Saturday, June 20, 2009

Live from New York... It's Better Than Ezra


I have to be honest. When I started planning my NYC trip and saw that Better Than Ezra was playing, I thought it would be interesting to see what was going on with a washed up band from the '90s. I was absolutely wrong about the "washed up" part and absolutely right about getting a ticket, because this was an amazing show. I had seen this band a few times in the '90s, really liked them, had a couple of their CDs (Deluxe and Friction Baby). But, I had lost track of them, didn't see them coming through Austin on any tours. So glad to be reconnected. Lead singer Kevin Griffin, was cuter than I remembered, and over the years, he has perfected a comfortable, humorous and sincere stage presence. This was a fun show, but it totally rocked. They played old and new songs with the same energy. And, did I mention the crowd? Apparently, there is a huge fanbase that still supports Better Than Ezra. There were easily 1500 people at this show, everyone knew every word. I see lots of shows, and I have to say, this one was waaaaay up there in terms of music, fun and enjoyment. Triple threat. Tom Drummond is still with the band, but other members are newer. They're a quartet now, rather than a three-piece, but the chemistry with the current players was right on. I hope to see BTE again really soon. Hopefully they'll swing through Austin.

Oh, and to top things off, a few celebs dropped by. Peyton and Eli Manning were watching the show on the right side of the room, on the other side of the barriers right next to where I was standing. They were literally inches from me. See photos below. They came onstage right before King of New Orleans (they're from New Orleans, although they both play for NE Super Bowl winning teams). They came out later and threw some footballs out to the crowd, too. Only in NYC!!!

Here are a few photos. I'll try to upload some vids soon. Off to Hoboken in a few for Old 97s!!!



















5 comments:

Anonymous said...

No mentioned about the couple who announced their engagement!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have actually hoping someone would have posted some Tyrone Wells stuff from the show. The proposal was so sweet & that guy ROCKED it!!! I think it was probably just an oversight. Most BTE fans do not show up for openers.

This site is great and this show, as always was the best. They always put on the best show.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with the lucky guy who just got engaged!!!! I thought that was a great and sweet idea! You, whoever wrote the bitter comment, can't you just be happy for others who are in love? Stop blogging and go get yourself a boyfriend/girlfriend/miscellaneous.If you can't have any of those, a cat or a dog will do also.

Cindy Royal said...

Sorry I didn't post about Tyrone Wells and the engagement. I did get there toward the end of the set, and didn't get close enough to get decent pics or video. That's why I didn't include anything about him. But, it was a sweet proposal, with a BIG setup. So cool that Tyrone went along with it. Congrats to the couple. Happy Engagement!

Anonymous said...

Better than Ezra is playing Austin at La Zona Rosa on Saturday September 19th with special guests Sherwood and Josiah Leming. Click the following link for tickets http://gettix.net/concert/?event_id=3102