Another SCAD New Alumni Concert is in the books — the event always brings some nice surprises (generally good ones) and always brings a diverse collection of Savannahians to enjoy Forsyth Park, one of the finest urban green spaces you’ll find anywhere.
The crowd was still gathering when Brett Dennen took the stage promptly at 6. I thought the sound was great for Dennen, whose lovely voice and casual banter set the tone for the evening. I hadn’t listened much to Dennen in the past, but I’ll definitely pay closer attention from here on out.
hissing lawns has a few big Lucero fans, and I was thrilled to hear them again, but I’d rather catch them in the narrow confines of The Jinx than in a wide open space when the sun is still up. (We posted some pics of their last Jinx gig here and here.) Still, Lucero sounded great in Forsyth and lots of elements remained the same — Ben Nichols’ compelling voice, the virtuosic playing, the tattoos, the Lucero girls as close to the stage as they could get.
Mutemath’s high-energy, after-dark headlining set thrilled their fans in the crowd and cast a shadow of manic energy over those who had pushed up as close as they could to the annoyingly distant barricades. My personal experience of the set was hampered by the intense backlighting, which gave me a headache and made it nearly impossible to get quality photos. In better designed spaces, those bright white lights probably don’t shine directly into the eyes of the crowd, but still I’m always puzzled by acts that don’t just have some good front-lighting so their fans can appreciate what’s going on.
All in all, another excellent night in Forsyth Park and another successful event for SCAD — the college entertains not only their graduates with these annual concerts but also thousands of other local residents.
Click on through for a lot more photos.
