By Emmy Vonada
After his first three songs, David Shaw (from the rock band The Revivalists) looks out to the crowd of gleefully tipsy Seattleites. All of whom were taking a pause from dancing on the historic floor of the Crocodile. “There were some really famous bands who cut their teeth in this venue, right? Pretty sick.” He says the last part in awe, as if performing was his cake and the people in this venue were the candles.
While I didn’t know a lot about David Shaw’s discography before attending his show, it was clear from the first few songs that he knows a thing or two about writing from the heart. His first song of the night, “One More Day” has gritty lyrics and bass that convey a sense of survival, both stoic and a little anxious. It was a solid beginning filled with hard drums, strong backup vocals, and an atmosphere I knew would only get more lively as the night progressed. The following songs, “End of Us” and “Heavy Soul” are equally as deep and soulful. The lead guitarist’s solo in “Heavy Soul”, featured some of the most impressive and deliberate riffs I have seen in a long time. At this point, the audience and I were amped and ready for more.
Next, he played “When You Love Somebody”. This was one of my favorite songs of the night, I loved its catchiness and strong lyrics about his wife. After the last note, David explains how his time in marriage counseling and the thoughts he and his wife expressed to each other inspired the song. “It was like shit I never wanted to say. Everything, oh my god. You know what I’m talking about… we went deep. So now, I feel like I can tell her anything at this point and we’re good. And she’s thinking, ‘You can’t tell me anything else at this point, buddy.’” By this point, his willingness to be open with the crowd had sold me. Me, being the only unmarried twenty-something in the crowd.
His next song, “Take a Look Inside”, features lyrics that further dive into his work in therapy and assess the man he wants to be for the people in his life. For the vocals in this song, he introduced a second microphone that produced some seriously angelic vocals in the background. It felt like a church concert in the best possible way. By the time we reached his next song, “Guru”, he was singing directly into the crowd, legs dangling off the stage while the piano played passionately. This was a clear sign of the atmosphere he wanted to produce from then on out – intimate, lively, and memorable.
Later on, “So Far Gone” and “Promised Land” are pure good-feeling music. People were jumping, the drums were fast, and the piano was lively. The air seemed to be building, so I moved to the back of the crowd to really observe how the audience was feeling. What I saw was like a painting; a couple holding each other over here, a man waving his hands in the air over there, a gaggle of women cheering from the far corners of the crowd. It was a sight of pure joy.
Here is where it gets particularly interesting. I had heard a rumor that David Shaw loves interacting with the crowd, at times to the very point where he is dancing alongside them. By the time the band began playing “Something to This Feeling”, I knew the time had come. The drums became very loud and fast, and the rest of the band was racing with the tempo. Before I knew it, David Shaw began moshing through the crowd in full force, grabbing men by the shoulders, dancing with their wives, and jumping from the stage to the back wall. It felt bizarre to see a talent interact with their audience like this, but David has said in the past how much he cherishes that part of the night. Honestly, while surprising, I had never seen so much joy on people’s faces. In the end, when David is sweating and breathing heavily, he says, “S***, guys, we’re only halfway through the set! Give it up for the band, you guys. That’s not normal!”
The last three songs carry the crowd like a lazy river. He reintroduces the angelic backup vocals, plus an appearance from the show’s opener, country singer Leah Blevins. He gives an outstanding cover of “Heroes” by David Bowie, followed by a trippy performance of “I Can Hear You (Calling on Me)”. Wrapping up the song with guitar riffs that feel close to psychedelics, I find appreciation in how he took that musical risk on Seattle turf – it paid off beautifully.
As I left the venue with the hook to “Shaken” stuck in my head, I felt a new appreciation for David Shaw and the respect he paid to the Crocodile that night. He attended to the crowd with care, and you can tell making music is what he lives and breathes. If you haven’t yet, I would suggest giving him a listen and hearing the passion for yourself. In-person, it was the best thing that could happen on a Wednesday night (or any night, for that matter).
This article was done with the help of KXSU Seattle.
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