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Band Collaboration and Guest Surprises Satisfy Fans at Sold-Out Show

Good Old War, Yukon Blonde and Audra Mae Impress at Maxwell’s

 

It was evident on Friday night that Good Old War, Yukon Blonde and Audra Mae don't want their current tour to end. With two shows remaining, the bands couldn't get enough of each other. Whether it was Audra Mae calling members of Yukon Blonde and Good Old War onstage during her performance or a nearly five-minute jam between members of all three bands during Yukon Blonde's set, their excitement permeated into the sold-out crowd.

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Audra Mae kicked off the night shortly before 8 p.m. as she apologized to the audience. "I waited for my mama ya'll. Sorry I'm late," she said. "She said she just got out of the car, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer."

Mae began with beautiful ballad "The River." With light percussion and string features, her voice soared gracefully over the musical accompaniment. Her nearly 30-minute set showcased a mix of soulful indie folk and country twang.

While tracks like "Millionaire" showcased Mae's powerful vocals, others like "Bandida" demonstrated her ability to switch things up. With a rustic country twang and tambourine throughout, the crowd stomped their feet along and the room was quickly transformed into a sweaty southern honky tonk.

Although she has been compared to K.D. Lang, Mae embodies a distinct Carole King and Nancy Sinatra quality. Original tracks like "Lightning In a Bottle" impressed, but it was her jaw-dropping cover of Janis Joplin's "Turtle Blues" that wowed the crowd. Complete with harmonica and an edgy electric guitar interlude, Mae's unrelenting vocals left the room abuzz.

Canadian-based Yukon Blonde took the stage next with solid rock & roll. Their minute-long guitar interludes combined with spot-on vocals electrified Maxwell's. Yukon Blonde demonstrated their versatility throughout their performance. While "Brides Song" is straight up rock with killer electric guitar riffs, "Wind Blows" is a surprisingly slower ballad with an ethereal quality. Combined with light percussion and perfected vocal harmonies, the crowd could never predict what would come next.

Midway through, Yukon Blonde called Audra Mae and Good Old War up to the stage. As the three bands positioned themselves, Yukon Blonde told the crowd, "You better dance. Have fun and party, especially with the people you don't know beside you."  After a nearly five-minute instrumental jam onstage, the band ended their energetic 40-minute set.

Once Good Old War took the stage it was evident this was the band everyone came to see. Fans danced throughout every track and sang along word for word on each song. In fact, at times it seemed the band was conducting a choir instead of performing themselves. Throughout the night, frontman Keith Goodwin and guitarist Dan Schwartz would raise their arms in the air, as if directing the room to sing with them.

Good Old War began with "My Own Sinking Ship" complete with accordion accompaniment. As the trio alternated instruments they continuously danced around the stage. Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green surprised concertgoers at the end of second track, "Weak Man" when he jumped onstage to sing along with the band.

The band's energy never wavered throughout their hour performance. The majority of the set list included songs off their recent self-titled release as well as their debut album, Only Way To Be Alone. As they finished "Tell Me," Good Old War called producer Jason Cupp up to the stage to help out on a few songs.

The folksy guitar-based ballad "I Should Go" segued well into the energetic "Just Another Day" where both band and audience danced along. On many tracks, Schwartz could be seen looping electric guitar accompaniment to the song before he picked up his acoustic.

While it was hard to tell which song was the crowd favorite, "Coney Island" was a close winner. "I can't wait to sing this song with you," Schwartz said before the band started the track. "Come sing with us tomorrow in New York City. You made us so, so happy tonight. It's very touching to hear you sing. I feel it deep inside."

Good Old War closed their set unplugged in the middle of the floor at Maxwell's. Rather than the typical encore of walking off the stage to come back on, Schwartz said, "We're going to come to you." As they performed two songs surrounded by fans singing along, it felt more like a party with friends than a sold-out rock show.

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