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Review: Sister Hazel rocks Gramercy Theatre, throws in neat cover songs (Includes first-hand account)

Singer-songwriter Christian Lopez of the Christian Lopez Band was able to put on high-energy opening set, and the same was true for Kevin Harrison & True North and their acoustic performance. As Sister Hazel took the stage, their presence was met with an enormous response.

Their set included their classic hits, as well as material from their latest album, Lighter in the Dark. They kicked off their set with “Mandolin Moon,” and it was followed by the newer tune, the infectious “We Got It All Tonight,” which featured their soaring harmonies, juxtaposed with The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Shame.” Ken Block joked that he should not be forgetting the words to some of the songs as the lead singer of the band, yet he knew that he could always count on the crowd to help him along.

Sister Hazel immediately broke into “Your Winter,” which was coupled with a medley of “Hey Jude” from The Beatles, and their country hit “That Kind Of Beautiful,” was absolutely stunning with killer vocals from Drew Copeland and Block, as well as strong backing vocals from guitarist Ryan Newell and bassist Jett Beres (who sported a cowboy hat tonight).

Copeland was superb on the new song “Something to Believe In,” as the audience lit up their iPhones during this performance. He shared that he co-wrote it with veteran songwriter Tom Douglas.

The lovey dovey portion of the show took place when Copeland performed “This Kind of Love” on keyboards, which featured his rich, husky voice. Keyboard player and power-instrumentalist Dave LaGrande joined him on a memorable sax solo towards the end, which was well-received by all. This was quite sweet, since he dedicated the song to a special couple (that was in the audience tonight), comprised of personal friends, where he was unable to sing it at their wedding.

Block shared that the band’s mission tonight was to make the people feel better than when they came in the venue, and it is safe to say that their mission was accomplished. “Happy” was the song that perfectly summed up the night, due to its upbeat nature.

Other noteworthy covers of the night included Sister Hazel’s takes on Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” as well as John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” The highlight moment of the night was when they belted out their signature tune “All For You,” where the crowd went wild as they sang along. They closed with “Swan Dive,” and returned for an impressive encore that was comprised of “Champagne High” and “Change Your Mind.”

The Verdict

Overall, Sister Hazel was exceptional at Gramercy Theatre, and so were both of their openers (Kevin Harrison & True North and Christian Lopez). They always put on an entertaining concert each year they headline this iconic New York venue. They did a superb job on their cover tunes this evening, which included songs from The Beatles, Garth Brooks, John Denver and Neil Diamond. Their nostalgic live set garnered an A rating. Well done!

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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