6/3/2017
Lady Antebellum has always been an enigma to me. I have never understood their name or their music. I mean, I get that antebellum generally refers to pre-war years, most often the pre-civil war years, though half the time I have to force myself to remember that ante means before not after. As I am fundamentally a literalist, meaning I abhor modern art and adore landscapes, I have always expected Lady Antebellum to be a solo female artist backed up by a supporting band, kind of like Debbie Harry in Blondie.
Lady Antebellum has a tremendous female lead singer, Hillary Scott, but they also have Charles Kelley, who sounds like a lead singer to me. And he isn’t a lady. But I never thought that the name related to issues between the lead singers. Having said that, when I replayed their music in my head, Hillary was the only one singing. So maybe she won the war.
As for their music, I have never really gotten into it. I have always felt it was too smooth for my tastes. Too produced. Too poppy. Not edgy enough. I never downloaded any of their music. I would never ask for it on Pandora or Spotify. It was highly probable, that I would change the channel when I heard them on the radio. I didn’t dislike them. I just didn’t feel the need to listen to them.
Then Pam asked me if I wanted to see them at the Hollywood Bowl. I said, “Sure, why not?” So Pam got us seats. With the inducements of tequila and doughnuts, I was able to sit thru an entire Adele show last year. I knew enough about Lady Antebellum to know those inducements were not needed to get me to see them perform, but I really did not expect much.
I did not know many of their songs. After Pam bought the seats, I fixed that by downloading several Lady Antebellum albums and proceeded to listen to them in the background as I worked on my computer. After several weekends, I had to admit their music was listenable, really listenable. It was not exciting, but it was really pleasant. I found myself looking forward to seeing the show.
The show opened with Brett Young and Kelsea Ballerini. As a singer, Brett Young is huge – literally. He stands about 6’6″, making him the biggest performer I have ever seen. While he sounds good on the radio, I had some issues with his live performance. Hopefully, as he matures as an artist, his live delivery will improve.
This was the second time I had seen Kelsea Ballerini perform. The first time was when she headlined her own show at the Wiltern. She was good then. She is better now, as her performance skills keep improving. I thought she did a great job, though I did want to scream in frustration just before she began her performance, as her band let loose with an ear splitting, bass laden screech that drove me to drive my fingers into my ears in a desperate act of self-preservation. Thankfully, the blast of noise ended as she took the stage and did not return. She did a great job, and she sounded great. I look forward to seeing her again.
Then it was time for Lady Amazing. I was ready to relax and just enjoy their performance. I was not ready for just how much I would enjoy it. Nor was I ready for just how great they sounded or how energized their performance was. Lady Antebellum was off the charts good. While I still do not understand their name, I do understand what makes them great. They are not a female let group. They are not a male led group. They are not at war. Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott are great singers individually, but when they sing together, it is magical. I doubt I have ever heard better harmonizing between male and female voices. Without meaning to gush, I was truly stunned by how much I like them and the show. They were just amazing, with a capital A.
I am not sure why this had not come across to me when I heard them on the radio or played their recordings. Maybe it was the addition of the horns section to their band for the tour. Maybe it was their return to the stage after a two year hiatus. Maybe it was Charles Kelley strutting around and not missing a note. Maybe it was the fact that they were at the iconic Hollywood bowl, ticking off one of their bucket list items. Maybe it was some of their new music, which I really like, Maybe it was the concert mixes of their material. Maybe it was the fact that I love live music, but I doubted that was enough to change my perspective. Whatever it was, they were a different band than I expected before they took the stage.
Before they finished their first song, I was hooked. By the end of the second song, I knew I would never change the channel again when I heard them on the radio. By about the tenth, I sat their wishing I could see again in the very near future.