A sold out show means fan support, great marketing, and most importantly – a great artist. It is obvious that Ryan Bingham and his band, The Dead Horses, already have a high level of both fan and industry attention. Their Academy Award win and Grammy nomination for the feature film soundtrack for Crazy Heart, are proof of that, as was this El Rey sell out.
However, a great sold out artist requires a great sold out opening act. San Diego’s favorite sons, The Silent Comedy, opened the night with energy that was electrifying. Faithful fans in the past have described their shows as a religious experience. The concert was on a Saturday night, but when they performed their gospel-driven, crowd sing-a-long hit, “The Well,” it might as well have been church on Sunday morning.
The multi-instrumental band engaged the crowd in a little story about prohibition (the rock-driven “Moonshine”), a little ditty about California’s gold rush (“’49”), and a dedication to the recent passing of a family member (the beautiful “Gasoline”). Throughout every song, The Silent Comedy moved its sold out crowd in a tightly knit unison. They were the perfect introduction to the headliner that night, but it is without a doubt that The Silent Comedy has already generated a buzz that night and for many nights to come.
When Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses stepped on stage, the energy was high and alive. Bingham’s raw and throaty voice echoed throughout the El Rey quite beautifully, and listeners, mostly men in jeans and cowboy boots, sang along to every single lyric. He performed most of the material from his latest record, Junky Star. Without hesitation between songs and taking quick sips from his beer and little drags from his cigarette, Bingham did not occupy the stage space like his openers. He did, however, command the audience’s attention quite effectively. As aforementioned, his songs (from “Depression,” to my personal favorite, “Hallelujah”) engaged the cowboys in singing along and rocking out to the Texan’s, T-Bone Burnett produced, album. It would not be a Ryan Bingham concert without his award-winning hit, “The Weary Kind,” just as it would not be a sold out concert without two extremely talented acts.
