Rome Music Collective verdict: It’s magic
If you didn’t attend the Rome Music Collective’s first concert at the Desoto Theatre on Sunday, you missed out on one heck of a show.
The Collective is a group of local and area musicians of all genres. Their intent is to perform concerts that are comprised of one classic album played in its entirety. From front to back.
Their first attempt was this past Sunday and they picked a doozy. They picked Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” which, although it was released in
1977, is still one of the best selling albums of all time.
The music director for this first concert was Tim Bowen. I had talked to him before the concert and he said what they did was put together sort of a “backing band” that would play all the songs and then bring in individual singers and musicians for particular songs.
And the intent, he had told me, was to not try to change up a lot. These albums are classic for a reason. They’ve stood the test of time and the Collective’s job was simply to recreate the music not reinvent the music.
Let me say here that I’m a HUGE Fleetwood Mac fan. So I was excited about the concert but pretty skeptical. This is an album and songs I’ve treasured for many years and I wasn’t sure musicians who don’t usually perform together could somehow recreate such a distinctive and well loved sound. This concert was MAGIC!
Here’s a list of the musicians who took the stage: Cheyenne Medders, Ricky Brooks, Rick Mckee, Rob Reed, Shane Rehberg, Kindred Fire, Julie Bell Smith, Russell Cook, Cameron Cook, Seth and Stella Turner, Montie Nelson, Virginia Dagny, Joseph Evans, Frankie Cook, Jessie Reed, Stacie Marshall, Jessee Plumley and Sandra Hyers.
The core backing band was incredible. They were absolutely spot on with the notes and tempo of every single song. I imagine there were many rehearsals for this concert and it showed. They sounded like they’ve been playing together for years.
And I loved the idea of bringing in several of the night’s vocalists as “backup singers” for various songs. This really added a rich layer to the music, not to mention some very pretty harmonies on some of the songs.
Y’all this wasn’t just a tribute concert or some folks playing popular covers. This was really and truly a rock concert.
And again, being such a big Fleetwood Mac fan I was listening with a critical ear but found myself thoroughly enjoying every minute of this concert.
I know everyone who took the stage that night worked hard and brought their own talents to their songs but I’d like to give special mention to a few folks I thought really did an outstanding job.
Shane Rehberg opened the show with the hard driving “Second Hand News” and knocked it out of the park. He is supremely talented. It’s tough to try to recreate a Lindsey Buckingham song on the guitar as well as vocally but Shane was electric and set the tone for the rest of the show.
Russell and Cameron Cook from The Little Country Giants did the backups on the ever-popular “Dreams” while their daughter Frankie Lee Cook sang the lead. This is such a well known song and I’m sure comes with a lot of pressure to get it right. Their rendition was simply beautiful.
Sandra Hyers perfectly captured the late Christine Mcvie’s delivery on “Don’t Stop.” If you closed your eyes you might imagine Christine was singing. There was an uncanny similarity.
Julie Bell took on another Christine Mcvie song, the beautiful ballad “Songbird,” made more poignant since Christine’s recent passing. Julie captured the soulfulness of the song and as I looked around the theater I could see her voice tugged at a few hearts.
Kindred Fire, comprised of Haley Smith and Austen Earp, is a well known local duo and I know how talented they both are. But when they stood on that stage and did “Go Your Own Way” as well as one of my favorite songs of all time, “The Chain,” I found a new level of respect for them. Both songs were thumping and hard-driving. They killed it. The crowd went wild. Kindred Fire was the heart and soul of this concert, in my opinion.
Rob Reed recreated one of the best known bass riffs in rock during “The Chain” and did it perfectly.
Stella, Seth and Annabelle Turner took on the beautiful “Silver Springs” and it was sweet and strong and lovely.
Perhaps the performance of the night, for me, was Jessie Reed’s rendition of “Gold Dust Woman.” When she sang “Rock on, gold dust woman, take your silver spoon and dig your grave” she meant every word. Her stage presence and delivery were bewitching. It was mesmerizing. Somewhere that night Stevie Nicks herself dipped her head in approval.
And let me once again tip my hat to the musical director who put all these elements together and to the backing band who played every song flawlessly. This was no easy task and they rose to the challenge, far exceeding this skeptic’s expectations.
I don’t know when the next concert by the Rome Music Collective will be but I do know it will recreate another classic album and I know that my friends and I will be there.
You should too. Take your friends. Go have dinner downtown, stop by Giggity’s for a pickle shot on your way to the concert and have a great time at the concert.
Support local music, support local live music and go experience a truly talented group of folks who live right here in our community.