The Evanston crowd received a twofer when both John Moreland and Patterson Hood made a stop at Space on their co-headlining tour.
John Moreland and Patterson Hood performed for a sold-out Space crowd for two nights, proving the Evanston crowd just cannot get enough of this pairing. While the combination of these two on one lineup works perfectly, they each brought something completely different to the table.
First up was singer-songwriter John Moreland. There are few things in the world today that can silence all of the hustle and bustle like a John Moreland show at Space. Having seen him at various venues and always been impressed by his shows, this venue is ideally suited for performances like his. The audience always sits in respectful silence to the point you can hear every heartbreaking lyric crystal clear. Not one to chat to the audience in between songs, Moreland joked about the emotional nature of his songs when he quipped, “I’m just going to keep these feel-good anthems going for you.”
The entire room was fixated on the stage, with Moreland and his trusty Martin captivating the audience, who could be seen silently mouthing the words to his songs so as not to drown him out in any way. It’s a simple yet extremely effective setup. Nothing flashing, no one jumping around the stage, just a poet letting his music do the talking for him. And talk it did.
Patterson Hood, known to many as a co-founder of Drive-By Truckers, brought a completely different vibe to the evening when he took to the stage. From the moment he stepped up to the microphone, he would chat to the audience, setting the scene for each song, which added an extra level of understanding to the lyrics. Songs like “A Werewolf and a Girl” and “The Van Pelt Parties” transported you back to those specific moments in his life.While Hood performed a number of songs from his solo works, he was sure to include a large number of tunes from his 30 years with the Drive-By Truckers. Growing up with a famous and phenomenally talented father, surrounded by some of the best musicians and most storied studios in the US at that time, clearly was foundational to who Patterson is as an artist. Walking on stage, he mentioned that he planned to deviate from the setlist he had already prepared after someone asked him if he had met Wayne Perkins back in the day. He had met Wayne and told the audience about his experience before launching into “Sandwiches for the Road,” a song he wrote that was inspired by his interactions with Perkins.
It’s a treat to see Patterson in this kind of environment. He seemed totally at home performing solo and sharing the background to some highly autobiographical songs. When you can sit in a darkened room and be entirely transported in your mind to the back seat of an Oldsmobile or feel the ecstasy and agony of that first high school relationship, you know you’re dealing with a songwriter of the highest caliber.
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