Kaitlyn DeHaven | Design Editor
Individuals from all over Texas came to see Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors sing their magical melodies on Saturday night. The band treated attendees to peaceful refrains filled with the sounds of guitars, both acoustic and electric, leaving the audience swaying and singing along to music.
The concert began with a folksy opener from Lewis Watson, a London-based singer/songwriter who has been touring with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors this past year. The crowd was entranced by with some of Watson’s favorite songs, most of which were heartfelt ballads of love and joy.
After Watson played his most famous song, “Into The Wild,” Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors came out and wooed the audience with their Tennessee-based tunes.
Before the concert began, students and adults alike were buzzing, waiting for the music to begin.
Spring sophomore Parker Stalford said he was ecstatic to be able to enjoy a night of music with his friends, and was interested to see what Holcomb would bring to the show.
“I’m here for the music, Drew, the beard especially, and maybe a sighting of his children,” Stalford said.
Not only did Baylor students attend the concert, but other students from the University of Texas and Texas A&M traveled to see the band and enjoy the Common Grounds atmosphere.
Alyssa Frost and Shelby Magness were two concert-goers who traveled all the way from Austin to see both Lewis Watson and Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. They said that they found the band through their organization, YoungLife, when the band played during camps, becoming a big name in the YoungLife community.
Magness said that she was most excited to see Drew Holcomb because she and Frost make music and it is an inspiration to see live performers.
“We make music and he is such a great songwriter and artist, so I’m excited to see the transition from songwriting to live performance,” Magness said.
Frost said that she was wondering if the band would steer away from using a lot of instruments and take a moment to do an acoustic version of one of their songs.
“I’m excited to see if they do any stripped down, acoustic versions of songs because I feel like that’s where Drew really thrives,” Frost said.
In the end, Drew ended up playing a stripped-down version of “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty as a tribute to the great artist’s career.
Throughout the concert, Holcomb kept the crowd interested by stopping after every song or two to tell an interesting tidbit about the song he was about to play, such as “Mama’s Sunshine, Daddy’s Rain,” which was written for his daughter, Emmylou.
Pearland junior Maddie Deyo said that this was one of the best parts of the concert for her because it showed her the meaning behind the music.
“My favorite part is the little stories that he tells in between each song,” Deyo said. “You get to hear the meanings behind each song and how he wrote it, and that’s really cool.”
All the way through the end of the concert, the venue was packed with cheerful voices singing along and chatting, and people just happy for a night of relaxation and enjoyment.
“There are some good vibes out here. Everyone’s really happy, there are cute couples on dates, and some people even have coffee,” Deyo said. “It feels like family.”
