Little Big Town’s harmonies on point

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This article was published 18/02/2019 (1893 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Country superstars Little Big Town came to our little big town Tuesday night, finally bringing the Breakers tour to Bell MTS Place.

The Alabama-bred four-piece made up of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook (who is married to Fairchild) have been on the road touring their album of the same name since the fall of 2017, which was evident in the tidiness of the show from beginning to end.

In an uncommon move, Little Big Town started the night with a cover tune, Rocket Man by Elton John. It was a strange vibe to kick things off on — Rocket Man isn’t exactly a party starter — but they were quick to follow that with foot-stomper Little White Church, from their 2010 album The Reason Why, which instantly amped up the mood. By the third song, Pontoon, the entirety of the floor crowd was on its feet.

Little Big Town has always been known for its flawless four-part harmonies and the unique division of labour when it comes to lead vocals; both were on full display Tuesday night. After 20 years together as a band and seven studio albums, it’s almost an expectation for their harmonies to be totally on point, but it’s always nice when expectations are met. The chorus of When Someone Stops Loving You, lead by Westbrook, soared when all four band members joined in; Happy People, with Fairchild on lead vocals, became a brighter bop as voices were added.

The night continued at a fair clip, with the band not taking too much time for chitter-chatter until things slowed down for an acoustic set, when Schlapman and her chirpy speaking voice explained she knows Winnipeg for two things: Winnie the Pooh and snotsicles (if you don’t know what that means, Google images will help you out). It was a charming moment that was sweet and genuine, and a perfect lead-in to three acoustic songs — which included an absolutely stunning cover of Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman lead by Fairchild — that also encapsulated those descriptors.

In comparison to the other country shows that have graced the Bell MTS stage as of late, however, Little Big Town’s set was decidedly low-energy. There was a lot of slow sauntering around the stage from Fairchild and Schlapman, a lot of toe-tapping behind mics from Sweet and Westbrook, and while there isn’t anything wrong with that, it’s just not very interesting to watch. The quirky personalities of the band members came through most in the banter, which was limited in the first half of their set.

Little Big Town rounded out with their main set with the infectious hit Day Drinking and Stay All Night, which, again, ended in a oddly underwhelming way, and, after a very brief dip off stage, Little Big Town came back with a one-two punch of an encore — Girl Crush and Boondocks — that was the most energetic part of the night.

While it’s clear Little Big Town are no joke when it comes to vocals and instrumentation, and surround themselves with similarly excellent musicians in their four piece band, the performance element was very much lacking for an arena-style show. It was an offering from a very talented band who seem like they are also very tired.

American country singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde opened the night with a quick but sonically substantial set. McBryde leans much more toward classic country than country pop, and has one of those voices that seems effortlessly powerful, both in volume and quality. There’s a depth, warmth and roundness to her tone that, when paired with her subtle twang, oozes down-home comfort — and the control and confidence she exudes in her body language on stage and in the way she wields her guitars is magnetic.

Texas-based, Grammy-nominated group Midland filled the second slot of the night and was throwing out some serious 1970s Americana and ’90s honky-tonk vibes in both sound and appearance.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel