It’s September 2017. Taylor Swift just announced Reputation, Beyoncé gave birth to Rumi and Sir, Ariana Grande held her One Love Manchester benefit concert, and Kendall Jenner made headlines in a Pepsi commercial. You’re standing in a crowd of a couple hundred people under the hot end-of-summer sun. Suddenly, you see a man in a pink shirt and black & white striped pants walk onto the stage. The crowd erupts in applause. As the crowd dies down, you can finally hear the speakers and work out what’s playing. It’s a T-Pain medley about butts.
Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald are on stage shaking their butts and singing T-Pain. “What kind of music do they sing?” you ask? Folk. Yep. Judah & the Lion are an American Folk band, and they’ve been surprising fans since they formed in 2011. If you attend a Judah & the Lion concert, you can be certain there will be surprises. This year at Judah & the Lion’s The Process Tour in Cincinnati was no different, and we were there to capture it.
Ethan Regan
Listening to Ethan Regan makes us want to rent a lake house with our closest friends for the weekend. Ethan and the band kicked off the show with ‘My Fault’, the kind of song that you feel in your chest. Followed closely by smooth indie hits like ‘Peach Tree’ and ‘Wildflowers’ enchanting the crowd with their intricate melodies and heartfelt lyrics.
Everyone in the room could feel the excitement when we heard the opening chords of ‘Spaceman’, released earlier that day. An opening act that felt like the main event, Ethan Regan’s set was the perfect start to the night.
Judah & The Lion
You know that feeling at the start of the show when your chatting with friends and then all of a sudden the lights go out and everyone screams? Yeah, we felt that way the whole show. We all know Judah & The Lion love to surprise their fans, and that’s exactly what they did. Over and over again. Starting off the show with a shock, Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald sang the entirety of the first song IN. THE. CROWD. Like, actually in the center of the pit. Judah even asked a fan to hold the mic for him. The entire show was full of absolutely beautiful chaos. The energy of the night was insane. Judah ran around the stage like a golden retriever on Red Bull, dancing, singing, and interacting with the fans. Brian shredded the mandolin like it owed him money.
The crowd never stopped moving, and neither did we. Dancing, singing, crying (yes, that was us hearing ‘Take It All Back’ live for the first time in 8 years). Judah & the Lion left nothing to imagination as they charged through their sixteen song setlist. ‘Suit and Jacket’, a song about the last conversation with his grandpa, Judah says feels like the crowd brings him alive when they sing it. ‘Is What It Is’, a literal spiritual experience. ‘Rich Kids’, a song from way back on their first record. There was not a single skip in the whole set.
Another surprise? Right in between ‘Is What It Is’ and ‘As the Crow Flies’, a cover of one of the all time greatest songs, Lit’s ‘My Own Worst Enemy’. Ethan Regan couldn’t even miss out on this unforgettable experience, joining Judah & the Lion on stage for this rendition. And there’s no break between this and the next surprise. Right after ‘My Own Worst Enemy’ ends, Jon Smith’s and Lil Jon’s ‘Snap Yo Fingers’ heats up the stage as Judah & the Lion, the band, and Ethan Regan perform a seriously impressive choreographed dance. Exhausted, voices gone, and feeling unstoppable, The Honey Pop walked out of Judah & The Lion’s The Process Tour transcendent.
Seriously, if you missed the show, I’m so sorry for you. Luckily they’re only about halfway through the tour. If you can, definitely get those tickets. From the moment they stepped on stage, the energy was unreal. We definitely won’t forget this anytime soon.
Check out our gallery from the show below!
Have you been to The Process Tour? If you haven’t, make sure to get your tickets. You will not regret it! What’s your favorite song from each of these artists? Let us know in the comments below or chat with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Discord.
Want more live reviews? We got you!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JUDAH & THE LION:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
