BROOKLYN, NY — Alabama born artist Anderson East (real name Michael Cameron Anderson) brought the southern blues and new Americana sounds as part of his Encore World Tour to the confines of The Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 12, 2018. Along with it came a contingent of screaming and dreamy eyed fans. Unfortunately for the ladies in attendance, Anderson is currently dating country superstar Miranda Lambert, but they witnessed a finely tuned and entertaining performance nonetheless.
Anderson East arrived to the stage with a full band consisting of a keyboard, bass, electric guitar, drums, saxophone, trumpet and back up vocals. The smaller venue provides for am intimate experience as the musicians were packed tightly on stage. It gave the performance more of a “musical jam” vibe than a full-blown concert, which I really enjoyed.
The best way I can describe the performance itself is lively and well rehearsed. What I mean by the latter is that Anderson strongly played up to the crowd allowing for his showmanship to shine. As he encouraged the audience to clap along with guitar solos, he would approach the edge of the stage to lean over those in the front; girls virtually barreling over one another to try and grasp his outreached hand. From the way he would flip his hair, to the way he would lean into his the mic-stand while passionately belting out a long note, his performance was meant to entertain his fans … and by the way all the women were reacting, that was certainly the case. Personally, my favorite moment was when Anderson held up his guitarist as the guitarist leaned back “Neo from the Matrix” style and was playing a long solo (see photo below).
The set-list included a mix between Encore, his newly released album, and Delilah, his debut album. Amongst others, he sang singles like “Girlfriend”, “Devil in Me” and “All On My Mind.” While the music was lively and upbeat with all of the southern blues sounds, the most powerful moment of the performance came after a brief intermission. Anderson came out alone to the stage and performed an acoustic version of “Cabinet Door”, the last song off Encore. He described it being about not having the chance to say “I love you” to someone before they’re gone, and that message seemed to resonate with the audience, as there was absolute silence but for his guitar and his voice during his performance. I could see people openly crying. It was a surreal moment as I realized just how quiet the venue of more than 500 people was. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a concert where the audience was so moved by a song.
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