The Wood Brothers rolled into Harrisburg and let loose their unique, high energy blend of jazz, blues, gospel and folk music on enthusiastic fans at XL Live.
Underneath an I-83 overpass, on an unassuming side street, across from the famous Savannah’s On Hanna strip club, XL Live has become the premiere music venue in Central PA. It’s hard for me to imagine that before The Wood Brothers show, I had never been there. Since the venue opened in 2018, I have been hearing about the great artists coming through and how amazing the sound was.
I was not disappointed.
Opening the show was Nashville resident Michaela Anne. Without a band behind her, Michaela stepped to the mic at center stage with only her Gibson Dreadnought guitar and a voice reminiscent of 70’s country-rock powerhouses – a mix of Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Brandi Carlisle. In between songs she told stories of how becoming a new mother, growing up in a military family that was always on the move and overcoming hardships influenced the songs she has recently written. She also thanked the crowd for being so attentive and not just talking over her set like so many other audiences do during the supporting act’s set. Her songs were beautiful, honest and at times painful. I wish she would’ve played longer.
The 1,200 capacity room was nearly full and buzzing with excitement in between sets. I talked to a few people I know while waiting at Michaela’s merch table who said they have loved the Wood Brothers for years but have never seen them. The couple next to my girlfriend and I, told us they drove from West Virginia and were driving back after the show so they could be at work the next morning.
Taking the stage around 9:15, the band consisting of Oliver Wood (guitar and lead vocals) Chris Wood (bass and vocals) and Jano Rix (drums, keys, melodica and vocals) gave off the energy of truly being excited to be there. Maybe because a few hours before they were thinking they might have to cancel the show. On their way to Harrisburg from Westerly, Rhode Island, the tour bus broke down, and if not for tour manager Daniel Ramirez, the show would’ve been canceled. Ramirez – a Central PA resident – called in a favor and got the band there in time.
Oliver gives a quick thanks for being here and starts fingerpicking the instantly recognizable “Postcards From Hell” on his well-worn, sunburst Guild to the delight of the entire room. For the next 2 hours The Wood Brothers made a Wednesday feel like a Friday.
The 21 song setlist mainly centered around Kingdom In My Mind, as they played all but 3 songs from their latest album released in 2020. We also got to hear the first single – “Pilgrim” – from their forthcoming album, Heart Is The Hero. Chris drives the song forward with his upright bass (also well-worn) while Oliver’s vocals shine and bounce above the melody that Jano is playing on his Korg keyboard with his right hand while his left is filling in the rest of the rhythm on the drums. I don’t understand how he does this. Must be a robot.
Thankfully, The Wood Brothers didn’t save their most popular songs for the encore. Honestly I hate encores. Just play the songs, thank the audience, blow your kisses and go get a beer in the green room. But I digress. Halfway through the show, after saying again that this Wednesday feels like a Friday they ripped into their version of the Little Bob & the Lollipops tune, “I Got Loaded.”
A few songs before the stale, phony end of the show that almost every artist does, the crowd heard the beginning of The Wood Brothers’ most popular song, “Luckiest Man,” and erupted in cheers and screams.
The first encore song was a version of the traditional song, “Angel Band” which The Wood Brothers brought Michaela Anne back on stage to sing with them around one microphone at center stage. Then, before sending everyone home, they ended the show with the energetic, foot stomping, “Honey Jar.”
Throughout the night, in between songs, Oliver praised the crowd and remarked how great Pennsylvania is and that they were motivated by the energy in the room. In return, they gave that energy right back. At times Chris would dance across the stage to his brother, leaning into each other, as one of them played a solo. The Wood Brothers clearly love being on stage and playing music together. My favorite shows are the ones that both the crowd and the artist feed off of each other and both leave feeling fulfilled.
As Amber and I walked to the car I wondered if The Wood Brothers were going to be able to get on the road that night, or if they were going to hit up Savannah’s, get a hotel room and wait for their bus to be repaired.
The Wood Brothers return to the area May 20th at The Anthem in Washington D.C. Click here for tickets.
THE WOOD BROTHERS PHOTO GALLERY
MICHAELA ANNE PHOTO GALLERY
