CONCERT COVERAGE: Local Natives Woos Columbus Fans
Date of Show: Sept 24, 2019 Location: Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH Photos & Review by: Nina Martin (Copy editing by Miranda Martin) Alt-rockers Local Natives made a stop at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on Sept 24th as part of their second leg of their “Spiral Choir” Tour, and we have a lot (of good things!) to say about it. The night’s show kicked off with Devon Gilfillian and his band. The Nashville-based artist had a great live sound fueled with blues, rock and roll, and funk all wrapped into one. As if his soulful voice didn't already mesmerize the crowd, Gilfillian's cover of TLC's "Waterfalls" towards the end of his set was truly the icing on the cake. The amped-up energy of the audience was just where it needed to be when Local Natives hit the stage. The crowd roared as the lights dimmed down and Local Natives approached the stage. Right off the bat, the five-piece group demonstrated their extraordinary ability to harmonize with opener "Vogue." "Vogue" is also the opening track off of their latest album, Violet Street, which was just released in April of this year. Following "Vogue" was "Sun Hands," an older fan-favorite (which we were thrilled to hear live). Singer Taylor Rice enjoys a sort of infamy when it comes to diving into the crowd during the song's breakdown, and it is always a pleasure to watch the whole band’s intensity crescendo while Rice is in the midst of the audience, crowd-surfing and singing the lyrics "And when I can feel with my sun hands I promise not to lose her again". In the past, the band has been known to play "Sun Hands" toward the end of their set, so it was a nice change of pace to hear it so early (and have the fan's high-excitement and energy) to last the rest of the show. Sweeping through newer hits like "Cafe Amarillo" to "Breakers" from their sophomore album, Local Natives performed a unique variety from their impressive catalog of songs. The band also performed "World News" and "Wide Eyes", both beloved songs from their first album, Gorilla Manor, which is approaching its 10 year anniversary this coming November. "Garden of Elysian" was another focal point of the night, as Rice belted out the haunting lyrics "Love isn't worship, love is change," (which lasted several bars and put the whole crowd in a trance). What really sets Local Natives apart from other bands in their genre is that they are so versatile in their ability to switch instruments between songs, all whilst keeping an impressive consistency in their original sound and style. Each member changed to a different instrument at least once, while drummer Matt Frazier keeps the heartbeat of the band pounding all night long. Multiple times throughout the night both singers Taylor Rice and Kelsey Ayers switched between lead vocals, keys, and guitars, with guitarist Ryan Hann displaying his impressive vocal talents on the song "Dark Days." Concluding the night with "Who Know, Who Cares", the five-piece poured every ounce of energy they had left into the song. Rice leaned the microphone stand toward the audience as the entire band grinned from ear to ear basking in joy, listening to the crowd sing in unison the last few notes of the song. This moment was the perfect closing note for such a memorable evening with Local Natives. The group will be wrapping up the year with tour-dates in Chicago and Portland (this December), and have recently announced they will be performing at the M3F Festival happening March 2020 in Phoenix, AZ. Take our word for it when we say this is a band you do not want to miss when they come to a city near you! Setlist: Vogue Sun Hands You & I Ceilings Gulf Shores I Saw You Close Your Eyes Coins Megaton Mile Someday Now Past Lives Fountain of Youth Cafe Amarillo Breakers World News Wide Eyes Garden of Elysian Dark Days When Am I Gonna Lose You Encore: Shy Columbia Who Know Who Cares https://www.devongilfillian.com https://www.facebook.com/devongmusic/ https://www.thelocalnatives.com https://www.facebook.com/localnatives/ https://twitter.com/localnatives https://www.youtube.com/user/localnativesband https://soundcloud.com/local-natives
