REVIEW: Brett Dennen @ Hard Rock Cafe - 3/14

Posted by: Nick | March 15, 2008

REVIEW: Brett Dennen @ Hard Rock Cafe - 3/14

Last night was the first installment of the Emerging Artists Series at the Hard Rock Cafe and Brett Dennen was the evening’s “emerging artist” on display. His resume is growing rapidly, as he was recently named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists to Watch in 2008″ (with Louisville’s Ben Sollee). This month he played at the Langerado Festival in Florida, SXSW in Austin, Texas, and he was on Carson Daly’s Last Call the night before this show. He has a couple of promo events like this one scheduled for the next month or so, then he heads to Coachella at the end of April. Emerging indeed.

This was the third time that I have seen Brett in the last year (largely due to my girlfriend’s obsession) and this was probably my least favorite show of the three (the others being at The Dame and The BBC). Granted it was a promo show and way mellowed out (just him and his drummer, Randy Swartz), so I’ll take it for what it was. Brett even noted this, stating that the show was going to be so laid back that his drummer was going to sit down to play. He joined his drummer in this respect, sitting the entire show.

There was no predetermined set, so he took a few requests from the crowd. This turned out to be a great thing because we got to hear all of the crowd favorites including “Ain’t No Reason” (all over the radio now), “She’s Mine” and “Desert Sunrise.” He didn’t play “Desert Sunrise,” my personal favorite, at The BBC, so this alone was worth the price of admission (albeit $5, all of which went to charity). WFPK put me on to the song years ago (way back in 2005) so I have them to thank for find.

Perhaps my favorite part about Brett’s shows is how he interacts with the crowd between songs. I think back to when I saw The White Stripes at The Palace and all Jack White said was “Good morning Louisville” at the start of the show. Not to say that wasn’t a great show, but only that artists entertain in their own way. Brett brings in the crowd, making the show more personal. He commented on the memorabilia hanging on the walls, how the coffee he was drinking was getting him “all juiced up,” and even made a movie recommendation. The movie he recommended was “Unknown White Male.” He gave a brief synopsis, and the audience offered Wild and Woolly Video as the place to rent it. Brett added that “Wet and Wild” Videos may only have one copy, so don’t keep it too long, or try Netflix. I’ve not seen it, so hopefully it is in stock.

Bottom line is that Brett has no where to go but up. His voice is as intriguing and engaging as his lyrics. He is genuine to his fans, both on stage and off. I highly recommend that you catch his next show in town, which is at Louisville’s Waterfront Park, April 30th with Mason Jennings (a pre-derby event).

I do have a few comments on the Hard Rock Cafe as a venue. First, I need to commend them on their effort in bringing talent such as Brett Dennen, Emerson Hart, Peter Searcy, Ben Sollee, Marie Digby, and Andrea Davidson to its stage with this Emerging Artists series and their contribution to the Musicians On Call charity. Secondly, the audio is fantastic. They have top of the line equipment and it make for a CD quality listening experience. That said, here is some constructive criticism. The bar crowd was uninterested and obnoxious (one guy was commenting on the diversity of Sum 41). It consisted mainly of middle aged singles yelping the usual desperate mating calls (elevated voices, slightly slurred, concerning their level of inebriation or how they too have had a similar experience). The crowd sitting at tables around the stage, however, were great and stayed engaged throughout the show (see photo below). I understand that the bar brings in a lot of revenue and that those people are dropping some bucks, but one way to control them is by setting an example. Some of the staff was just as loud. Over Brett, I heard one waiter explain to a table of girls by the bar the pricing of a number of oddly, yet creatively named shots. Even around the stage, servers would inquire loudly, “need another beer?” If they showed more respect to the artist on stage, then the patrons would more easily recognize when they were disrupting those trying to enjoy the show. (The Hard Rock did, however, turn all of their television to simply a Hard Rock image, which I appreciated greatly.)

Additionally, all business transactions with the bands need to take place behind the scenes. Immediately after Stephen McWhirter’s set (a Louisville musician who opened for Brett), he was being asked by a Hard Rock manager what his tax ID number was. Stephen simply replied that he had no idea and that he was just himself. Brett’s check was handed to his manager on stage right after the show while they were still taking down the equipment (it felt a little like Publishers Clearing House). Perhaps it is just me, but I think the band and the fans would prefer this happen elsewhere.

Finally, I was intrigued by the “meet and greet” with Brett after the set. At previous shows, Brett simply hung around and enjoyed conversation with the fans that stayed. At this show, we were instructed to form a line by a booth occupied by Brett. Groups were slowly escorted to the area to talk with Brett and take pictures. It felt a lot like speed dating, but with a single bachelor. Granted, this is better than nothing, but it can be done without ropes and a supervisor. That said, we stood in line and had the opportunity to discuss The 40 Year Old Virgin with Brett (stemming from the speed dating scene). I quoted, “it is pronounced GINA” to which Brett seemed somewhat perplexed. It was late.

If anyone from the Hard Rock is reading this, please don’t infer any animosity. I think the Hard Rock has the potential to be an amazing venue for the Louisville music scene. It has the name and the resources to bring some great talent to this city. It will simply come down to whether they want to be a great music venue with good food and drinks, or a place for dinner and drinks that has live music. I hope they choose the former.

Set List and More Photos Below the Break…

BRETT DENNEN SET LIST: