John Butler Trio delivers an evening of positive vibes for enthusiastic fans in Cincinnati
There is something heartwarming, enchanting and just plain fun about being at a John Butler Trio show. The overall genuineness of the music, the love for what the band is doing and the joy of spreading the love and music within pours from the stage during the show. It’s been four long years since the band’s last album Flesh and Blood but in August John Butler Trio released the first single and title track, “Home”, ahead of the album which was released on September 28th to rave reviews.
For the ardent fans, the night begins with a pre show meet and greet experience. John sits on the second step of the stairway leading to the mezzanine and invites everyone to sit on the floor so everyone can see and begins by performing a few acoustic songs that would not make it to the show set, namely Spring to Come and Peaches and Cream. This is followed by what he describes as “my favorite part” a short Q&A session that finds John Butler talking about, the joie de vivre of performing and to being able to create moments during the evening that “give you the chills.” There are more than a few of those moments during this pre show experience.
On a stage awash in deep purple, John Butler, Bryon Luiters on bass and Grant Gerathy on drums are greeted with a raucous cheer as the guys launch into the opening song of the evening, “Wade in the Water” followed by “Tahitian Blue,” “Just Call” and “Faith” all from the Home album and the evening is off to a fast start. Changing things up a little JBT was joined on stage by percussionists Lozz Benson and Michael Hardy. While the evening centers around the Home album there were plenty of JBT favorites mixed in including “Blame It On Me,” “Used to Get High” and “Pickapart” drawing escalating cheers from the crowd as the evening wore on.
Now, more than halfway into the evening and with the crowd thoroughly living in the moment of the show, John sits down with his 12-string acoustic guitar on his lap as everyone moves a bit closer to the edge of their seats, knowing full well what ‘s coming as he begins the opening chords of the epic song “Ocean”. Over the next 15 plus minutes, the entire venue rides waves of emotion as “Ocean” unfolds, culminating with a rousing crescendo, ultimately drawing the loudest ovation of the evening.
John Butler Trio closes out their main set with the groovy sing-along song “Don’t Want to See Your Face” along with “Home”, the title track from the latest album. A two-song encore set closes out this magical evening beginning with “Better Than” followed by “We Want More”. Judging by the buzz and the excited conversations in the lobby after the show, John Butler Trio created a memorable experience that Cincinnati fans will last for quite some time.
