Anderson East Energizes at Sold-Out Nashville Show
"I've lived here for about 11 years now. It's so nice to play here," he told the sold-out crowd. "I cannot thank all of you enough for being here tonight."
Anderson East transformed Nashville’s Basement East into a dance hall Saturday night (March 19).
“We hope tonight you came with a positive attitude, willing to have a good time and you brought your dancing shoes,” East said two songs into his nearly 100-minute set.
While East could be found dancing on the stage for the majority of his performance, getting the audience to clap and dance along was no difficult task as the singer’s energy was contagious.
The sold-out concert was a return home for East, who has lived in Music City for the past 11 years. The venue was full of friends, family, fans, and yes, girlfriend Miranda Lambert. Meanwhile, East’s appreciation for the attentive crowd only grew stronger throughout the night as he continually thanked the audience for attending the show and being silent as he played some of his slower numbers.
East kicked things off shortly after 10 p.m. with the spirited “Find ‘Em, Fool ‘Em and Forget ‘Em” off his 2015 release Delilah complete with bluesy trumpet and saxophone accompaniment. The high energy continued with his soulful “Quit You” before he slowed things down for the beautiful throwback “Only You” and an impressive cover of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” which had the crowd singing along word for word as he danced around the stage.
“For some people out there, life is difficult,” East said, prefacing his next song “Keep the Fire Burning.” “It’s hard to keep things together. My old man told me once, ‘You’ll be all right if you can keep all your sh– in one sock.’ So that’s what this next song is about. This is a song for anybody trying to keep it in one place.”
The song featured East’s raspy vocals alongside striking piano and horn accompaniment. Even on the slower tracks, East’s energy remained as he’d take a break from the microphone to walk to the edge of the stage, clapping his hands and inviting the audience to do the same.
Again and again, East would thank the crowd for buying a ticket to see him live, almost in disbelief that he sold out the venue.
“I’ve lived here for about 11 years now. It’s so nice to play here,” he said. “I cannot thank all of you enough for being here tonight. I see so many friends and some family here tonight, it means the world. The rest of you, I don’t know how the hell you showed up and you came here. It’s making me feel like this is my home. I appreciate it.”
One of the most memorable moments of East’s set included his performance of the vulnerable ballad “What a Woman Wants to Hear,” a song he introduced as being a song for the ladies. His performance had the venue silent, something East did not take for granted.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in Nashville and played a song where people were quiet,” he confessed. “I’ve lived here for a long time… we see the best music all the time [here] and that’s a great and beautiful thing. Goddammit, I miss being home! This is the best city on the face of the earth as far as I’m concerned. If you don’t believe it then you have to go walk around somewhere in some other state because this place right here is as special as hell.”
Saturday’s show was a homecoming for East and his excitement to be back in Nashville was evident throughout each song as he danced around the stage. Whether he was singing songs that were inspired by his father, like “Learning” off the new Dave Cobb album Southern Family, or falling in and out of love on “Lying In Her Arms,” his energy never wavered.
“Thank y’all so very much for making tonight so special for us,” he said as he closed the show. “We’re so glad to be home and we hope you’ve had a lovely time and hopefully had as good a time as we’ve had.”
Judging by their response, East more than succeeded.
