2018-08-11 - Late Night - HI-FI Indy - Indianapolis, IN
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After an incredibly fun Brendan Bayliss birthday party UM show it was now time for what would be not only the highlight of my weekend, but one of my favorite Spafford show to date! These guys have a reputation of taking late night shows to another level and tonight would be no exception. This was my first time at the newly renovated HI-FI Indy and it’s a cool venue. Limited to around 400 people, and with a bar stretching down the left side of the dance floor, we had plenty of room to boogie while never being far from a cold drink! Good acoustics too, for a room this size.
The set opened with Funkadelic and WOW(!) what a way to welcome the crowd. Tight, smooth, and funky as ever, this one built a soulful jam into a long seamless transition into Broken Wing.
A newer song of theirs with great vocals and a foundation for incredible jams, Broken Wing is quickly becoming a fan favorite and it’s easy to see why. A somewhat chill jam gave way to Brian taking the lead with bright, soaring riffs that made the room feel 10x bigger than it was.
Next up was My Road (My Road). For a song that when released felt somewhat tame, My road (My Road) has turned into a perennial monster! Every member in the band seems to have their hands around various parts of the song. Red’s crooning, Cam’s surgical syncopation, Jordan’s funky backdrop, and Brian’s playful trips across the fret board all took turns leading the way during an extended jam that dropped flawlessly back into the end of the song.
There was a noticeable reaction from the crowd as the opening notes of Leave The Light On rang out. Always popular, “LTLO” is the song that started my love affair with this band and it has yet to ever disappoint. Brian, Cam, and Jordan were happy to lay the foundation as Red showed off his light fingers on the keys through the first of two jams. The second jam picked up the pace as Brian and Red both seemed to drive forward at the same time ending with another perfect drop back into the closing lyrics.
Spafford’s upbeat rendition of the Gary Jules tune Mad World then started a run of three straight songs I had been hoping to hear going into the weekend. A common cover of theirs that I had yet to see live this one had the crowd getting down!
The set ended with what is probably my current favorite Spafford song, The Postman. The chill, melodic opening almost lulls you until the sudden tempo change clues you in to the song’s true sinister nature. One of the sickest breakdowns in Spafford’s catalog (imo) leads to the less than complex chorus, but fancy words just aren’t needed in the audible odyssey that is The Postman! Seamlessly ranging from a funky groove, to shredding riffs, to piano scales, to electronic dance elements and back, this song is as fun as it gets. It was clear I’m not the only one who felt this way as the crowd absolutely got DOWN from beginning to end during this one. As the song ended and the band exited the stage I couldn’t help but wonder, what encore could possibly top what we had just heard?
It didn’t take long for the band to come back out with the answer in the form of the opening notes of The Reprise. THE. REPRISE! All shred. All the time. With an infectious riff that you can’t help but rock out to this is one of the absolute best ways to close out a set. I don’t care who you are, the sheer elation on Brian’s face while crushing this song will make your inner air guitar rock god come out at some point. Mine did for the majority of the encore! What a way to end an incredibly fun weekend of music from start to finish. Time to go buy more concert tickets!
