If you are an avid reader of this blog you’ve probably noticed the sabbatical that I’ve taken from writing. I wish I had a good excuse to offer you for my absence, like, I had all of my fingers amputated due to a horrendous case of gangrene, or I went blind and I’m just now figuring out how to use these tricky Braille keyboards. Nevertheless, I offer you no excuses, but rather just the plain and simple truth… I quit. See, I am what you might call a word junkie – a person who uses the English language in a similar way as a heroin addict uses dope. Words flow through our veins and on to the page. This gives us an unparalleled rush, but when it’s all said and done we feel used up. Hence my abrupt stop from posting on this fantastic site. Yet, like with any addiction it followed me and was always lurking just around the corner. All I needed was an enabler to drive me back to my old ways. And guess what? I found one. His name, Gavin DeGraw. Allow me to explain…
Last Thursday while perusing over a copy of Creative Loafing I noticed Gavin was set to perform that very night at The Ritz Ybor in my hometown of Tampa, Fl. Being that Gavin DeGraw is one of my favorite songwriters, and The Ritz is the best venue in Tampa to watch a show, I immediately began to search for tickets, but they were all sold out! Duh, of course they were! It was the day of the concert! But, after doing some digging I finally managed to score some tickets, and I was off to the show.
The opening act was a performer by the name of Mike Sanchez. He performed solo with his acoustic guitar and was good enough to keep the mostly female crowd entertained long enough to avoid any mishaps while they eagerly awaited Gavin to take the stage. After Sanchez finished his set there was a brief intermission, and he came down and greeted fans. I must say he seemed like a real cool guy.
Soon after Gavin came out and ignited the venue with his popular song ‘I’m in Love with a Girl’, and from there on out he had the audience captivated… Don’t believe me? The proof is in the pudding. Check out a couple of performance videos from the event below.
This was the first time Gavin and his newly formed band performed, and they gelled really well, playing fan favorites like ‘Follow Through’ and ‘Chariot’.
Gavin was a true class act, and even though he performed confidently there was still a sense of humbleness about him. As the crowd sang along word for word to every song you could tell the ‘I Don’t Want to Be’ singer was enjoying being there just as much as we were.
There was one new song in particular the band played that I really liked, but for the life of me I can’t remember the name of it, sorry… In the words of T-Pain I “blame it on the alcohol.” Curse you Jack Daniels $7 specials!
After the concert I felt a sudden burst of inspiration (Perspiration, too… It is flippin’ hot here in Tampa!) And I knew there was no patch or gum strong enough to stop me from relapsing. I went home, turned on my computer, and began banging away at the keys in a frantic effort to put my experience from that evening into words.
What you are reading is the result of a relapse. A relapse brought on by an amazing artist, performing at an intimate venue, on an unforgettable night. After all, if a talented musician leaves it all on the stage, a talented writer should leave it all on the page, yes?
Gavin DeGraw’s new album ‘Sweeter’ is set for release on August 9, 2011.
For more news about Gavin visit his website.
Special thanks to Carla Vaughan for making this amazing night possible!
The Ritz Ybor – I can’t say enough about this venue. Check out all of there upcoming events here.
Photos: www.wenn.com
June 8th, 2011 at 9:49 am
Loved the write-up M! We’ve missed you!