Anderson East Captivates at The Underground
The “Devil In Me” came out to play recently as singer/songwriter Anderson East brought an amazing showcase of songs to the Underground Charlotte. Out in support of his most recent record, the talented musician made a stop in the Queen City on the Maybe We Never Die Tour. This was my first time seeing Anderson East perform live and I was more than excited to see what the evening had in store.
Kicking things off was the five-piece folk-rock band from Lousiville, Kentucky known as Bendigo Fletcher. As soon as the band hit the stage, I felt an immediate connection to them and to their music that seemed to resonate across the venue. As I looked around, I saw that others seemed to feel the same way. There was definitely something about their special mix of folk, roots music, and the blues that felt warm and inviting. It wasn’t long before I was tapping along to the beat and sporting a huge smile on my face under my mask.
Bendigo Fletcher consists of Ryan Anderson on lead vocals, Andrew Shupert on lead guitar, Evan Wagner on keys, Conner Powell on bass, and Chris Weis on drums. They are all top-notch musicians in their own right and have a very comfortable feel playing together which transferred to the audience. As we sang and swayed along to tunes from their latest album Fits Of Laughter, it felt like being home, a place where no matter what happened, good or bad, the laughter and the music brought us all together. Do yourself a favor and check out Bendigo Fletcher today.
Up next, was the main event of the evening and everyone in attendance was eagerly anticipating the very second that Anderson East would take the stage. Ever since his debut single “Satisfy Me” was released back in 2015, East has been known for his unmistakable sound. He’s a little bit of rhythm and blues with a dash of roots rock and a whole lot of soul and he had us feeling the vibes all night long. The set started out with the bluesy feel of “Devil In Me” and I felt it with every ounce of my being.
His backing band was fantastic, complete with a sax and trumpet, and the sound enveloped every square inch of the Underground. We were taken on an emotional ride, over peaks of highs and through valleys of lows, and back again as Anderson took control and had his way with us. His poignant and beautiful vocals on “If You Really Love Me” literally gave me the chills as I let myself go with the music. It wasn’t long before Anderson changed up the pace with the funky dance party that is “Drugs” as he had us all spinning and swaying to the grooves. My wish came true when he took us back to the Delilah album and closed out the set with the heart rendering Southern soul of “All I’ll Ever Need.” What a night of incredible music! But it wasn’t quite over yet, there was still a little bit of music that needed to be let out to fully captivate our souls as Anderson made the evening complete with an encore of “This Too Shall Last.”
It was a perfect way to finish out a fantastic night of music. You simply must experience Anderson East live at least once in your life and there’s no better time to do it than now. The Maybe We Never Die tour runs through March with a stop coming up in Asheville, NC on March 8th.
