As soon as I drove up to the venue, the tentative snow storm Nashville was expecting finally began. I can recall driving through a snowstorm during a visit to Chicago as a kid but I have never driven through one as a driver before. This added to my excitement that night.
Langhorne Slim performed at Mercy Lounge on March 11th with Libby DeCamp and Via Mardot Mainville opening the night. Libby and Via Mardot both came down from Michigan. As I walked up the stairs, I heard Libby’s soothing voice echoing through the venue, which led me towards the stage.
Langhorne Slim needed no intro. He walked up and almost immediately everyone cheered with excitement. He was incredibly personable at the get go. He made a couple of jokes which got people pumped up for his set. It was just him and his guitar and honestly that’s all he needed. After warming up with a couple of songs, he shared a personal story about his experience with drugs and alcohol. He told us that he had reached a breaking point which led him to ask his friends for help. His friends suggested he see a therapist. Hesitant at first, he gave it a try. He was prone to panic attacks and his therapist offered a solution. She suggested he pick up a guitar and play like he did when he was a kid. So after that, every time he felt a panic attack coming, he picked up a guitar. This led to his next song “Panic Attack,” which is a love song to therapists.
He invited the audience to sing along to his music. He started playing my favorite tune “Changes” and I couldn’t contain myself and sang along as well. “Changes” has been on my playlist for quite some time now. It was one of the songs that helped me through the many changes occurring in my life. Including my big move from Los Angeles to Nashville. “Song For Sid” almost brought me to tears as it hit close to home. It was about his grandfather who has since passed away and how much he loved him. He then found a volunteer to sing “Sea Of Love” with him and brought her up on stage.
As he was about to start another song, he looked outside the window of the venue and said “Holy sh*t! No one’s going home tonight. That doesn’t look like 3 inches!”. He was referring to the snow storm that apparently worsened after I arrived at the venue. He ended the night with “The Way We Move.” He ran off the stage with his guitar and sang and played amongst the audience. And just like that it was over. He wished everyone peace and love as he exited the stage. Braving the snowstorm for Langhorne Slim was definitely worth it.
For more information on Langhorne Slim visit langhorneslimmusic.com.
