Needtobreathe Bring ‘Something Beautiful’ to First Avenue

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It’s been awhile since I’ve gone to a show at First Avenue about 20 minutes after the doors have opened and entered the venue to find that the entire floor was already filled with people eagerly awaiting a performance.  Even with the show being sold out, I was still slightly surprised that this many people showed up early, however, it made me feel like that meant this show was going to be something special to witness.  I’ll also admit that I have never seen the opening band The Brummies nor the headliner Needtobreathe live before, as the music they play is fairly out of the usual range of music I listen to, but I was still anticipating this would be a fantastic show. 

The lights went down early before The Brummies came on, and that only fueled the excitement of the crowd, as people flooded the venue with cheers.  As the Nashville based band walked on to the stage, they did so with a subtle confidence and a quiet, albeit commanding, energy, that command the attention of the entire crowd.  I was not completely sure what I was going to see when I walked into the venue, but I was pleasantly surprised by this band and the collected and quirky sound that poured out from the stage.  Even as their set came to a close, I could tell that I was not the only person in the crowd that was satisfied by their performance.  

Trying to navigate my way back near the front of First Avenue after The Brummies’ set proved to be difficult, as the crowd spilled out all the way to the stairs leading to the doors out of the venue, where still more people filed in for the headliner.  As the time slowly inched past the posted start time for Needtobreathe, I could see the crowd’s anticipation building, and when the lights went down, the crowd gave out a more intense cheer.  The Charleston, South Carolina rock band walked out on stage to silhouette lighting, gaining louder responses from the crowd as each member sauntered on stage.  Everything from the lighting, to the musical prowess, to the overwhelming crowd reaction made their performance more exciting with each passing song, a hefty task for a 20+ song setlist but one Needtobreathe tackled with ease. It was fun to observe the crowd during their set, as it felt as through there was not a single person in attendance that didn’t know every song that was played.  While neither of these bands are in my usual repertoire of music I listen to, I will admit that both The Brummies and Needtobreathe paired well together, did not disappoint in their performances, and made it a night worth experiencing. 

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