Written by Development Director, Beth Davis
Let me preface my concert analysis with this: Baby Jake needs to be on your regular listening playlist
Baby Jake headlined Encore Lounge in Kansas City on October 25th, making it the 28th stop on his tour. He and his band have been touring nearly nonstop since September 16th.
Opening up for him was Noah Spencer of The Greeting Committee and The Whips, which made for quite a show. The sweet sounds of Noah Spencer and his band as well as the electricity of The Whips did the job of prepping the crowd for Baby Jake, there were stark contrasts between each of the artists which made for a good change of pace.
Surveying the crowd for Baby Jake, most of the attendees seemed to be prior fans. I felt lucky to be attending in such an intimate crowd. I doubt we will get the chance to see him like this in Kansas City again. Somewhat diminished to his hit song of 2019, “Cigarettes On Patios,” he continues to prove that he is a multi-faceted artist that can not be put in a certain category. On streaming services, his music is almost too good to be true between the expert mixes, crazy unique vocals and even rapping in some songs. Too good to be true, but it is. He is just that talented. I believe his iconic vocals and impactful lyricism, which is evident in his new release, “Sweetheart From Arkansas,” are unmatched.
Baby Jake’s talent could absolutely stand alone, but to no one’s surprise, he had an amazingly talented and just as entertaining backing band including; John Cattini on the bass, Max Thomas on the lead guitar, and Jeremiah Lunde on drums. The four of them together were simply incredible, true rock and rollers, each filled with unimaginable talent. The show was seamlessly perfect, start to finish, as though the performers and the crowd were intertwined.
I got the chance to meet Baby Jake himself following his show and to top off the night, he was an amazing person too, gracious and eccentric and I wouldn’t picture him any other way.
Moral of the story:
- Baby Jake please come back to Kansas City, or even better: Lawrence
- Readers, listeners, music lovers, listen to Baby Jake now so you can have the words memorized by his next appearance, which in my opinion is a must go.