Heart is the Hero Tour 2023: The Wood Brothers live at the Georgia Theatre!
In the late nineties, there was a jazz fusion/acid jazz/jam band/soul jazz group named Medeski, Martin, & Wood (MMW) that caught my attention and quickly became one of my favorite modern jazz groups. On bass for MMW was Chris Wood who I considered one of the premier bass players in the modern jazz genre. Fast forward a few decades to 2004 with the formation of The Wood Brothers by brothers Chris Wood (upright bass) and Oliver Wood (acoustic and electric guitars) with Jano Rix (multi-instrumentalist). Grammy-nominated The Wood Brothers music is considered folk rock/roots rock/blues rock/Americana with a twist of gospel and some elements of jazz (thanks to Chris’ time with MMW). The Wood Brothers have released nine (9) LPs with Heart is the Hero being the latest release (April 14, 2023).
Incidentally, on June 21st, The Wood Brothers announced a winter tour entitled Heart is the Hero Tour 2023 that would begin on October 18th in Marietta, OH at The Peoples’ Bank Theatre and conclude December 8th in Charleston, SC at the Charleston Music Hall. Lucky for Athens, GA, the Georgia Theatre made the cut on the night before the last tour date on December 7th. This would be my first time seeing The Wood Brothers and I was excited to see them finally perform live. This tour stop just so happened to occur on the same evening as the downtown Parade of Lights in Athens, GA. to add a little holiday festivity to the mix.
The Wood Brothers revealed that for this tour they would bring special guest The Watson Twins out on tour with them for their sixteen (16) shows tour to close out 2023. The Watson Twins are an Americana/indie folk band that formed in 2006 and consists of sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson. The Watson Twins have released six (6) LPs, one (1) collaboration LP with Jenny Lewis, two (2) EPs, five (5) singles, and one (1) compilation. The Watson Twins version of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is incredible and I was crossing my fingers that they would play this at the Georgia Theatre.
Their latest release, Holler, was produced by Grammy nominee Butch Walker and released to rave reviews on June 23rd on Bloodshot Records. The Watson Twins started off the evening for the excited and eager crowd who braved the traffic of the Parade of Lights traffic with “The Palace” which is off their latest release. “Honky Tonk Heart”, “Hustle and Shake”, and “HOLLER” were three of my favorite songs that The Watson Twins performed during their fiery set.
Check out The Watson Twins setlist from this evening below:
· “The Palace”
· “Southern Manners”
· “Honky Tonk Heart”
· “My Name”
· ‘Hustle and Shake”
· “Devil in You”
· “Two Timin”
· “HOLLER”
Head over to The Watson Twins' official store and show them some love today!
The Wood Brothers took the stage at the historic Georgia Theatre, and you could hear the crowd roar as they cheered on the band. The Wood Brothers have a loyal fan base that travels very well when they tour. The Wood Brothers have developed a knack for sharp songwriting, adding their ability to weave intricate storylines and be musical virtuosos in the Roots music/Americana scene has cemented them as fan favorites. On this memorable evening at the Georgia Theatre, The Wood Brothers performed an exceptional set chock full of groovy songs for the fans. The Wood Brothers effortlessly performed songs such as “Pilgrim”, “Line Those Pockets”, “Little Blue”, “American Heartache”, and the crowd’s favorite sing-along “Luckiest Man”.
You can follow this link to The Wood Brothers' Official Store and show them some support. Although The Wood Brothers might be done touring in 2023, they already have some tour dates scheduled for Europe and the United States in 2024. Check them out below:
FEB 3 SAT Oran Mor Glasgow, United Kingdom
FEB 4 SUN Deaf Institute Manchester, United Kingdom
FEB 5 MON The Bodega Nottingham, United Kingdom
FEB 6 TUE Lafayette London, United Kingdom
FEB 7 WED Exchange Bristol, United Kingdom
FEB 9 FRI TivoliVredenburg - Pandora Utrecht, Netherlands
FEB 10 SAT Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany
FEB 27 TUE Rialto Theatre w/Rainbow Girls Tucson, AZ
FEB 28 WED The Sound at Del Mar w/Rainbow Girls Del Mar, CA
FEB 29 THU The Fonda Theatre w/Rainbow Girls Los Angeles, CA
MAR 1 FRI The Fillmore w/Rainbow Girls San Francisco, CA
MAR 2 SAT The Fillmore w/Rainbow Girls San Francisco, CA
MAR 5 TUE The Center for the Arts w/Rainbow Girls Grass Valley, CA
MAR 6 WED Arkley Center for the Performing Arts w/Rainbow Girls Eureka, CA
MAR 7 THU Revolution Hall Portland, OR
MAR 8 FRI Moore Theatre w/Rainbow Girls Seattle, WA
MAR 9 SAT Wild Buffalo w/Rainbow Girls Bellingham, WA
APR 3 WED Southern Theatre Columbus, OH
APR 4 THU Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
APR 5 FRI Old National Centre - Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
APR 6 SAT Clyde Theatre Fort Wayne, IN
APR 7 SUN Orpheum Theater Madison, WI
APR 10 WED Englert Theatre Iowa City, IA
APR 11 THU Madrid Theatre Kansas City, MO
APR 12 FRI Minglewood Hall Memphis, TN
APR 13 SAT The Pageant St Louis, MO
APR 20 SAT Moon Crush 2024 Miramar Beach, FL
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