I had never seen them before that night, so I was pretty excited to see what they had in store. The stage was set with several different instruments that included some pretty awesome percussions. There were big lights and even confetti guns...oh yea, this was going to be grandiose! They put up a large red curtain that was anchored to the lights at each end of the stage. With the entire stage blanketed, the band took their places while the audience waited to see what was next. Before we knew it, someone was cutting a heart in to the curtain, and a white robe with a matching heart appeared. The lead singer Tim DeLaughter, cut the remaining curtain down and as soon as it hit the ground, they began playing "I'm Calling". I was almost taken back by the energy that this band gives off! You can literally feel the love exuding from them and the joy they want to share with their fans. It was beautiful, it was fun, it was happy! It took all I had to not run up on stage and hug them all. Four ladies were standing on choral risers and often danced in unison while singing back up, and sometimes lead, vocals. Tim danced around the stage and sang to the crowd, encouraging audience participation. Horn players, violinist, percussion players, keyboardist, guitarists; with so much going on, how do they all stay together and orchestrate such magic? Tim acts as a conductor not only to the band, but to the light show and even the crowd; and at the peak of a song, the confetti cannons would shoot red and white confetti in to the audience. I was pleasantly surprised when they went in to a Who medley that included a wonderful rendition of "Pinball Wizard". The highlight of the show for me, was when they played my favorite song, "Section 22 Running Away". I was sitting at the top of the bleachers so I could see everything, and as the song played, I was singing, dancing and carrying on! I realized that Tim was waving at me in recognition, because he noticed I was enjoying myself. My heart melted and I even blushed. That song holds a lot of meaning for me and it was the most perfect moment, I felt that my heart would burst from happiness at that point in time! That's the kind of feeling the whole show gave me. They came out for a couple encores and closed the evening with the song "The Championship". Tim had each section of his band leave the stage, one by one, all the while getting the audience to chant the lyrics "all in good time, raise our voices". The crowd continued on long after they had all left the stage.
One might think that this band is some sort of cult, just from the way they dress and carry on. If that is the case, I would happily jump on board just to get a big scoop of the happiness that Tim seems to dish out! I imagine it being similar to what a 1960's commune was like. It was simply fun to see a band like that come through and share what they have to offer. I absorbed as much of that free energy as I could. I wonder if Crescent Ballroom sold more vegetarian/vegan burritos than they ever have, that night?
"Section 22 Running Away"
