LIVE: FIVE FOR FIGHTING – Orlando, FL, USA – May 23, 2024

Venue: The Plaza

City: Orlando, FL

Date: May 23, 2024

Review and Photographs by: Stephanie Gray (https://stephgrayphoto.mypixieset.com/)

The Plaza was buzzing with excitement on May 23, 2024 as audience members took their seats. Tonight’s show is Five for Fighting, with opener Jordan Foley from Jordan Foley & The Wheelhouse. Jordan took the stage with his guitar, playing a solo acoustic set. Jordan and his bandmates are a local Orlando band in the folk-Americana genre with a very confident and powerful sound. His raw, authentic vocals echoed through the venue thoroughly immersing the audience in the concert experience. He was a wonderful opener, and a very talented musician/artist.

Five for Fighting started their set with lead singer John Ondrasik on acoustic guitar, before moving to the piano. After playing the song “Easy Tonight” an audience member piped up about it being their wife’s ringtone and there was a brief interaction with John. As the show continued John was super engaging with the crowd, taking time before almost every song to explain the origin of the lyrics and interact with his fans. He spoke about “Note to the Unknown Soldier” being a song dedicated to troops away from home. Then they played “What If”, one of my personal favorites from the Bookmarks album. There was a quick “break” in the music while John spoke about where the name Five for Fighting came from – an ice hockey expression that means a five-minute major penalty for participating in a fight. He referenced a poster from a previous show two years prior that featured hockey players, one of the audience members actually had that exact poster with them. Before playing the next song “I Just Love You’, John spoke about his daughter and how she inspired him to write the lyrics. He reminisced about how she would sit with him on his piano bench at concerts fifteen years ago, then played “100 Years”. Someone in the audience got engaged during the song, and John congratulated them. I found out later it was actually Jordan Foley who got engaged! Next the audience was asked what song they wanted to hear, and “The Riddle” was chosen.

After playing “NYC Weather Report”, John took some time to speak about the newer three songs he had written/released. These three songs are about current geopolitical events, and have a very powerful voice that carries with it the importance of community, kindness, and support. He played two ; “Blood on My Hands”, a song that speaks critically about the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan – leaving behind thousands of allies, and “Can One Man Save the World?”, a song about the Ukraine war that he was able to perform in the Ukraine with their orchestra. The previously recorded track from that performance was used in the show, so the song was able to be heard with the orchestral accompaniment. “Superman” was played next and the band said goodnight. The audience erupted with cheers and rhythmic clapping, signaling their desire for an encore. For the encore, he played the third new song “OK”, a song about the October 7th attacks on Israel. Then ended the evening with a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that he encouraged the crowd to sing along with. I personally enjoyed learning about the meaning behind Five for Fighting’s music, and the powerful messages that he manages to weave into his art. All of the personal stories, and individual interactions made the entire evening a very intimate and touching concert experience. I know I enjoyed the whole show, and judging by the standing ovation the audience did as well!

[Show as slideshow]

FIVE FOR FIGHTING LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

X – TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOUR DATES

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries