Red Wanting Blue Kicks Off Tour on Michigan Road-Trip

Midwest rockers Red Wanting Blue recently made a stop in Kalamazoo, Michigan as part of their Light It Up tour. The tour, which kicked off in June, came to Michigan for stops at Ferndale’s Magic Bag and Kalamazoo’s Bell’s Eccentric Cafe. The show at Bell’s was packed with loyal fans excited to see this exciting live act make another stop to the area.

The show was opened up by Ohio singer-songwriter JD Eicher. Eicher and his band brought a great set of alt-pop and indie rock tunes that have made up his decades long career. Eicher has a great stage presence and a very easy going demeanor on stage. Often between songs, he would share stories or allow the audience to ask questions. One high point of the show was the band’s cover of Cage the Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” which really got the crowd going. Eicher and his band put on a really impressively fun set that got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the evening.

Red Wanting Blue is a band that I’ve been aware of for many years after an old friend saw them serval decades ago. I had always heard that they were a band you had to see live, and after this show I understand why. This was an absolutely wild performance.

The set kicked off with a selection of songs from their most recent outing, Light It Up. Opening the show, frontman Scott Terry came to the blacked out stage with a booked shaped light that created an ethereal glow that lit Terry, guitarist Eric Hall, and special guest for the evening Bobby Yang who joined the band on fiddle.

After the opening prologue, the launched into Hey, 84 from the new album. The song, a nostalgic look back at the pop culture of their youth, perfectly brought up the energy of the crowd. This was also a great introduction to the legend of Terry as a frontman. He commanded the stage and the audience as he waxed poetically about rock and roll and the arcade machines of the 80s.

The band spent the first part of their set playing the better part of their new album for the audience. After playing Fine & Dandy, the last song they played from the album, the band began the second part of their 20-song set going through some of their most beloved songs from their nearly three-decade career.

The crowd was treated to classics such as High and Dry, Hope on a Rope (a song that was written while in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), You are My Las Vegas, and more. During their performance of Younger Years, the band brought Eicher back to the stage to perform with them. The chemistry between Eicher and Terry was evident as they traded verses throughout the song.

The encore began with a rowdy rendition of Pasties and a G String by Tom Waits. The song, which is stylistically very different from Red Wanting Blue’s typical sound was a really fun surprise. They finished out the set with classics Keep Love Alive and Hitchhikers Lullaby.

After seeing their performance, I’m so glad that I finally got to see one of Red Wanting Blue’s live shows. All of the descriptions about the powerful performances they put on still didn’t do justice to seeing them live. This is a seasoned band who absolutely comes to life on the stage. If you are a fan of live music, do yourself a favor and see this band and experience one of their live shows for yourself.

Red Wanting Blue continue this leg of their tour through September, making upcoming stops in Colorado, Texas, Illinois, and Washington.

You can find more about JD Eicher online at jdeicher.com, on socials @jdeicher, and on Spotify and Apple Music.

Red Wanting Blue can be found at redwantingblue.com, on socials @redwantingblue, and on Spotify and Apple Music.