Last Friday, December 28, I saw Nolan Taylor at Growlers in Memphis, Tennessee. I had an amazing time at this concert and, in this week’s blog, I’d love to share my experience with you.
I first heard about this show the first week of December. Though, when I first heard about it, I wasn’t sure if the show was actually happening because Nolan had yet to announce it. I had gotten a notification from Spotify but didn’t buy tickets (or get my hopes up) until Nolan himself posted about it.
In my past, there have been times when venues posted about a show and sold tickets but the show ended up falling through. Thankfully, just over a week later, Nolan announced the shows on his social media, and as soon as that announcement went up, I bought tickets.
Memphis musicians, Sky King and Ethan Baker, kicked off the night. Before the show, I had not heard of them but that did not stop me from deeply enjoying their set. Both musicians were incredibly talented and played beautifully together. Sky was on guitar and vocals and Ethan played the fiddle.
I was shocked when Sky mentioned that he and Ethan had never played those songs together before. While the two of them had played cover songs together at bar shows in the past, this was their first show of playing primarily original songs together. I would have never guessed this if they hadn’t told us; they sounded as if they had been playing those songs together for years.
I was impressed by Sky King’s original songs. While he currently does not have anything out on streaming platforms, you can check out his song ‘A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words’ on YouTube by clicking here. In addition to his originals, they also played a couple of covers throughout their set.
At one point, Sky asked the crowd which artist they would rather hear him cover. He gave three options, but I was only able to make out the first option due to how loud the crowd got after he said the artist’s name. The first option was Zach Bryan and the crowd went crazy.
Sky and Ethan both worked the audience well and seemed to hold their attention. Their set was well-balanced with covers and originals and the covers he chose were perfect for this crowd. For instance, his cover of Zach Bryan’s ‘Something in the Orange’ had practically everyone in the venue singing along.
Near the end of their set, Sky handed his guitar over to Ethan, stepped off stage, and let Ethan play one of his originals. His original song was great and I could tell that the crowd really enjoyed it. I remember overhearing someone say that they wish they could’ve heard more from Ethan.
Since both Sky King and Ethan Baker are from Memphis, it is likely that I’ll have numerous chances to see them again in the future and I plan to do so. After this show, I am definitely planning to look into when and where their upcoming performances are.
In between sets, I noticed just how much the crowd had grown since I last looked behind me. When you’re standing at the very front of the stage, you often don’t realize just how many people are behind you until you turn around.
After seeing this crowd, I was elated that so many had shown up for Nolan’s show, especially given that it was during the holiday season. While this is the busiest time of year for many people, they all made the time to come to this show. When Nolan took the stage, I could tell he was so excited to see the turnout as well. He even made the comment that he had only expected 5 or 10 people to show up.
This was my third time seeing Nolan perform live and I swear he gets better and better every single time. Nolan has become one of my favorite artists to see live. Not only do I deeply enjoy and relate to his music but I also love how he interacts and shares parts of himself with the crowd. Nolan is one of the most honest, candid artists I know and that is something incredibly rare these days.
That night, Nolan and his band sounded amazing together. It was fascinating to hear the addition of other instruments to his songs. There were multiple times when it felt like I was hearing songs I had listened to countless times for the very first time again. That is such a rare, surreal experience that I am so thankful to have in my memory.
The sound mix was also impeccable that night. I could hear all the instruments clearly but they did not drown out Nolan’s voice whatsoever. It truly was the perfect balance. The sound seemed to have a slight reverb to it which I found to be a great touch. Looking back, I wish I had taken more videos that night so that I could listen to it again.
Throughout his set, Nolan shared various stories about his life. While I have heard many of these stories before, it is always nice to hear them again. I also find it quite fascinating to witness the reaction of those hearing the stories for the first time.
Some of his stories are funny, some are heavy, but all of them are memorable and help one to understand him and his music on an even deeper level. I appreciate that Nolan shares these stories with us, especially the deeper ones. While some avoid talking about mental health struggles, Nolan opens the door to that conversation and illustrates to those struggling that we are not alone.
One of my favorite moments during Nolan’s set was when he brought a fan onstage to sign a couple of songs. The fan, Patrick Moody, is a sign language interpreter and as Nolan sang ‘Darkness’ and ‘68’, he signed the songs. This was such a captivating moment that I had never experienced before.
I could tell Nolan’s performance and Patrick’s signing had entranced the rest of the audience as well and during these two songs, the crowd was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I remember thinking to myself how proud I was of this Memphis crowd for shutting up and enjoying the music.
In addition to playing most of his released songs, Nolan also played some unreleased songs for us. After hearing these unreleased songs live, I now cannot wait for them to come out, especially the song, ‘If You Would’ve Told Me’. These songs have been stuck in my head since this show and I just wish I could stream them to hear the songs in their entirety again. Though, I know these songs will be worth the wait; you can’t rush perfection.
One of the unreleased songs he played was actually written just a couple of days before the show. Nolan wrote the song with his bandmate, Clarke Sexton over the holidays. Nolan mentioned that night was the first time they had performed the song and it was also the first time that most of the band was hearing it.
After his set, I got the chance to talk to Nolan again. Every time I have seen Nolan I have always gotten the chance to speak with him after and I hope this continues. He always remembers me which amazes me because I know he is constantly meeting new people. Not only did I get to speak with Nolan, but so did all the fans who hung around. From what I observed, Nolan took photos and spoke with every fan who wanted to.
All in all, this was an amazing show; I wish I could travel back in time and attend it again and again. I cannot wait to see Nolan perform again, hopefully, sooner rather than later.
If you’re interested in discovering more about the artists discussed in this article you can check them out on Instagram: Nolan Taylor / Clarke Sexton / Sky King / Ethan Baker.
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