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MOBILE, Alabama – Kimberly Schlapman’s prophecy came true, in more ways than one.
“Ya’ll weathered the storm,” she said, seven songs into Little Big Town’s set Sunday at the AT&T/Southern Ford Stage before there was any hint of rain. “Since you missed Hurricane Karen, we brought her with us.”
Schlapman was talking about band mate, Karen Fairchild, who she met at Samford University in Homewood in the mid-90s.
Schalpman was also talking about the rather tepid weather system that didn’t pack the wallop as BayFest organizers once feared. But that didn’t mean the remnants of Karen – downgraded to a tropical storm to a tropical depression to whatever – didn’t have a last call.
The rains came, and so did Fairchild’s energy.
The downpour soaked downtown Mobile while Fairchild and husband, Jimi Westbrook – they married in 2006 – stood on opposite sides of the stage and traded lyrics during a back-and-forth emotional performance of “Your Side of the Bed.” As the song inched closer to its end, the two moved toward one another before the lights on the stage lowered and provide enough dramatic spark as the two soaked partners stared at one another.
Romantic interlude aside, Fairchild’s fist-pumping energy kicked in during “Good as Gone” and “Tornado.” The latter, she improvised: “I’m a tornado, or a hurricane, and I’m coming after you.”
But Little Big Town isn’t about the stand out performance of just one of its singers. The four members of the group – Schlapman, Fairchild, Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet – take turns on lead vocals and come together to harmonize as a four-person ensemble. It’s team collaboration on stage, with the each member doing his or her best not to outperform one another while the band pulls their collective weight to make the entire show click.
The team concept seems to have paid off. Little Big Town has enjoyed considerable commercial success since the last time they were on the BayFest stage in 2006. It wasn’t until “Boondocks” was released in 2005, that the band, which was formed in 1999, broke through.
“This has been the best year of our career,” Schlapman said. “We thank a song about a boat.”
That would be “Pontoon,” which was obviously a crowd favorite even if it’s arguably become an overly played radio song since it shot up to No. 1 on the Hot Country Charts last year. Throughout the show, fans would yell out for the band to play “Pontoon,” only to be teased slightly. When the band finally performed it toward the end of the evening, it became a fun-loving ditty in the rain.
And while “Boondocks” was another crowd favorite, the band’s shining moment of the evening came during their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Little Big Town is sometimes referred to as country music’s version of Fleetwood Mac, and the two bands both shared the stage at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
But it was the traveling road band that had the opportunity to shine. Guitarist Johnny Duke, drummer Seth Rausch and bass player John Thomasson provided enough energy to give the proper nod to a band that – behind the scenes, at least – has little in common with Little Big Town.
That’s because, from the casual observer’s eye, everything seems pleasant and harmonious in Little Big Town, unlike the relationship angst throughout Fleetwood Mac’s career.
Each Little Big Town performer took time to acknowledge stand out fans in the crowd, and wave to seemingly to everyone who was watching the show. The band did this while dancing, stomping and clapping in the pouring rain.
The band also smiles a lot. Who can blame them? They seem to be having a lot of fun, reaping in the successes of their perseverance, while putting on a fun show for their faithful followers.
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