The Choir - Chase the Kangaroo Tour - The Last Show - - - May 3rd - Ames, Iowa

There are a handful of bands over the years I've appreciated watching evolve as artists that have remained "under the radar." One reason they've remained in relative anonymity to the "masses" has to do with them not selling out to conventions.

One such band is The Choir.

Know that the viewpoint of long-time Choir fans (including yours truly) is that these guys are almost iconic. Thus, their recent 2012 tour featuring the 25th anniversary of the "Chase the Kangaroo" album was akin to icons performing an iconic album. Try to imagine Floyd-heads attending a "Dark-Side..." anniversary tour with the album being played in its entirety - in sequential order - and that's a hint of what this concert was like for us. At Zeke's in Ames, Iowa (May 3, 2012), I had the privilege of experiencing not only a "bite" of this historic moment, but of being able to attend the very last show of the tour.

The setting was intimate but very enthusiastic. Derri Daugherty (vocals/guitar), Steve Hindalong (drums/percussion/Bckgrnd vcls), and Tim Chandler (bass) were in exceptional form. The opening drum beat of "Consider," quite frankly, had a goose-bump effect on me. Then, with Daugherty's guitar echoing/reverberating in an edgy fashion, and Chandler's punchy bass lines rounding it off, I knew it'd be a special night. Kudos to Zeke's for their mix. The instruments remained powerful, yet one could hear the vocals distinctly. It was a nearly perfect sonic balance. Hearing "Children of Time" reminded me of my appreciation over the years for the song's lyrics, which I consider to be way ahead of their time - perhaps even still today (you might read Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, or even Augustine, for a fuller appreciation of the ramifications of the song's lyrics). The acoustic-driven "Clouds" was one minor variation from album-exactness, but was enjoyable and very well-received (also, prior to a stirring live rendition of "Sad Face" - in an impromptu audience interaction moment someone in the crowd sang out loud an impersonation of the church lady voice "no dreams will their be shattered..." prompting humorous reactions from both band and audience).

"I Washed My Robe in the River" was particularly "driving" in its force, and hearing "Rifleman" performed live... with Hindalong narrating the speaking parts and playing harmonica from behind the drum kit... well... for this spectator it was sort of like having an out of body experience. I never imagined I'd be in an intimate crowd of enthusiasts listening to this band perform such an obscure, opaque song I've admired for so many years.

Acoustic "Clouds"

Hindalong narrates "Rifleman"

Daugherty then shared a detail about the influence of the late Gene Eugene on the song "Look out for Your Own." A very memorable moment of reflection (following this, someone in the crowd also belted out the line "Everybody in the band appreciates Mark..." to which Daugherty responded "hey, wait a minute, get your own band" with laughs all around). Hindalong stepped out from behind the drums, and on acoustic guitar sang and played the song with some hilarious, updated lyrics replete with self-deprecating humor about the band. This was a very "playful" moment in the set with much laughter.

"Everybody in the band... appreciates Derri"

"So Far Away" was introduced as being like a couples' number in a skating rink during the 1970's. Even though we all remember... Journey... (*gasp*) I would personally give the song more credence than that (although the not-taking-ourselves-to-seriously vibe is refreshing). Following the last riffs of the final song "Chase T.K." being banged out with notable energy, the enthralled attendees were especially noisy and appreciative.

From there the band tore into some other notable fan favorites, including "Sentimental Song" and "Burning like the Midnight Sun." They also played the excellent number "Cross that River" from their brand new 2012 release "The Loudest Sound Ever Heard." Hindalong spoke in an especially thoughtful way about the meaning of the song - and the genuine empathy and encouragement they hope people get from it. This was one of the highlights of the show.

The band left the stage to a passionate, raucous response from the audience - which brought them back out for more. After Daugherty made some jokes about "encores" in general, he thanked the audience for their support, and they broke into one more song, which was an amazing live version of "Circle Slide." With its quintessentially creative, artistic, ethereal "choir" -like vibe, the song wrapped up the evening.

"Circle Slide"

A special thanks to Zeke's for hosting the show, to the Choir for traveling to our neck of the woods to perform, and also to the individual band members for interacting with the audience afterwards.

For whatever it's worth... "everyone of us... as fans... appreciates the Choir"

P.S.