Tightknit vocals, intimate feel draw in Value City crowd
Gathered around a black upright piano for a touching rendition of Glen Cambell’s “Wichita Lineman,” the four members of Little Big Town looked like cousins sitting at grandma’s instrument over Thanksgiving.
Throughout the rest of their Thursday performance at Value City Arena, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet pulled the full crowd into their quasi-family.
This year marks Little Big Town’s 20th together, a milestone evident in their onstage connection and tightknit harmonies.
Opening with Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” all four stood in a perfect line while Westbrook claimed lead vocals.
Flipping over to “Driving Around,” off the 2017 album “The Breaker,” Fairchild finished off her phrases with a slight rasp, seemingly due to a cold.
“I’m like Mariah Carey,” she said after taking a gulp from a Thermos. “I need my sip of tea.”
If much of the band’s charm comes from its shared vocal duties, its electricity stems from an innate ability to pack records and setlists with nearperfect flow.
“Happy People,” an upbeat tune about a deadbeat relationship, turned to mellow “Front Porch Sitting” switched to irresistible jam “Faster Gun.”
Each person’s personality cut through the thick smoke swirling around the band’s feet.
Schlapman looked like an Alabama angel with her halo of curls and charismatic dance moves. Westbrook played the straight man and Fairchild brought fire.
Sweet switched from guitar to drums to piano, by far the most versatile musician of the bunch.
The pared-back songs on the circular platform were meant to mirror the living-room vibe of Little Big Town’s early days, and the intimacy created some of the 70-minute show’s best moments.
A mashup of the late Don Williams’ “Lord I Hope This Day is Good” and “I Believe in You” led into the Glen Campbell cover.
Back on the big stage, Fairchild owned Taylor Swift contribution “Better Man,” a heartrending breakup song Swift wrote specifically with the band in mind.