by Todd Mathis in Reviews

I’ve been a fan of Pete Yorn since picking up his debut, Musicforthemorningafter in 2001.  I was sure he was destined to be a big hit and I sang his praises to anyone who would listen.  Fast forward to 2007 and Yorn’s touring in support of his third studio album, Nightcrawler.  While that first album did make a pretty big splash, his second, Day I Forgot, was seen by many as a disappointment and the most recent hasn’t garnered great reviews.  I, on the other hand, have remained a pretty big fan so I wasn’t going to miss a South Carolina appearance by Yorn.  Like the album, Live From New Jersey, the opening track was “Feel Good Again” and proved to be a good start to get the crowd’s attention while quickly ripping into his biggest hit, “Life On a Chain” next.  The set was heavy on songs from the first and most recent release, and the band didn’t miss a beat.  The bassist was particularly impressive playing complicated parts while also singing harmonies on over half of the tunes.  The rest of the stage was filled with an electric guitarist/pianist/back up singer, acoustic guitarist, drummer, electric guitarist/pedal steel player and Yorn himself, who alternated between acoustic and electric.    Overall it was a great show, with Yorn throwing in a bit of humor by playing “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John, an artist that Yorn had been mistaken for recently at Bonaroo.  Occasionally I did want to see him ditch the ear monitors and let loose, but I have to hand it to him, and the band, for sticking to their guns and sounding pristine throughout.   Set List  Feel Good Again Life on a Chain For Us Closet Long Way Down The Man Splendid Isolation (Warren Zevon) Policies Strange Condition Murray Young Folks (Peter Bjorn and John) Turn of the century Just Another Crystal Village For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is) Encore All at Once (acoustic) Black On Your Side There is a Light That Never Goes Out