Trisha Yearwood performed two nights at the Las Vegas Hilton. I attended the first show on Friday, September 30th. Opening the show was Capitol Nashville's new group, Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband
Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband have a single out now that is also the title of their debut album on Capitol, called "Dream Big." Other than this song, I really hadn't heard much about the group, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by this very entertaining and energetic group.
They started their set with a song called "Simplify." The song has a sort of a jazzy feel to it, and was cool to listen to. Ryan Shupe, the group's namesake and lead singer stated the next song was his favorite track on the album. It's was another interesting faster tempo piece called "Even Superman" By the chorus, I was really liking this group. Next song up was what Ryan said was called "Banjo Boy." It started with the banjo player in the spotlight while the other guys were all acting kind of goofy. The banjo player started singing "Rainbow Connection," sounding like Kermit the Frog himself. This was so funny. At the end of the first chorus, they then started the actual song "Banjo Boy." I'm not sure if the other bit was an intro or what, but I liked it!
Ryan said the next song is one that many people have told them has meant a lot to them. That was the single, "Dream Big." At the beginning of this, I think maybe some of the people recognized the song. But, unlike some concerts where people are obviously there to see the headliner, the audience was thoroughly entertained by Shupe and his band. The applause was honest, not just polite, and as the band sang their final song "Walk The Walk" they really gave us everything they had, at one point segueing into "Orange Blossom Special" with the various members playing each other's instruments, then back into the fast paced "Walk The Walk."
When I say playing each other's instruments, I meant the guitarist held his guitar and strummed, while a second person played the chords with one hand and his own instrument with the other, and another person played the second person's chords, etc. The final person, the fiddle player played his own instrument. This was quite interesting to see, and hear the perfect playing from it. I was amazed, and very entertained.
When I had arrived, I was thinking maybe I was going to be bored by someone I didn't know while I waited for Trisha to perform. Instead, I was really interested in the show, the players, and the songs, and wish they could have played a bit more than the short 25-minute set. I don't think I was alone, either. These guys are good!
Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband will play several dates with Trisha this fall. Whether you see them opening for her or someone else, or on their own, I really think you'll enjoy the show as I did. They are one talented group.
Set List:
- Simplify
- Even Superman
- Banjo Boy
- Dream Big
- Walk The Walk
Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband Concert Review | Trisha Yearwood Concert Review