Mat Kearney, an Oregon native and a current resident of Tennessee, made Buffalo seem like his home during his first headlining show in the city. The audience wasn't just a crowd of spectators – they seemed like part of Kearney's family.
Kearney's unique soft rock style was on display Friday night at the Town Ballroom.
The variation of pitch in Kearney's voice was captivating, alternating between spoken words and sung lyrics, and his Grammy Award winning guitarist Tyler Burkum supplied the harmonious balance to Kearney's voice.
During Kearney's hour and a half set, he remained consistent. He performed with the same contemporary singing style found on his albums, staying true to what he markets to fans.
Kearney and Burkum had an undeniable level of chemistry, and produced a music strewn with passion and positivity. Burkum and bass player Adam Keafer smiled at each other during the set, and Kearney was humble and appreciative of his band, making sure each member received applause.
Just as camaraderie was felt between the band, friendship and connection was also felt between Kearney and the audience. When an audience member shouted "I like your beard," Kearney spoke directly to him as if they were long-time friends, and even joked, "This is bad, I need to play a song and stop."
"I loved how humble he was and how personable he was with the crowd," said Ben Tichenor, 19, of Williamsville.
Kearney continued connecting with the audience in true Buffalonian fashion, and engaged the crowd in small talk about former Buffalo Bills greats. In his song "Undeniable," he even performed a freestyle about Buffalo.
The musician's many direct interactions with fans aside, Kearney also connected to the audience with his music. A spontaneous sing-along ensued during "Nothing Left to Lose," one of Kearney's most popular songs, with the crowd even overpowering the soft rock star at certain points.
Throughout the night, Kearney performed songs off of all three of his albums, including his most popular singles, which garnered the most applause from the audience.
Besides "Nothing Left to Lose," "Closer to Love," off of his album City of Black & White proved to be one of the more upbeat and spirited songs for the audience. "Hey Mama," Kearney's latest radio single and first song off of his most recent album Young Love, was part of his encore.
"Mat Kearney's voice was better live than on the [album]," said Nicki Panaro, a junior political science and international studies major. "I expected a good show, but this wasn't a show. Mat Kearney was his own experience."
Opening for Kearney was Leagues, of Nashville, Tenn., where Kearney currently lives. The group was a complementing opener for Kearney, and provided the same catchy soft rock feel, but with a touch of reggae influence.
Lead vocalist and guitar player Thad Cockrell had a pleasant, high-pitched voice, and provided harmonies with bassist Mike Simons. Burkum also lent his talents to the opener's set.
Cockrell was upbeat on stage, and showed a good sense of humor, and even acknowledged that most people don't come for opening bands. He compared watching opening acts to "listening to a conversation [one] never signed up for," and appreciated the audience for watching them perform.
Since Burkum and drummer Jeremy Lutito are members of both Leagues and Kearney's band, the strong friendship between the two groups is evident.
The camaraderie was felt in the encore as well, when the two remaining members of Leagues came back on stage to join Kearney's band in their upbeat rendition of Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks," which was more up-beat and instrumental than the original.
Buffalo, Eugene, and Nashville inspired humility and hometown love for the audience members, and Mat Kearney proved that he became "Closer to Love" with the Buffalo crowd.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Mhdariby / Wikimedia Commons
