A perk of not knowing much about the musicians playing at a concert is having little or no expectations for their performance. However, if I had come in with an expected standard, I’m positive Foy Vance and Brett Dennen would have blown away any preconceived notions I had possessed.
When a small-statured man with a beret-type hat, a handlebar mustache and a mostly unbuttoned flannel revealing a fair amount of chest took the stage, I expected nothing more than a few heartfelt ballads by a mediocre musician. The wolf-howling noises that ensued when he took the stage didn’t help with this impression, but I could not have possibly been more wrong.
Within a few notes of his opening number, “Janey,” Foy Vance proved his merit as a talented musician. This song showed off his well-practiced falsetto and the soulful quality of his music that was impossible not to admire. Performing solo, he began by looping his voice and guitar to give more depth to his sound – depth that was by no means lacking, but essentially enhanced the performance.
Until he started speaking between songs, Vance’s Irish roots were imperceptible, but soft vowels and rhotic “Rs” made his Irish heritage evident. I imagined he had the same thick accent as an old Irish man in a pub.
Vance’s skill was unmistakable when he switched over to the keyboards and played his earnest folk song, ““You and I”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4A7_QjC7OI&feature=kp”, crooning the line: “You and I, we are hard as stone,” while splendidly stroking the keys of the keyboard, making a charming and sincere melody.
Explaining his stories of traveling through Europe, Vance shared his intimate feelings with the crowd saying, “London’s a wonderful place… to visit. Living there’s a b***h.” He gave off the jovial impression of a penny-less wanderer, looking solely to play music for his own pleasure – not for the fame or fortune.
Vance’s final song left a merry impression with the crowd as he sang ““I Got Love”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lE0lQt—gg” which repeats the upbeat line, “I got love, love, love” over and over. He looped his guitar to keep playing the beat once he exited the stage, and the crowd continued to sing this line for a few full minutes until the music dimmed and the lights turned back on in preparation for Brett Dennen.
From a communicative aspect, Dennen lacked the talkative personality that Vance assumed, but he made up for it in other areas. Walking out onto the stage barefoot, he emitted a free-spirited enthusiasm, bringing smiles to the crowd’s faces at his laidback, cheery ambiance.
Dennen opened with the song, ““Sweet Persuasion”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6UEExz7cbI&feature=kp”, with a bridge that repeats the lyric, “Give me love”. If this redheaded singer wasn’t already reminiscent of the also light-hearted, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, this line certainly made the resemblance more clear. Despite their differing styles, Sheeran has more connections to the tour than just hair color; he and Foy Vance are longtime friends, hailing from similar areas. (Fun fact: they actually have matching tattoos in each other’s handwriting of lyrics from one of Vance’s songs that Sheeran likes to perform.)
However, the difference in styles between Ed Sheeran and Brett Dennen is fairly drastic, as Dennen steers clear from rapping and sticks to charming, sing-songy tunes. He gives off an easygoing air in his dance moves as well, which he brought out for his second song, ““You Were Wrong”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6UEExz7cbI&feature=kp.” He repeats the line “You were wrong about me,” but instead of singing “me” a few times, he simply pointed at himself, revealing his quirky and fun personality.
Dennen’s dance moves were reminiscent of the brave students at middle school dances: unsure of what to do with themselves, but unembarrassed to put forth a valiant effort. His charismatic personality shone through his movements and his lyrics, making up for the lack of conversation he initiated with the crowd.
He sang many songs off of his newest album, “Smoke and Mirrors,” departing from his old folky-pop sound, and transitioning to a more low-keyed and mature sounding set. However, he played a few older hits like ““She’s Mine”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6UEExz7cbI&feature=kp” with his signature sound that made him so lovable from the beginning of his career.
Dennen touched on some more serious themes with his song, ““Dancing at a Funeral”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnMfTXNdYnU” which embraced the joys of living while alive, giving of the free-spirited fervor and the bittersweet confusion of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” He also showed the apparent influence of Tom Petty in a number of other songs.
Brett Dennen’s carefree, vivacious music and personality paired with Foy Vance’s cheerfulness made for quite an optimistic, crowd-pleasing show. This duo is sure to achieve more fame and success in the future due to the cheery aura they create for their audiences.
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