NESP Forum

Taylor Hicks Concert

On August 10 I attended my first Taylor Hicks concert. In fact, it was a first time experience at a concert of this type. I’m used to Broadway musicals and classical music concerts. This was out of my league.

I was really impressed with the entire production. Not just the music; but also the talent of all the performers, their personalities and the overall stage production. It made me believe they were really enjoying what they were doing and only too happy to share it with the audience. And my feeling was that the audience was returning that enjoying feeling in spades.

Taylor was the star, but the band really made it work. I especially appreciated the musician that played the sax, flute and clarinet. He was something else. I laughed when the drummer, with a big grin, threw his broken sticks at someone backstage. And the fellow playing bass guitar was also someone that made an impression on me.

Oh, I almost forgot - Taylor Hicks! Now he is some performer. Hearing him live gave me a new appreciation of his vocal talent. That, along with his moves on stage and also playing other instruments, gave me a new appreciation of his abilities.

I also want to mention the warm up group. They were a really professional band who just might go on be famous in their own right. And I also thought Taylor’s soundman was worth watching. Between acts, he tuned every guitar on the stage, did all kind of sound checks and testing of electronic equipment, monitored the sound during the performance, and hustled back and forth to Taylor with different guitars. Now that guy deserves credit.

To be honest, I enjoyed the performance more that I thought I would and just might (maybe) go with Gretchen to another Taylor Hicks concert.