On Saturday, November 8th, David Nail brought his I’m A Fire tour to Boston which stopped at the House of Blues on Landsdowne Street just outside Fenway Park. In case you didn’t know, David Nail loves the city of Boston and that was evident as he wrote numerous tweets leading up to the concert that showed he was excited and nervous to play in Boston. He even watched ‘Good Will Hunting’ with some of his crew on the way to Boston.
Before the show started, we were invited to a VIP experience with Frankie Ballard. A few minutes past 5:00, Frankie came out with his guitarist and the two sat on two stools in front of Frankie’s personalized black backdrop with their guitars. He joked that since it was a VIP experience, he hoped we felt important. Frankie started the night by singing a great acoustic version of his most recent single ‘Sunshine & Whiskey,’ with the crowd getting involved as they helped sing the chorus which put a smile on Frankie’s face.
After the song, he took some questions including how proud he was of ‘Helluva Life,’ how much fun he had at the CMA’s, and even a request for Frankie to sing ‘Homegrown,’ which was at the request of Broadway from Connecticut’s 92.5. Frankie then got back to the music which he made into a ‘medley that’s never happened,’ which consisted of his song ‘Don’t Tell Mama I Was Drinking,’ Bob Seger’s ‘Night Moves,’ and his first number one single, ‘Helluva Life.’
Afterwards, Frankie took pictures with and talked with fans and gave fans some gifts including signed posters and personalized guitar pick necklaces. All in all, Frankie Ballard set the bar high even before doors opened. Just going off this VIP experience, it was apparent that it would be an an unforgettable night.
The House of Blues’ doors opened right at 6PM and less than a half hour later, Native Run took the stage. Bryan Dawley and Rachel Beauregard, who together make Native Run, also did a pre-show performance with a fantastic set at Boston hotspot Loretta’s Last Call and that was just a precursor to their night at House of Blues. Despite the majority of the crowd in the House of Blues music hall not knowing a lot of their music, Native Run put on a hell of a show and dazzled fans with incredible music and singing. Not only did the duo sing their song ‘The Party Came Looking For Me,’ as well as their first single ‘Good On You’ but the duo also impressed the crowd with a cover of TLC’s ‘Waterfalls.’
Needless to say, Native Run came into the House of Blues, played some great music, and made a number of new fans. (We also ran into Native Run after the show at Loretta’s Last Call as they came in for one quick celebratory drink with their band and Bryan told us there that they would be back in February opening for Sam Hunt on his tour.)
Next on stage was the incredibly entertaining Frankie Ballard. The rising star came out to ‘I Came To Git Down’ which was recorded by Big & Rich on their recent ‘Gravity‘ album, and a song that Frankie co-wrote. After the rocking start with ‘I Came To Git Down,’ Frankie went into ‘It Don’t Take Much’ and his most recent hit, ‘Sunshine & Whiskey,’ which was one of the crowd’s favorite songs and turned into a giant sing-a-long.
After performing ‘Young and Crazy,’ Frankie wanted to give some of the younger fans in attendance a bit of a history lesson with some Bob Seger, which turned into the performance with the most adrenaline we have seen in quite some time. Midway through performing ‘Old Time Rock and Roll,’ Frankie jumped off stage, and ran over to the stage door which brings you to the second level and green rooms in the House of Blues; he came out on the second floor all while he kept singing and even climbed his way to the third level, microphone in hand, still singing. At one point, he was literally standing on the ledge of the third level looking over the entire crowd singing. As he told us before the show, he just likes getting a good look at the crowd.
While on the third floor, you could hear him on his microphone discover the bar to which he made a pitstop and had a shot of whiskey with a lucky fan before being directed back to the main stage. To see a performer scale the House of Blues like that while performing was incredible and it really set the tone as he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. When he got back to the stage, he said, “Someone grabbed my ass so hard up there. I’m not sure if it was a man or a woman. But it felt great! Thanks Boston!” With the crowd still reeling after Frankie’s daredevil antics, the singer wrapped up his set at the House of Blues with his first number one song, ‘Helluva Life’ and another crowd favorite, ‘Drinky Drink.’
After a short intermission, the stage became dimly lit by these really cool vintage light bulbs that illuminated a very basic banner showing David Nail’s name and the name of the tour. There was also a strong scent of incense coming from the stage. The setting was very David Nail-esque. The Missouri native, with a beard that a New Englander would be proud of, began his night with ‘I’m A Fire,’ which I really enjoyed hearing live. I think David Nail gave more emotion in his live performance than on the radio version. He continued his set with ‘Countin’ Cars,’ another song off his most recent album. But then Nail got nostalgic by playing some of his older songs including gold-selling single ‘Red Light,’ which the crowd loved. David also played ‘I’m About To Come Alive’ and ‘Kiss You Tonight.’
One of my favorite parts of Nail’s performance was his performance of ‘Let It Rain,’ a song about infidelity which was on his 2011 album, ‘The Sound of a Million Dreams.’ That song was a number one hit for Nail but it wasn’t just the song that made it one of my favorite parts. As the song drew to the end, the song transitioned into Coldplay’s ‘Fix You,’ which was really raw and awe-inspiring. Nail’s keyboard player really made this moment special. As the night’s end drew near, Nail and his band performed a rendition of Waylon Jennings’ ‘Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,’ which allowed him to spotlight his band members for a few moments as they completed their drum and guitar solos while Nail introduced them. David Nail completed the night with a two song encore of his most recent number one hit, ‘Whatever She’s Got,’ which Nail started out with a very raw version before breaking into a more recognizable one which they crowd loved and sang along to before he finished the night with ‘Grandpa’s Farm.’
The show in it’s entirety was an incredible one, from top to bottom. I loved seeing David Nail perform; how he was constantly stomping his boot to the beat and the grimaces he would make- not in pain, but just because a great beat or drum lick. It was pure pleasure for David Nail as he performed. Although, he couldn’t match the energy of Frankie Ballard (David is know for being a pretty mellow guy), David Nail put on a great show that showed off his great vocals and musical skills.
