After a long 8 year wait Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors headline Salt Lake City again to a thrilled room

Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors brought their “Find Your People Tour” to Utah on Saturday May 4th. After nearly 8 years since their last headlining tour to Utah, fans were anxiously waiting for this evening. With a line out the door of The CommonWealth Room, the venue was more than half full before the show was even close to starting, everyone waiting for the excitement the evening would surely bring.

Starting the night was Donovan Woods, a Canadian folk-country singer. From the moment he came on to stage I would say he became a crowd favorite. He quickly befriended the audience through his song lyrics and quick wit. After every song he was able to connect with the members of the audience whether he was telling stories about the events of the day, his songs, or his life. All the stories endeared him to the crowd. One of my favorite songs from the night was a song called “Clean Slate” from his “Without People” album. Donavan sang with very melodic yet powerful vocals for each of his songs. As he announced that he had one song left, the crowd let out a disappointed sigh, he joked that we are all too soft before thanking everyone for coming out. Needless to say, we are looking forward to a Utah return for Donovan Woods.

After a short break, the time came for Drew Holcomb. Leading up to this show I had heard a lot about Drew through various friends and while I had only heard a handful of his songs I was assured by many that he is not an artist to miss. After attending the show I can confirm that’s true. From the moment he and his band took the stage they had the audience captivated with his incredible vocals and the band’s lively performance it was impossible to not be an instant fan. A quick survey of the crowd conducted by the band showed that not only had a handful traveled to see this show but a large portion of the crowd was seeing them for the first time. Not that you would be able to tell, as the response from the crowd from song to song made it seem as though the room was full of lifetime fans.

Some highlights of the evening included; Jac Thompson coming out to perform with the band. Jac follows Drew and the Neighbors on tour as a merch salesman but can hold her own on stage. Her voice was beautiful with raspy notes that really made her stand out. Later in the set Donovan Woods came back on stage to sing a duet of “For Some Reason”. I adored this duet, Drew’s deep yet crisp vocals blended perfectly with Donovan’s melodic tone. As the night progressed the crowd only grew more entranced, at one point, during a cover of Adeles “When We Were Young” Drew went out into the crowd and stood on a stool to sing along with the crowd. The venue flicked on the mirrorball so the lights reflected across the room. After returning to stage Drew joked that Adele is his daughter’s favorite so he will always sing that song for her.

Throughout the night Drew connected with the crowd with ease as he told stories from his life and how they came through in his music. Before starting their song “Family” he talked about how he loves what music does to and for people, remarking “The stuff that happens between music and strangers is magic”. They proceeded to play the intro of the song before welcoming everyone in the crowd to the family. Before the band could leave the stage the crowd was cheering for an encore. Drew came out by himself to sing an acoustic version of “What Would I Do Without You”. The night ended with their song, “Dance With Everybody” this was an especially special ending as Drew invited the locally loved band from Utah, “The National Parks” on stage to sing with him as they are featured on their new album in the song’s recording. The crowd went wild and the night ended on a high note as everyone danced and sung along until the final note played.

Saturday night was a memorable evening for all and fans are surely excited for the future return of Drew and the Neighbors. Drew and his band have the ability to play for many while simultaneously being able to make the show feel intimate and personal as though they were just playing for you. With tour dates along the West and East coast throughout the rest of the month and a handful of festival dates throughout the summer, if you haven’t seen Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors you surely won’t want to miss on the opportunity you have to see them this year.