Chasing Mississippi’s 20th Anniversary
Dave Barnes greeted his guests at the show as if he was welcoming friends to his living room. The night was intimate, comfortable and dim-lit, and hosted at 3rd & Lindsley, where concert goers get the downtown Nashville experience while staying off the beaten path of Broadway. From what I’ve gathered, 3rd & Lindsley and Dave Barnes have a history of shows together, so there was no surprise the endearing dive bar hosted Barnes’s special event.
Barnes celebrated the 20th anniversary of his sophomore album, Chasing Mississippi.
Doors opened at 6pm and the show started at 8. You might think that doors opening 2 hours before the show is plenty of time, but 3rd & Lindsley serves as a bar & grill just as much as a concert venue. Many people get there when doors open to sit at a table (the best seats and views in the house). They’ll settle in, order drinks, and have dinner in order to claim their spot. If you get there, say, 30 minutes before the show starts, odds are the tables and seats will be filled and you may be met with either an awkward standing-room-only experience, or if you’re feeling bold and friendly, ask to join someone else’s table. Southern hospitality is real, y’all. Don’t shy away from this alternative if push comes to shove.
With no more room for stragglers, the show started promptly at 8pm as Matt Wertz joined the stage. He briefly introduced himself, acknowledged his longtime friendship with Barnes, and jumped right into the music. Wertz played beloved songs that he is known for from the early 2000s like Red Meets Blue, Marianne, and of course 5:19, which he closed the show with. The crowd was full of millennials who likely lived out their years of nostalgia at this show, me included. It’s still up for debate whether Matt Wertz played his beloved, classic hits in honor of Dave’s 20th anniversary album show, or because he knew that’s how the crowd best knows him. Maybe it was a mix of both. Either way, Matt Wertz simple acoustic set and rich voice permeated through 3rd & Lindsley while the crowd listened and sang along. The best word I can use to describe Wertz’s set and the connection with the crowd is “pleasant.” His voice was pure and gentle, and there seemed to be a simple understanding with the crowd that just Wertz and an acoustic guitar was the best (and only) way to enjoy his music.
After a tight 35 minute set there was a 10 minute transition. Perfect timing to grab another drink or get the courage to join a table if you were left standing during the opener.
Barnes entered the stage at 8:45pm and took the room. He introduced the evening and his band, setting the tone that he would take some time between each song to talk about where it came from or how it was recorded. The room filled with gushes of awws after stating that the album was, in essence, the story of him falling in love with his wife, who was from and lived in Mississippi at the time (aww). He thanked his family and fans for 20 years of Chasing Mississippi before jumping into his set.
If you’re familiar with Dave Barnes, you know he is part musician, part artist, and part comedian. Not surprisingly, he took any moment he could to make the evening just as much of a stand up comedy set as he did an intimate concert. Barnes’s humor is unique, though, unlike true stand-up comedians. His remarks are authentic and spontaneous, not rehearsed or rigid. He lets his honest thoughts fly (for better or worse) as he tells stories and becomes more comfortable on stage.
Barnes warned the crowd that he would be truly hitting the album from top to bottom, acknowledging it would make the show about a 40 minutes, or in other words, the shortest concert ever, so the stories in between would add to the texture of the night. A special component of the evening was his introduction of his band. Justin Rosolino on electric guitar and Ben Shive on keys were two of the original musicians that joined him on the creation of Chasing Mississippi back in 2006, making the evening that much more nostalgia-filled and rich.
Before we knew it, Barnes took us back to 2006 with Ed Cash in the studio, where they cut all vocals for the album in one day. Every story between each song until the whole album was exhausted created a unique experience for the concert-goer, one that will impact and stick with the audience longer than any stadium show with smoke and laser lights. A show like this has deep roots and reminds us that there’s so much more to music than music.
Thumbnail image by Devin Tolentino
