The line for The Lyric was wrapped around the block on Friday night with fans flocking to see The Band CAMINO.
Although the last people in line may have gotten there closer to the band’s 9 p.m. show time, some people were camped out at the front of the building seven hours before the doors opened, attesting to just how excited Oxford and people from the surrounding areas were to see this highly anticipated act.
For Sara Reiners, who was among the first people in line, this show was far from her first The Band CAMINO experience. Reiners is from Memphis, The Band CAMINO’s hometown, and has been a fan since 2017.
“I think this is my 20th show,” Reiners said. “They’re just great, genuine people and it doesn’t seem like a waste of money or time to support them like this. They’re very personal with their fanbase and they recognize you when you come out.”
Reiners also said to expect a high-energy show with lots of jumping, screaming and dancing. Although the show hadn’t started at the time of Reiners’ interview, that high energy was already palpable.
“I’ve never seen the line wrapped around the building,” Ben Fugler, an employee at The Lyric, said. “Everyone wants to be in that front row and only so many can.”
By the time The Band CAMINO’s set started, The Lyric was packed, but before the headliner’s performance, fans were treated to an opening set by Nashville-based artist Hastings. Hastings has been a consistent support for The Band CAMINO on their most recent tour, and his performance was an easy explanation as to why.
Starting with the song “Chapstick,” which has more than 800,000 streams on Spotify, Hastings immediately got the crowd’s attention, but during his second song, “Heart’s Not In It,” the expected jumping, dancing and screaming atmosphere of the show really kicked in.
My personal favorite song from Hasting’s performance was “Hurt My Feelings,” his most recent single. I could see this song going into many essential summer playlists. I also enjoyed the unreleased music that Hastings performed at The Lyric and will definitely be tuning in when those songs are released.
Although I enjoyed Hasting’s music, one thing that I consider to be equally important is the artist’s crowd interaction. Hastings was very down to earth, offering lots of appreciation to the crowd and at one point switching shirts with a crowd member, which made his performance all that much more enjoyable. I’d like to see Hastings back in Oxford solo at a venue like Proud Larry’s where he can interact with the crowd on an even more personal level.
I also applaud The Band CAMINO for choosing Hastings as an opening act because it made for a cohesive show. Although I enjoy a wide variety of music, sometimes a difference in genre, vibe or style between openers and headliners can make for a disjointed show, but that wasn’t the case here. Hastings offered for a smooth transition into The Band CAMINO’s set.
The Band CAMINO’s performance started with lots of energy, and that was before they even came on stage (as a Denzel Curry fan, I just wanted to give a quick nod of respect to their use of his music for their “walk on” song).
The band’s set started with “Know it All.” This was a great choice because the song gave the band a chance to ease the crowd in, but also the chorus of the song gave them a chance to have what I like to call “rockstar moments” that got the crowd singing and moving.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot more than music that goes into a really good show, such as crowd interaction and production.
One note to The Band CAMINO: Don’t fire whoever did your lighting design.
The lighting and overall production were extremely well done from the first song and instantly got me and the rest of the crowd engaged. I was glad this concert was at The Lyric because it added so much to the show that would’ve been lost at a smaller venue.
Although each song brought energy, the next highlight for me was “2/14.” The piano at the beginning of this song is such a great element. Any time that Jeffery Jordan, singer and guitarist, was at the piano was great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play the piano harder than him during their song “Roses.”
Most of The Band CAMINO’s songs were upbeat and more pop-rock leaning, but I enjoyed the softer moments, like during “Who Do You Think You Are?” Although the song was a bit slower, the crowd still knew all the lyrics, which is both an indicator of a strong fanbase and a good performance.
The last songs I want to mention are “Hush Hush,” “Haunted” and “Daphne Blue.”
Before the show, I checked out some anticipated setlists and did not expect to hear “Hush Hush,” but I’m glad that it was in there. This was filled with more “rockstar moments” with Spencer Stewart, singer and guitarist, having an amazing guitar presence. Similarly, “Haunted” had powerful vocals and a powerful performance from all the members behind it.
The band ended with the already classic “Daphne Blue,” which was clearly the crowd favorite and also a favorite of mine.
As far as stage presence goes, The Band CAMINO is clearly good at what they do. Not only did they show lots of appreciation for their fans, but they also personally knew the crowd that they were playing to.
Some of my favorite moments were between songs when the band reminisced about coming to Oxford during their teenage years and past shows played at Proud Larry’s.
“The first time we played in Oxford at Proud Larry’s, there were like six or seven people who knew who we were and now there’s 1,200 of you,” Jordan said.
The next time that The Band CAMINO comes to Oxford, I expect there will be just as many eager and ready fans, if not more.
