May

14

Daniel Johnston – Live @ Southgate House

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May 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment

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Daniel Johnston has been called many things during his time in the spotlight, some call him crazy, untalented and even worse. Others tag him as the “Indie Brian Wilson” due to his mental issues, but amazing songwriting ability. For those that have seen the documentary on the man, “The Devil And Daniel Johnston” know that simply dismissing Johnston as crazy, is a monumental mistake.

Daniel played here in the Cincinnati area this weekend, on Friday night at The Southgate House. The show was part of a big tour for Daniel, who usually does not play much outside of his home state of Texas. The venue filled very quickly and the local openers saw more people in the room to hear them play than some have seen in quite awhile as a result. As the crowd packed in I could already hear people who were appreciative of Daniel and felt they could relate to his struggle. A few people nearby even mentioned they had driven all the way from Florida to attend the show.
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Daniel walked on stage with his notebook and long sleeved Houston Texans shirt to a warm welcome and preceded to open up said notebook and play a few songs as he beat on a guitar. He then welcomed a full band on stage with him, though it was not his hometown bunch, The Nightmares. But rather a collection of locals, who probably had done no more than check with him earlier in the evening. The group held together well however, (besides when the drummer went missing in the middle of the set) and Daniel began to play some familiar tunes, much to the delight of those in attendance. Speeding Motorcycle was wonderful, as was Living Life, and True Love Will Find You In the End. Daniel even told one of his jokes, this one going over like a lead balloon, but of course, none were there for stand up comedy.

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After a one song encore of Devil Town, I reflected on the evening and can honestly say I would probably not see Daniel again. Not because I did not enjoy myself, but more so because I really wanted to experience his live set, and now I have. Daniel is a rare performer though, as many are already aware. He is rare because he really cannot sing, and has still not mastered the guitar. He is becoming very overweight and now (and I am not sure for how long) performs without any teeth. He appears fairly unkept, of which I can’t really fault him due to his illness, but it is certainly not getting better appearance wise for him. However, his songwriting ability is still unmatched. The way Daniel can put together a song is really quite amazing and I found myself in awe of him in that way. But with Daniel, you almost desire a more competent musician to cover the songs and give them the audience they are worthy of. So, if you get the chance to see Daniel play live in your town, do it, but be sure to look past the messy exterior and look in to the songwriting genius that Mr. Johnston possesses.

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View my entire photoset after the jump……

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Entire Photoset can be found here.

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