Concert Review: Gavin DeGraw at the House of Blues (October 21)

by Brenna Rushing

It can’t be said enough that the House of Blues is a great venue. Not only are the decorations one of a kind, you can always find a great seat/spot.

Gavin DeGraw is playing tonight, along with NeedtoBreathe.

The room was packed; surely the 2 acts sold it out. The crowd was exactly what was expected; all are women or women with their boyfriends.

NeedtoBreathe came out ready to go and started right away. They are an up and coming group from Possum Kingdom, South Carolina. You thought I was going to say Texas right? There’s actually another Possum Kingdom.

Their claim to fame is the hit, “More Time” (from the P.S. I Love You soundtrack). NTB has a rockabilly sound with front man Bear Rinehart’s voice taking the lead. He has a distinct sound and descriptive lyric writing abilities.

“Hailey” is one of the few quieter tracks played. Guitarist Bo Rinehart, the brother of Bear, wrote it about a girl he knew.

They were a great opener for Degraw because they entertained the crowd with a different sound than he offered and gained fans of their own all in one swoop.

Degraw came out soon after to the screams of a thousand college girls, wearing his signature hat, jeans and a t-shirt.

He played the guitar for a while and then moved to the piano for his second song, “Crush.” Degraw announced that he and his band would be playing from both albums throughout the night. It quickly became apparent that his first album, Chariot, was the crowd favorite.

“Chemical Party” started dancing riots with its colorful description of a party scene.

As promised, Gavin sang from his new self-titled album, as well. It seemed that most people didn’t know the songs, but they liked what they heard.

He saved “I Don’t Want to Be” and “In Love With a Girl” for last (no surprise since they’re his chart toppers). His encore was short and sweet, containing three songs total. Two were either sung acapella or accompanied by the piano, which was a good blend since the rest of the show was mainly guitar and drums.

“Chariot” was last and rightfully so. The song sounds great live due to fast vocals and the momentous chorus. It’s a song that crowds can easily sing along with.

Gavin played longer than expected and proved his vocal range that is in the album live in every song. Although he wasn’t on the piano as much as I would’ve liked, he did hit the keys a few times.

The House of Blues rarely fails to put on a good show and the same can be said for these bands.