Wakey! Wakey!/Ben Fields/Luke Wesley – The Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS 9/28/14 (SHOW REVIEW)

Anyone who falls in love with Wakey!Wakey! on the remaining dates of the Salvation Stripped tour owes that lure to frontman Michael Grubbs. Most famous for his cameo role on The WB’s young-adult drama One Tree Hill, Grubbs “stripped” down his latest album Salvation from its electronic and pop-filled catalog to a show with only one voice and a piano.

Homecoming festivities at the University of Kansas couldn’t keep the fans away at the The Bottleneck in Lawrence, and most of the crowd even arrived for the first opener, Luke Wesley. Wesley, a fellow native of Brooklyn to Grubbs, began with “Everything We’ve Never Wanted,” the second track from his sophomore album Who Are We Kidding? Which was released last summer.

Starting the night off for Wakey!Wakey!, Wesley left the technology in New York and let his voice make a name for himself. The seven-song set included two tracks from his first album Because We Never Talk about It: “Pretty Boy” and “I Hope You Like This Song.” The jokes in-between songs were an added bonus to his powerful voice. “Again,” “Divorce Myself,” Unfaithful,” and “Take the Money and Run,” all from his latest album, provided listeners with more than a glimpse into the heart and soul of this young singer-songwriter.

Singer-songwriter Ben Fields followed Wesley, starting with “Sleep through December.” Playing several songs from his debut album, Fields’ storytelling is paired with music much more complex than a simple melody and a few verses. The talented songwriter continued to prove his dynamism with “Matilda,” “Mostly, He Says,” “Worry,” “Swede,” and “Everything.” Fields finished with the album’s namesake “Extraordinary Light” which was most recently featured on The Bachelorette.

The opening lines for Wakey!Wakey! set the tone for his show with, “If love’s gonna make me lose my youth, I’m gonna waste it all on you.” Grubbs later announced the engagement to his fiancée which seems to be the inspiration for the happiness throughout his sophomore album. Throughout the evening Grubbs alternated between songs from Salvation and his album Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You… which debuted in 2010.

Salvation was originally released with an electronic feel, but due to an overwhelming request from his fans, Grubbs released Salvation Stripped which serves as both an inspiration and a vital part to the tour. While the electronic versions of “Nothing’s Cool,” Salvation,” and “Stop the World,” are catchy, the stripped versions allow listeners for a better way to connect to the Grubbs’ sentimental lyrics.

The stories he shared between songs were almost as captivating as the lyrics. The lyrics from “Through the Night,” the second track from Salvation, were inspired by a recorded message after a drunken night in California (coincidentally, he slept through the next day’s writing session!).

The haunting melody of “War Sweater,” from the EP of the same title, echoed throughout the venue, and soon after Grubbs revealed the darkness of his first album Almost Everything… Although Grubbs is clearly in a much better place, it is easy to heart the pain in his voice while singing songs from his first album. However, he finished the night with key lyrics of the album’s title track explain how everything will work out: “It feels bad now, but it’s gonna get better someday.”