Now/It's: Whitney at Ryman Auditorium Photo Stream
Both fresh off their Sunday sets at Shaky Knees 2017 - Whitney with an early afternoon-er and Phoenix with the festival closing headlining set - two of Chicago and France's finest musical acts walked the boards of the Mother Church stage on May 15.
Whitney has been an indie darling (and personal favorite) for some time now, and with their Ryman set left yet another indelible performance in Nashville, further solidifying aforementioned "darling" status. The set featured manny a tenant of what has become standard Whitney set fare - Light Upon the Lake bangers, the best NRBQ cover this side of the Mason-Dixon ("Magnet"), and the seminal set moment, the post-"Polly" smooch between Julian Ehrlich and Josiah Marshall.
A quick aside on the smooch, Whitney's set was rather peculiar in the sense that Ehrlich and his cohorts were unable to see the crowd for the majority of their set, so the initial connection between band and crowd was seemingly frail to say the least.
In turn, the crowd no doubt seemed rather "uptight" and nowhere near as interactive and admiring as Whitney's previous sold out Nashville stop at Exit/In in October of 2016. So, when it came time for Ehrlich and Marshall to osculate, the two were justifiably hesitant. But as Will Miller carried out his trumpet solo exuent, Ehrlich and Marshall overcame any and all trepidations and embraced, much to the joy of the Ryman crowd.
And so, the rest of Whitney's set went without a tiff or riff of any incongruence, and further the continued what has become an exceptional live reputation. Any and all moments of intimacy between the band and their audience was ultimately had, and the end result was a well deserved standing ovation (becoming a more and more common occurrence at Whitney shows, no doubt).
Anyway, enough of this hilarity about indie darlings and mid-set canoodling, all anyone really wants to see are the pictures. Enjoy them, like them, steal them, whatever, but most importantly listen and be sure to check out Whitney the next time they roll through your area - you will not be disappointed.
