize one single word “soul” all by ourselves. Perfection.
A few covers made the list and came out absolutely breath-taking. One in particular nearly froze the crowd in their place to where a pin drop could be heard. “Disarm” by the Smashing Pumpkins morphed into a mix of a lullaby and a love song when sung by The Civil Wars. The common reaction heard among fans was: “this is so beautiful!”
The end to their “official” set was naturally taken by the song most people heard first “Poison & Wine.” Having helped get the band their first spot on TV, it was no surprise that this came as a crowd favorite. The song was extraordinary. The vocals came off soft and elegant. And having Joy on the keys and John on the guitar, just seemed to be the way it was meant to be. The lyrics mostly repeated “I don’t love you, but I always will” for about 80% of the song. However with their angelic tone, you didn’t need much more to tug on the heart strings. Eventually the intensity built up to the point of a near cry, a cry from a broken heart that welled up a few tears among fans.
Smiles, tears, and a few foot stomps – that’s what resulted from our show. The duo is rumored to return to play a larger, outdoor venue in a few months. In the end though, this was the perfect show, the perfect way to experience The Civil Wars
