Red Clay Strays, The Revivalists, y Haley Reinhart

It’s not every day that you see a mainstream 7-piece jam band complete with trumpet and saxophone hit the road, but similar to the likes of Moon Taxi and The Wild Feathers, the New Orleans based Revivalists deliver the enthusiastic twang of a southern alt rock band playing with a genuine and undeniably innate sense of rhythm.

For such a big outfit, the guys are close yet comfortable on stage, each ingratiating himself inconspicuously before coming together as a group both mentally and musically for the drop. Vocalist David Shaw’s rough yet rich delivery is at times reminiscent of Ray LaMontage’s husky but passionate tone (especially when he’s stripped down with only a guitar). Shaw not only genuinely inflects his commitment to the song using his powerful voice, but also through his onstage presence, fumblingly calculatedly around onstage while continuously encouraging the crowd and interacting with the front row die-hards.

The unrelenting saxophone, along with the trumpet, pierce the melody, adding to the highly energetic and involving performance; it’s exactly what you’d expect from a 7-piece jam band.

With an EP and two albums under their belt, including a 2014 re-release of the two-disc City of Sound, The Revivalists offer a grand, one-of-a-kind musical experience, continuously touring North America with the entire band in tow.

Haley Reinhart has got a voice to be reckoned with. Her sultry voice is stunning as she takes on a 50/50 mixture of covers and original. Reinhart made a name for herself on hit reality talent show, American Idol when she came in third place. Following Idol, she was signed to Intersope Records and 19 Entertainment in 2014. One of the things about Reinhart that set her apart from the crowd is that her voice is has such a jazz influence, and she showed this off plenty of times in her Idol career. This evening midway through her set, she performs the Elton John classic “Benny and the Jets” which brings the house down. Everyone is cheering throughout the whole song at the caliber of this songstress’s raw talent. One of the most amazing moments for everyone was when she brought her Idol friend Casey Abrams onstage to reprise their version of “I Feel the Earth Move”, which on American Idol earned them a standing ovation from all of the judges. It definitely does this evening as well.
She performs her single “Free” which is taken from her album “Listen Up!” This album peaked at 17 in the Billboard charts; everyone is up off their seats dancing throughout this unforgettable performance. She talks about an album coming out next year but doesn’t give too much away, leaving the audience wanting more.