Girl at the Rock Shows

When covering concerts, you can typically find me in a back corner furiously taking notes on my phone. It’s not that I’m not paying attention to the show– quite the opposite. I try and catch every little nod and every crooked smile while jotting down words that those tiny details make me feel. It helps when it comes to the next morning and I sit at my desk to write a review. Sometimes I don’t even look at the notes because I remember everything so vividly. Other times, all I do is rephrase my notes into sentences that make sense because of exhaustion levels being so high. I don’t think there was a single moment during the show on Thursday night where I even looked at my phone. This is a double-edged sword. Clearly, it means I was so captivated by the show that I couldn’t find the time to glance at my phone. On the other side, this means I have no notes. I can’t tell you what songs I heard or anything like that but I can tell you that Thursday night with Jon Batiste at an uber-sold out First Avenue was like living in a dream.

If you haven’t heard of Jon Batiste, I can only assume that you have been living under a rock. That being said, let me still give you a quick background on this amazing human. Jon Batiste is a little bit of everything. A sing-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, television personality– the list goes on and on. From his solo stuff to his work on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert all the way to his multiple Grammy wins (including album of the year in 2022), Jon has quickly become a household name and that’s due to his talent and the grind that he seems to constantly be on. Out of everyone hitting it big in the music industry these days, I feel like I really look up to Jon and how it’s clear that he has worked his butt off to get where he is today and still comes off as very humble even with all of the fame and accolades circling around him.

Before I talk a bit about the show, I want to give you one last little tidbit about Jon. He is part of the Batiste family which, if you ask me, is one of the few remaining music dynasties out there. If you have some time, I highly suggest you look into this family. The amount of talent that flows through the Batiste world is insane and, although Jon has clearly worked hard to get where he is today, there is definitely something in his blood due to his family line that has given him the drive and talent that he has today. It’s a super interesting dive into the history of New Orleans (and beyond) music.

Now to the show. After a slight delay purely due to the sheer amount of people trying to get into the completely sold-out show, the houselights went down and Jon and his truly stellar band took the stage. When I got my first glimpse of the superstar, it took my breath away. I honestly couldn’t tell you why other than the fact that I knew I was about to see pure gold on stage. Honestly, this was the first time I had felt this way since the first time I saw Prince when I first moved to Minneapolis. (Fun fact- Jon Batiste and his band did end up doing a stunning cover of “Purple Rain” during the encore.) It’s just this feeling of complete euphoria mixed with that sense that you must be dreaming. After just a couple of seconds, I truly thought about turning to a friend that was next to me and asking him to pinch me. It was just surreal that I was standing here, watching this man, an idol of mine, pour his heart onto the stage right in front of me.

Jon’s heart was absolutely on display on Thursday night. I don’t know if it was the charm of Prince that had been left in First Avenue years ago or what but Jon came off as a true superstar while, overall, having an almost understated performance. Sure, there were bright lights and a little pomp and circumstance but, overall, it was just Jon and his incredible band on that stage playing their hearts out. Every member on that stage deserves a huge round of applause and pat on their back. Nobody got lost in the mix and everybody had a chance to shine, not just Jon. I guess this doesn’t surprise me at all just because of the aura that Jon seems to have about him but it would have been so easy for him to make the show all about himself. I loved the way he let the audience enjoy the sound and performance as a whole.

Another thing that Jon didn’t have to do but did on Thursday night was break down the barrier between band and audience. Jon, the Grammy award winner, and his band left the stage and took to the audience at the end of the performance. I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of bands do this but, for someone like Jon to do this at the humble little club that is First Avenue (okay, it’s not that little but it was a super intimate show for such a superstar) truly just shows the connection he has with his fans and followers. Like I mentioned, being at this show on Thursday was like living in a dream and this was one of those moments where I really thought I would hear the sound of one of my cats hacking up a hairball and realize that I wasn’t actually here, this wasn’t actually happening, and I wasn’t actually experiencing this magical moment.

I could sit here and complain about how I felt that the audience was lamer than lame. It was an older crowd so that wasn’t that surprising but I feel like the music of Jon Batiste is just so bombastic and full of life. I don’t understand how anyone could just stand there rather than let the music make them move but focusing in on that aspect of the night doesn’t do the performance justice. Honestly, the crowd could have all been laying on the ground taking naps for all I care. It wasn’t going to stop me from feeling the music all the way down to my soul.

Thursday night was a rougher than rough day for me. It was one of those days where, after driving home from my day job with no music playing in my car, I just sat in my garage for a couple of minutes and bawled. Having a day like that end with the amount of passion, power, love, fire, and energy that I got from seeing Jon Batiste perform live is a perfect example of why I do this night after night.

Line Up:

Jon Batiste

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 54

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Dance-ability- 8 out of 10 (but nobody was moving)

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 3

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 8.7 out of 10 (but I also didn’t let it get to me)

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Jon Batiste – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –9.7 out of 10

Show on Deck — Provoker / Riki / MüLLET

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