As if this night needed to be any more unconventional, Leagues started up with the lights were on, and the lead singer still grabbing his guitar. A lesser-known band than their opener, Andrew Belle, this group from Nashville had an interesting opportunity to prove to Belle’s fans that they too deserved some attention. (We also covered Belle, which you can read here.)
Right off the bat, I noticed that there was a decent amount of space separating the band members; soon enough, I realized it was so that the lead singer Thad Cockrell could dance to the music. Mini moonwalk-like moves accompanied the group’s more popular ditty, Walking Backwards, and he brings the mic stand with him as he goes.
Once in a while, Cockrell would stop to tell the audience a little about themselves or one of the songs they had just played. Unfortunately, most of what he described was drowned out, since the drummer, guitarist and bassist kept the music going behind him. A good way to keep the mood going, but a bit poorly executed because I completely missed most of the information, including the name of a cover they played.
Regardless, Leagues provided a healthy amount of solid guitar riffs and drum solos, shows of talent and a variation on the recorded material that, in my opinion, are always welcome on a live set. On “Magic” guitarist Burkum ditches his instrument to jam out on the bass – making the band a dual bass group. While a somewhat unusual combination, it was one that certainly worked well. Appropriately, the group ended with “Spotlight,” a song that some people seemed to recognize as they clapped along, mouthing lyrics.