It’s been three years since I saw Sister Hazel perform in Rochester, NY, at the Lilac Festival. Sister Hazel is a band that I feel gets overlooked when it comes to talent. I have been on The Rock Boat Cruise (which is hosted by them), and they throw one hell of a party! I know I’m in for a good time when I attend a Hazel show.
Sister Hazel walked out on stage with smiles on their faces to a packed house full of Hazel-Nuts (die-hard fans). They jumped right into “Mandolin Moon” from their 2006 release Absolutely. This was an instant crowd pleaser. After three songs the band looked to be really enjoying themselves on stage. The fourth song of the night “Your Winter” almost sounded like it should have been an encore song… half way through they broke into “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. The vocals to the chorus sounded like they were singing to 10,000 fans!
With Sister Hazel, it doesn’t matter what song they play. It could be track seven (7) from album number five (#5) and the fans still know the lyrics. This is what drives the band. They give their fans what they want. But, the band does have some new material. They sneak it in between the familiar songs, and “Prettiest Girl” was received with a very warm welcome. Ken Block (singer) promised there “…wouldn’t be too much of that.
This year marks 20 years since the band’s inception and they are documenting many of the songs. Throughout the night a videographer would appear on stage to capture the moment. Ken introduced Drew Copeland (rhythm guitar) as “…funny, good looking and he plays the piano.” Drew set down his guitar and sat behind the piano and sang lead vocals on “This Kind of Love,” which was complemented by Ryan Newell’s bluesy guitar solo.
The end of the set was fueled with some crowd favorites: “All For You,” “Change Your Mind,” and “Everybody.” For the encore, Ken came out with his acoustic guitar and talked about the bands recent visit to Honduras. He shared that they were blown away by how devastated it was, but that the children were still happy? They are currently working on a project which will adopt a village of 300 kids. The goal is to have the community self reliant within the next six years. Ken encouraged the audience to participate. Ken remained on stage and sang a solo performance of “Champagne High,” a song about going to his ex’s wedding. By the end of the song, Ryan and Drew joined Ken for harmonies. They ended the night with “Swan Dive.”
It was another great show of sing-along songs, four part harmonies, and Ryan’s solos. As always, you left wanting more of Sister Hazel.
Set List:
Mandolin Moon
Happy
Come Around
Your Winter (with Beatles cover Hey Jude)
Beautiful Thing
Prettiest Girl
Shame
Roll On By
This Kind of Love
Karaoke Song
All For You
Change Your Mind
Everybody
Encore:
Champagne High
Take it With Me
Swan Dive
We would like to thank Ebie McFarland from Ebia Media for the credentials to review the show.
