New URL for the American Idol buzz blog!
Please go to the new American Idol Buzz blog at http://blogs.ajc.com/american-idol-blog/
Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2006 > September > 13
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
9/13: Taylor at Smith’s Olde Bar!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is Taylor at about 2 in the morning 9/13/06 stealing from the “Ace” handbook of emoting. :) CREDIT: Rodney Ho
An unknown Taylor Hicks a year ago played Smith’s Olde Bar to a handful of his old Auburn college buddies.
I just got back from his post-“Idol” concert with his old band Little Memphis Blues Orchestra at Smith’s. This time was a bit different, now that he’s famous. More than 150 Soul Patrol fans showed up, many driving in from out of state, most who didn’t even bother going to the Arena at Gwinnett concert. They wanteed to see their Gray Charles up close and personal. And at Smith’s, it’s intimate alright. I got within 6 feet of Taylor, very close to the stage, surrounded mostly by middle-aged women armed with digital cameras, cell phone cameras and a stray video camera, too.
Taylor. who gave his band members plenty of kudos, got to be himself. And no, he didn’t make a cameo. Three hours after doing his 50th or so “Idol” concert, he proceeded to do a full-fledged concert: two full 45 minute sets until 2:30 a.m. He even brought on three of his old college friends - guitarist Wynn Christian, bassist Quinn Borland and drummer Patrick Lunceford — and gave them plenty of space to shine. And he looked good— definitely thinner than during the show. He dressed in a tan jacket, blue shirt (with the top two buttons open), jeans and alligator shoes. He whipped out his harmonica partway through and did lengthly blues riffs. While in the past, other “Idol” contestants have joined him, this time he was by himself. But for the Soul Patrol fans, that was just fine.
He covered Billy Preston’s “We Go Round in Circles,” did plenty of originals I didn’t recognize and namechecked Doraville, of all cities. He even riffed a bit of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” referencing rebel DJ Adrian Cronauer from “Good Morning Vietnam.”
And he got to end the concert with “Georgia on My Mind.” I had asked him in a press conference back in May if he planned to do it during the tour. Ultimately, for reasons I forgot to ask him, he didn’t. But it was great to see his take on the blues classic. He did it really low key, sat on a chair and just emoted, adlibbing part of it. At one point, he even referenced the Chattahoochee and sang a couple of lines from the classic Alan Jackson song. Overall, well worth the $15 —- and probably because the concert was not widely publicized, Smith’s was NOT sold out.
Here’s a shot of him gigging with his Auburn college buddy (left) Wynn Christian.
