The Revival Tour: 5 Reasons That It's The Best Gig In Music

Revival

The time has come again for Chuck Ragan and gang to head out on the road with their unique approach to acoustic/folk music. If you've never checked this tour out before, then you owe it to yourself to do so now. In a crude sense it's basically the answer to the "What if" question regarding bands and singers we all listened to when we were pissed off teenagers. What if they ditched the overdriven guitars and screaming vocals and picked up acoustic instruments? What if, heaven forbid, they grew up? What kind of music would they make, and would it still be as good? Well the answer to that questioning is a resounding and emphatic yes. The music is still great, the passion is still there, and the performances are just as good as they were 10 years ago. You'll hear old songs in new formats, you'll hear original songs from various singers' solo projects, and most importantly - you'll have a damn good time doing it. So what is the Revival Tour and what makes it so great?

5. The Format

format

The way that The Revival Tour works is that there are multiple performers, usually five or so scheduled, accompanied by Jon Gaunt and Joe Ginsberg on fiddle and stand up bass respectively. Guest appearances are not uncommon either, so you can be treated to some awesome surprises that aren't on the bill. If previous Revival Tour alumni, or friends of the performers are in the same area then they will likely be on stage at some point. I was lucky enough to get to catch the show last year in Cincinnati, where Austin Lucas made a guest appearance (and got heckled by Cory Branan about banjos). They each also put on spectacular performances. So what makes this mini-fest stand apart from other shows? All of the scheduled performers come on stage at the start of the show and collaboratively perform one song by each individual. Then they break off and the sets begin. So say that the show you're at has five people performing - the first five songs will be one from each with everyone playing. Then the first of five sets starts. From here various other members of the tour will hop on stage and collaborate with the designated artist performing the set. Usually the end of one set will feature the next performer in the line-up, so as to provide a seamless transition into the second set. This is how the rest of the show goes, with each set segueing immediately into each other.
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Christopher is an entertainment writer for WhatCulture and a contributing writer for MiddleEasy.com. He enjoys combat sports, comic books, video games and various other forms of entertainment where someone is getting punched in the face. Follow him on Twitter @Jonesy_859.