Holy Ghost Tent Revival - Wholly Disappointed

Let me say that I do NOT want to write this review.  These guys were students when I worked at Greensboro College and performed together in the Family Weekend Festivities that I used to plan.  Back then, I remember how they wowed the parents and had everyone on their feet.  Their mix of ragtime, swing and bluegrass was a breath of fresh air and the energy contagious. Everyone loved them and as they grew into the Holy Ghost Tent Revival, their popularity grew in the Greensboro Community.

Now fast forward a few years.  They are staple in the Greensboro club scene.  So it was with great anticipation and excitement that we would go to see them at the Blind Tiger for New Years Eve.  I knew a few things going in.  1.  I knew that the crowd would be largely twenty somethings and many would be under twenty-one (it was advertised as an all ages show).  2.  I knew that it would be a late night.  3.  I knew- or so I thought- the music would be great.

Doors opened at 8:00 so we arrived around 9pm to claim our spot "in the crotch" (see previous article for clarification of this term).  We anticipated music would start around 9:30 pm so we were not expecting to wait for an hour and a half for the opening band.  Finally, at 10:30 pm, the opening band took the stage.  I'm really not that old (or so I like to think), but just starting at 10:30 was a little RIDICULOUS!

The best thing about the opening band was they had a tambourine/maraca player that kept us well entertained.  Sometime during one of the first few songs, he lost one of his maracas and it went flying down between a speaker and the stage right in front of us.  He somewhat quickly regained form, however, remained with one less maraca for the remainder of the show.  He did not seem to know the words to the songs however.  We hypothesized that he was a friend of the band that had no NYE plans and they just said "Dude, stand up there and play these".  Even at the halfway point of the show, the band had still not introduced themselves.  Finally at some point they said, "we are Floating ...mumble...mumble...from Asheville".  It wasn't until I asked someone standing near me and they had deciphered the name and I learned they were named "Floating Action".  You will rarely hear me say this...this band was BAD.  Really BAD.  I usually try to find goodness in almost everything so fact that the only goodness that I could find was the somewhat clueless maraca guy is a stretch for me.  This band is probably best for playing frat parties where no one really cares about the quality of music but rather having background noise as they play beer pong.  Perhaps they are still unseasoned as performers.  Maybe they had an off night.  Maybe they were that bad.  Yea...that's about it on Floating Action. Oh, by the way, we helped maraca/tambourine guy retrieve his lost maraca from the crevice in front of the stage.  I think it made his night.

Play me a song Mr Tambourine/Maraca Man

So as midnight rolled around, we could see that HGTR would probably take the stage right after midnight.  And indeed as the last few minutes of 2011 ticked down, we could see they were making their move.  As the clock reached 11:59 they appeared on stage swigging out of a cheap champagne bottle (it could have been Asti) however, it felt to me as if they were a little full of themselves. A little to much swagger and cockiness.  Who does that?  I remember Sammy Hagar doing so with a Jack Daniel's bottle years ago.  But never anyone drinking cheap champagne on a club stage.  I guess there is a first time for everything.  It was also quite annoying when the guy running their sound board lit up a cigarette in a smoke free club.  Perhaps, he realized my annoyance (after giving him the stink eye) because he offered up a PBR to Jay and I as a truce.  We accepted.

After midnight, they began to play and all I can say is how surprised I was at that point.  While they are still talented musicians, their sound was completely different. They were so generic...so vanilla.  Where was the banjo?  Where was the upright bass?  They still had the horns which was somewhat of a saving grace, it was still not the show I had anticipated seeing.  I was (and still am) disappointed.   Jay was as disappointed as I was as well.  The rest of our group had either already left or retreated to the outdoor patio when we finally threw in the towel just after 1am.  In their defense, maybe, they brought out the banjo and bass after we left (however they were no where to be seen on stage).

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

Again, I must emphasize, these guys are very talented musicians.  That's why I am left scratching my head as to why their sound is so different. I just don't understand this departure in sound. I will continue to follow them as I DO think they are going somewhere, but I have to wonder if someone has advised them to change?  Maybe it was just an off night, maybe the banjo was in the shop for repair.  I just hope these guys will get back to what made them so special.