LIVE: MOON TAXI – February 3, 2018

Venue: The Mill & Mine

City: Knoxville, TN

Date: February 3, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Rachel Craig (http://www.rachelcraigphotos.net/)

Moon Taxi continued their special 2-day Heart of the Valley Ball in Knoxville at the Mill & Mine in front of a sold-out crowd on February 3. The show opened with ELEL, a seven-piece indie pop band from Nashville that turned the venue into a dance party. Frontman Ben Elkins also channeled that energy from their catchy hits, dancing and jumping around the stage while the crowd of (mostly) millennial fans got ready for the headliner. ELEL’s music is full of potential radio hits, including their already-popular song “40 Watt.” The band also performed a cover of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” which prompted a sing-along from the entire room.  The venue had been comfortably full throughout ELEL’s set, but it became noticeably packed as soon as the crew began changing over the stage.

Moon Taxi are alt-rockers who also come from Nashville (Frontman Trevor Terndrup called Knoxville their second-favorite city). They are supporting their brand new album Let the Record Play, which released just a few weeks ago. Moon Taxi began their set with their hit “Mercury,” followed by 17 other songs. I was honestly surprised at how quickly the entire show went by, since the band played for nearly an hour and a half, covering both older songs and brand new material from their new album. I have to give some recognition to Terndrup and keyboardist Wes Bailey for some incredible solos. Another Nashville-based band called Luthi had performed with Moon Taxi the night before, and their saxophonist Amber Woodhouse also joined the band on stage for a song. Near the end of their set, Moon Taxi left the stage briefly with a lone light shining on the keyboards, and came back to play a 2-song encore of “Gunflower” and “Two High.” The Mill & Mine is a great concert venue for any genre, but alternative pop/rock shows feel like they belong there. The ambiance is perfect for a night out near Knoxville’s Old City. This was my first show of 2018 and I feel like it was a very fun way to ring in a great year of live music.

Setlist: Mercury – Change – Let The Record Play – Make Your Mind Up – Who’s To Say – Good As Gold – Run Right Back – Nothing Can Keep Us Apart – The Way – All Day All Night – Year Zero – Not Too Late – Cabaret – Morocco – The New Black – Running Wild – Gunflower – Two High

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries