Butch Walker Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA 03.16.2009

Mar 16

AndrewModern Rock, Rock and Roll No Comments

Butch Walker and his band put on a stellar show, rocking the house with Butch’s catalog of sing-a-long ready tunes. The set was a nice mix of new tunes, Walker is touring promoting is latest album Sycamore Meadows, and a handful of songs from his back catalog.

He took the stage solo for the first four songs, playing a gorgeous, wrenching version of Joan on the piano, and then strumming along on an acoustic guitar from Going Back / Going Home. His five man backing band joined him on Closer to the Truth and they tore through every song from there on out. Some of his best tunes made it on the setlist, including Maybe It’s Just Me and The Weight of Her and party track Race Cars and Goth Rock. They led into the song The Taste of Red with a full verse of James’ iconic track Laid with Walker noting, “I wish I had written these lyrics.”

He has a great range and knows how to command the stage. The Paradise Rock Club was a great venue for his act; his enthusiasm for the songs and for performing was contagious. He profusely thanked the audience, led a sing-a-long of Best Thing You Never Had and launched himself into the audience with the words “nothing will keep us apart.” A great cover of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, complete with the high notes, led off the encore. A jam with The Films on When Canyons Ruled the World capped the show, with Butch letting his band wander off stage as he finished by conducting the audience into a choir of sorts.

Butch Walker setlist
ATL
Joan
Going Back / Going Home
Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You
Closer to the Truth and Further from the Sky
Uncomfortably Numb
The Weight of Her
Vessels
Laid/The Taste of Red
Don’t Move
Ships in a Bottle
Here Comes the Heartache
Ponce de Leon Ave
Race Cars and Goth Rock
Maybe It’s Just Me
#1 Summer Jam
Best Thing You Never Had
Encore
Tiny Dancer
Hot Girls in Good Moods
When Canyons Ruled the World (with The Films)