By VitalityXposed (Kellie Green)
Monday, November 4, was, for many, a night of preparation for the big day to follow, because November 5 was a defining moment for our country. Whichever direction we are headed, we are in for big change. But for a packed Liberty Hall theater in Lawrence, KS on November 4, City and Colour and their support Vincent Neil Emerson, offered a safe space to escape the madness for a few hours. To slip into the comfort of being held up by the very thing that has kept many of us going at times. Music.
Vincent Neil Emerson said during his set that music saved his life. For many of us, that hits close to home. He spoke of many trials and tribulations he’s endured on his journey, including living out of his car for a period of time, playing music on the street, not knowing if/when money would come in to support him. He opened up to the crowd, inviting even more of a safe space through vulnerability and connection.
Vincent is every bit of a homegrown southern boy from Texas, stepping out onto the stage in a white Stetson and cowboy boots. His first album reflects those southern roots with the title “Fried Chicken and Evil Women”. However, in his second album self titled “Vincent Neil Emerson”, he brings out his Indigenous roots with his song “The Ballad of the Choctaw-Apache”.
Vincent clearly writes from the heart, as he displayed by sharing that even though he hates flying because he doesn’t like being crammed into small spaces, he likes to look out and watch the clouds because they remind him of his wife, which inspired him to write a song. I know, I was swooning, too. So even if you’re not usually a folk or country listener, you can most certainly appreciate his beautiful and heartfelt lyrics. Delivered with a southern drawl, you can’t help but be roped in.
Vincent and his band were on their last night of joining City and Colour on this tour and you can tell that it has been a cohesive journey. Dallas Green was even side stage vibin and Matt Kelly joined Vincent’s set, pulling double duty for the night. Dallas and the rest of the members joining him for this City and Colour tour hit the stage for their own set at 9:10pm sharp, and I’m not sure about anyone else, but for me, the entire world melted away around that theater.
This review may be a little biased, because this one is personal. City and Colour is my favorite band and Dallas Green has been my favorite musician since I first discovered Alexisonfire while working at Hot Topic in 2009. My coworker then introduced me to City and Colour, and from the very first time heard the album “Sometimes”, it has been a safe space for me, an escape.
So when the lights went down, and they took the stage, it was just me, my camera, and the music encompassing me. But I think I can speak for a lot of us when I say, we escaped. With the exception of those yelling out the Chiefs score, which Dallas responded to by asserting that he is a Bills fan, the rest of us were encapsulated in that theater. If you’ve never seen City and Colour live, I cannot recommend experiencing it live more. Let me share a little of the why.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little emotional during “Bow Down to Love”, off their 2023 album “The Love Still Held Me Near”. Dallas wrote this song during a time where our country was divided, and so many were fueled by anger and hated. He said in a recent interview that he just wanted to write a song “rooted in compassion”. He did just that and so much more. If you haven’t heard it, I recommend doing so without distraction. Turn on the song, turn off the TV, stop scrolling, and just listen. In a time where humanity just cannot seem to come together, this song is everything. And hearing it live brought me to tears. He wrote the song rooted in compassion, and he delivers it in a storm of raw, unbridled passion. I’m emotional all over just reliving it.
But it wasn’t just one song delivered with enough soul to save the universe, it was every single song. You can tell be the emotion in their facial expressions that City and Colour doesn’t just perform, they truly feel each and every song. From start to finish the show was full of beautiful lighting, intensely passionate instrumental breakdowns, and heart. They closed the set with *SPOILER ALERT* a mashup of “Sometimes (I Wish)” and “Ordinary Love”. If you’re more familiar, “Sometimes” comes from the like titled first City and Colour album from 2005 “Sometimes” and “Ordinary Love” comes from Dallas’s album with Pink, “Rose Ave.”, released in 2014. I can honestly say I never wanted that song to end. It turns out, in my opinion, the perfect song does exist.
Photo Gallery : Vincent Neil Emerson – Liberty Hall (11.04.2024)
