WABASH – Let me be blunt: Gavin DeGraw put on a really entertaining show Monday night in the Ford Theater at the Honeywell Center in Wabash. Though I’m personally not very familiar with his music, the show was so engaging that he made me want to know more about his art. Whether he was rocking the house or singing softly while playing the piano, he kept the audience enthralled with the show. Of course, his fans were there in droves and were screaming and clapping for him from the get-go. His set included about 15 songs, including two in the encore. DeGraw told the audience early on that his set would be a mix of old and new songs, but none of them disappointed the nearly sold-out house. Many in the audience could and did sing along with DeGraw. Between the eighth and ninth songs, DeGraw told a little story about himself and how he decided at age 15 to become a musician. His family went to a Billy Joel concert and DeGraw knew after Joel’s performance that he wanted to be a musician. His dream of performing with Joel became a reality this year when he was invited to perform with him. Because his dreams came true, DeGraw told the crowd that their dreams could become reality, too. After his story, he sang a few songs that he grew up listening to, including Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman to Me.” He also broke into singing Adele’s “Rumor Has It” before transitioning back into his own work. During a later song, DeGraw came into the crowd where I and a co-worker were sitting and sang in front of us. We were about a foot away from him as he crooned the love song “More Than Anyone.” It’s not unusual for an artist to get near or in the crowd during a performance, but that’s the closest I can recall being to one. A line from the chorus of the last song, “Not Over You,” got stuck in my head. It goes: “If you ask me how I’m doing I would say I’m doing just fine I would lie and say that you’re not on my mind But I go out and I sit down at the table set for two And finally I’m forced to face the truth, No matter what I say I’m not over you, not over you.” I definitely would be willing to go catch DeGraw in concert again. And the Honeywell Center was the perfect place Monday to see him for the first time as it seats about 1,400 people but still feels very intimate. Monday night’s entertainment started with two opening acts about 1-1/2 hours before DeGraw took the stage. First opener was Rozzi Crane. Signed to Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine’s record label, she had Levine’s backing vocals play during her performance of their duet “Pain Killer.” It was the best song of her four-song set. Crane has an amazing voice, which is why she’s sang with groups like Earth, Wind and Fire. However, the songs she performed Monday weren’t well suited for her. She should have been singing songs along the lines of Etta James, Adele or at least Beyonce. Instead, she was singing songs more along the lines of Miley Cyrus. Sure, all the little girls in the audience loved her – but if she and Levine want her to be a superstar, she needs new songs. Between Crane and DeGraw was the five-man band Parachute, not to be confused with the worship group Parachute Band. Parachute was an enjoyable band that got the audience prepped well for DeGraw’s show. They had a lot of energy and played feverishly. One of Parachute’s best songs in their six-song set was “Kiss Me Slowly,” which featured the lead singer on piano. It was a slower, romantic kind of song, but it probably created some new fans for them in the audience. The band chose to flash back to the 1980s with a performance of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” It was rocked up, and gave the singer an opportunity to walk through the aisles and pull two girls up on the stage with him to dance. Lastly, Parachute performed “Didn’t See It Coming,” which had the audience participating in it. If Parachute had performed a few more songs, I think the audience would have been OK with that. They’ve been touring and making music for about eight years now and I could see them going for another eight years or more. Overall, Monday’s concert was definitely worth the 32-mile drive to Wabash. If you get a chance to see DeGraw – or even Parachute – in concert, I highly recommend it.
