Tim Reynolds at Samuels Grand Manor: June 10th - Williamsville, NY

Admittedly, it's pretty difficult to write an objective show review to my first national act in almost a year and a half. The thrills came from everywhere tonight. I walked into this venue, which has traditionally operated as a banquet hall here in my home town. Heck, I've been here for football banquets and school dances growing up. Never, have I been to see a touring act here before. That said, in a post-COVID world, the setup allowed in such a venue really worked out incredibly well. You didn't buy a "ticket" for this show, so much as you bought a table. Everyone was seated, which did absolutely nothing to quell the excitement of this audience.

The show opened up with Tim Britt, a local performer with an avid following. He performed in a similar fashion to Reynolds, armed with nothing more than a guitar and a microphone. His thirty minute set consisted of a mix of cover songs and original material. Somewhere around the 9pm mark, Tim Reynolds made his way through the crowd to the stage and the audience erupted in cheers. This was the first moment that genuinely gave me chills. A live show, and the crowd was every bit as hungry for it as I was. The enthusiasm was palpable. In truth, I don't know if this made Reynolds job more difficult or much easier. I do know that whatever our "new normal" is for live music, Reynolds set the bar high.

The set itself was quite simple. This was Tim Reynolds doing what he does best, which is to create every imaginable sound possible out of an acoustic guitar. There were moments in the evening that the crowd erupted into cheers as his hands made the most complex arrangements look easy. He didn't have to cover any Dave Matthews Band songs to make an impact tonight, as he proved more than capable of carrying the audience on his own, despite the crowd consisting of a large block of Dave Matthews Band fans.

Setlist:

Jemez
Golden Flower
The Sun is Still There
You Can, You Have, You Will
Loose Interpretation
Metamorph
Stranger
Words
Moonlight Sonata
Improv
Vantage Point
High in the West
Wayfarer
Che
Give up the Goat
The Ocean
Improv
Manfood (Encore)

During the week leading up to the show, I was fortunate enough to catch up with Tim for a little discussion. Throughout our conversation, we touched on a number of topics, including what he's been up to during the pandemic, his anticipation to get back out on the road, some of his favorite musical releases of the last year (including a surprising artist that he listens to during yoga) and a really fun trip down memory lane to the roots of the Dave Matthews Band in the early 80's.