Brett Dennen (2/15/07)



My friend Tim was the first to mention Brett Dennen to me, and asked if I wanted to go see him perform in Akron. As with any recommendation, I checked him out. Not only was I liking Brett's new album, but I was also excited to see my first show at The Lime Spider! I randomly had lunch there last year, so I already knew I liked the atmosphere, the food, and the fantastic beer selection. But this was to be my first show.

Unfortunately it was on a Thursday night, but I was motivated to see this place. Besides, Tim had already purchased the tickets weeks ago. The drive to Akron wasn't bad (being only 1 day after a "blizzard") and parking was easy. As soon as we opened the door, all we saw was wall-to-wall people. At first we planned to go early for dinner, but changed our minds. This was unfortunate (for comfortability sake). We squeezed our way half way up the bar and found Tim.

I couldn't figure out why this place was sooo busy! I figured if this same line-up performed at the Beachland Tavern, that it wouldn't have attracted this many people... Was it because The Lime Spider is that popular in Akron? Was it that the hip 91.3 The Summit heavily promoted the show, playing music by Brett? Or maybe it was that the University of Akron is just around the corner and the place naturally drew a big crowd. Either way, I was pleased that this show had a great turn-out. and I was even more pleased to find they were serving Bell's Two Hearted Ale on tap!

We missed the first opener, ZACH. We did catch the 2nd opener, Tom Freund playing a pretty sweet cover of a Beatles song, and then one more which he called Brett up for. By the time he was done and the wait for Brett was over, we were pretty tired of standing in a crowded room with our coats on. However, once Brett got on stage, he drew our attention straight to him. He was a little awkward, and much taller than I expected. But as soon as he opened his mouth, I sensed the same weathered, soulful voice that you hear on the album, but wouldn't expect from someone so young. He sounded great! He played a couple of my favorite songs from the new CD, and he had Tom playing guitar and a drummer.

If only I could have seen this show closer to home and in more comfortable atmosphere, I think it could have been a magical experience. Or maybe next time I'll just plan to get there for dinner.

Posted: Fri - February 16, 2007 at 07:37 PM           |

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