jon mclaughlin + andy davis | 12.04.2014
jon mclaughlin and andy davis kept the christmas vibes going the day after our christmas celebration at work, and it was so good.
first, shout out to my interns who overused the word "vibes" all semester long and now have me saying it.
second, who knew jon mclaughlin had a christmas ep?
because i didn't.
i think maybe i did at one point, because i'm on his email list, but this fall has been so busy and overwhelming and i've had to know and remember and keep track of ALL THE THINGS. i guess the jon mcl christmas album didn't make the cut.
but! a christmas show! so of course there were christmas songs (which you can, in fact, purchase HERE on itunes, and i highly recommend it).
but first. andy davis opened with a few songs that were not christmas songs, but still worth listening to because andy davis is always worth it, and then ended with an original christmas song called "single christmas," which he has released a video for, featuring internet-famous and nashville resident, doug the pug. (i can't make this stuff up, you guys.)
and then, jon mclaughlin, who i originally discovered by way of a kelly clarkson concert back when indiana was his only album. if you asked me to describe him in five words or less, i'd say he is the most incredible piano player. because, he really is.
one thing i didn't realize about him then, as an opener, is that he's one of those musicians who's naturally funny when he says things in between songs. not everyone is. in fact, it's usually a pleasant surprise when they're not awkward. but funny? funny feels like a bonus.
he wore a suit, because he's fancy, with a red tie, because it's christmas. and he sang all five of his christmas songs mixed in with other non-christmas songs, because he "didn't put a suit on to get up there just to play for thirty minutes." i was okay with it, especially because he played so many old ones that are my favorites.
he played for an hour and a half, which was amazing, except for that i'm an old lady and practically fell asleep standing up. but i didn't, literally (thankfully). because, how could i? jon mclaughlin!
and by that i mean, in the words of my intern molly, "his face is just so perfectly sculpted though."