It was a packed house at the Wolf Den on Saturday, August 29th, with fans arriving to Mohegan Sun as early as 1:00 pm to get in line for the Swon Brothers concert. The place filled up quick, and by the time she show started the Den was at capacity and then some. The fans that didn’t make it inside stood at the perimeter, about four to five people deep, where they still had a decent view of the stage. Around 8:00 pm the Swon Brother’s appeared to the sound of an engine revving and kicked off the show with their song, ‘Pick Up Line.’ “It’s good to be back with y’all tonight,” Colton said before the pair transitioned into their ode to summer, ‘95.’ The duo was quick to jump into some crowd interaction urging a fan to sing the “ooooh” of the song’s pre-chorus into the microphone. While most fans tend to shy away, this one bravely embraced her five seconds of fame and sang along for all to hear.
As most artists do, the guys used the time during intervals to talk to the audience, but you’ll find that the typical banter between songs at a Swon Brothers’ concert sounds a bit like a comedy sketch. The brothers are constantly making jokes about each other or their band members and always have the audience laughing along with them. “If you could take one of us home who would it be?” Zach asked. “Do you want a boy… or do you ladies want a man?” he said while simultaneously flexing his biceps as his little brother brushed him off. “We’re going to be goofy tonight. We’re brothers and that’s just what we do,” Colton said.
The guys carried on with the show singing two of their most popular songs, ‘Pretty Beautiful’ and ‘Pray for You,’ dedicating the latter to those who’ve served. “If you’ve got a light on your phone, let’s get em up for our military,” they requested during an instrumental break, and soon the Wolf Den was sparkling.
The Swon Brothers have been working hard on new music lately. “We’ve got exciting news. We have like half the record done and it’s because of you all,” they told the crowd. The pair asked the audience if it would be okay if they tested out a new song. “If you like it tweet us and let us know what you think,” they said before introducing ‘Just Another Girl.’ The song is catchy and upbeat and looked like it was a hit with the audience that night. A quick Twitter search of #JustAnotherGirl reveals that to be true. Fans tweeted heart-eyes and thumbs up emojis accompanying plenty of kind words for the Swon Brothers’ new tune. From there, they moved on to a cover of Keith Urban’s, ‘Somebody Like You,’ before switching things up and inviting their tour manager, Greg Cook, on stage. They told everyone how Greg was a founding member of the band Ricochet, and played ‘Daddy’s Money,’ the 1996 hit that put Ricochet on the map.
At this point the brothers seemed to have the crowd in the palm of their hands. The audience would applaud just about anything the guys said or did. Even the mention of their hometown, Muskogee, Oklahoma, elicited loud cheers from the crowd despite the fact that most of the audience probably hadn’t even heard of the city before. (A fact that the Swons were quick to point out.) Colton and Zach will never stop showing gratitude for all the fans who supported them on The Voice. They thanked those who have stayed loyal since their time on the show before introducing their next number. “The song that got us to the finale… that made our dreams come true,” Colton said, as they proceeded to play a cover of ‘Danny’s Song,’ by Loggins & Messina.
Sticking with cover songs for a bit, the brothers invited up band member, Seth Costner, to take the reins on ‘Uptown Funk,’ allowing Zach to showcase his talent on the drums. The pop hit drew out the dancers in the crowd and had some fans busting out their best moves, providing added entertainment during this number. At the song’s conclusion, a winded Zach returned to the front of the stage to sing Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me,’ followed by Colton’s rendition of The Temptations’ timeless hit, ‘My Girl.’
The guys are genuinely thankful for each and every fan and never leave a show without acknowledging that. “Every time you wear our shirt you support our dreams,” they said. The duo showed their appreciation by tossing merchandise into the crowd, declaring, “we want to give out some Swon Brothers gear,” as they threw a koozie, t-shirt, and CD into the audience. Not only did they give out free merchandise, but they insisted that every fan come to the merch table after the show to get it signed or to take a picture with the brothers. During their next song, a cover of The Doobie Brothers’ ‘Listen to the Music,’ Colton walked through the entire crowd, stopping to shake hands and take photos as he made his way around the Wolf Den, even reaching out to those who were unable to make it inside. The brothers closed out their set with their well-known hit, ‘Later On,’ which left the crowd cheering for more.
They came out for an encore and topped off the show with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ ‘American Girl’ – the song that got the chairs to turn on The Voice and kick-started Zach and Colton’s incredible journey. The brothers are extremely talented musicians and outstanding entertainers, it’s no wonder the Wolf Den was so crowded. Anyone who has seen them perform once is sure to come back for more.