Blind Pilot, with Angela Autumn

Sunday, June 26, 2024

Wow Eugene, you sure packed the WOW Hall on a Wednesday night! This may have been our second largest crowd of the year so far, packed but slightly less of a draw than the Wailers last month. Still, the crowd was ample and lively before even the opening act, Angela Autumn, played the first note of the night.

Angela Autumn, a folk artist from Nashville with a voice and musical style strikingly similar to that of Australian Kasey Chambers, took the stage around 8:15 p.m. and played a very fun set switching between acoustic guitar and banjo. One of her first songs she prefaced with a story about how she wrote it about a tow truck driver who towed her car while on tour, for which she wrote a song about the experience called “Tow Truck Daddy.” Stating that AAA then contacted her wanting a review and she in turn tried to just submit the song drew big laughs from the crowd, then followed it up by jokingly complaining about the weight of a banjo.

For one song, “Sowing Seeds,” Blind Pilot frontman Israel Nebeker joined Angela on stage, playing guitar and providing harmonies.

It was a little after 9 p.m. that Blind Pilot took the stage in front of a raucous crowd, emboldened by many many friends and family in the crowd. Though technically a Portland, OR band, Blind Pilot had its foundations when Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski met while both were living in Eugene. During the set several times Israel took time between songs to mention what a trip it was to be back in Eugene and performing at the WOW Hall, where and Ryan had attended countless shows dreaming that somebody it would be them up on the WOW stage. Our show was the final stop on their current tour, though a new leg begins in mid-July, adding to the sentiment of a homecoming evening for the members — who also stated that for the last several years they have spent most of their time in California so it was extra special for them to be back in Oregon.

Rounding out the band are Luke Ydstie on bass and Kati Claborn playing banjo, clarinet, dulcimer, and ukulele. Luke switched between playing upright bass and at times guitar, while both added backing vocals. For some songs they were joined on stage by their tour manager and merch handler Lauren Jacobsen, who also is a member of The Lumineers. That Lumineers connection is a bit on the nose for the band, as they would be the most obvious comparison in terms of sound, though I would also consider Blind Pilot’s style to be very comparable to The Low Anthem and The Lone Bellow.

At one point Nebeker acknowledged the vast amount of friends and family in the crowd while referencing Dobrowski on the drum kit, who now resides in Arizona, which drew big laughs from the audience. “I asked him how he was feeling with it being a hometown show,” said Nebeker. “And he was like ‘I’m nervous, there’s so many people here.’ He’s such a nice person that he wants everyone who came here that he knows feel welcome and personally say hi, and there’s too many of you…sooo, after the show just line up and the rest of us will just go hang out in our van.”

The band continued on playing mostly old songs, though this show was an opportunity to play several new songs as they have begun recording material for hopefully a new album soon. The band recently put a song out online that is their first published song in eight years.

An enormous thank you to our huge crowd that packed the WOW Hall Wednesday night, the performers, and our many WOW Hall staff, security, and volunteers that make the show possible. We’ll see you at the next one.

-Kurt

WOW Hall Marketing Coordinator