1   +   3   =  

Scenes From Kirby Brown's Going Away Party with Larry g(EE) and Quaker City Night Hawks.

Going away parties are always tricky, always rife with mixed emotions. And inherently so.

There's the celebratory aspect, of course. Hence the “party.” But then there's the first half of the proposition and the tinge of sadness that comes with, well, “going away.”

So, yeah, things may have felt somewhat celebratory on Saturday night as musicians, friends and fans gathered at the Prophet Bar to simultaneously celebrate the birthday of local soul crooner Larry g(EE) and bid local rocker Kirby Brown adieu before he moves to New York City for a stint next month. But there was also the whole sad aspect of the night. Fortunately, it took a while to get to that point.

As part of a powerhouse triple-bill featuring three Central Track favorites, Fort Worth's Quaker City Night Hawks kicked off the evening in raucous fashion, impressing as ever with their rollicking guitar licks and downright juicy harmonies.

The birthday man himself, Larry g(EE) followed with a typically high-energy offering that featured appearances from not one, not two, but three guest rappers, in top of a host of backing singers and horn players.

But it was Kirby Brown and his band's set that really hit home on this night — and, certainly, that had everything to do with the fact that, for the foreseeable future, this would be Brown's last performance in Dallas and with the ace backing band he's assembled throughout the years. The band sounded as great and as revelrous as has come to be expected of them, but things seemed, well, a little off. Not bad, mind you. Just, well, a little bittersweet. This was a palpable sentiment out in the audience, as fans and friends recounted in their heads earlier run-ins with Brown and his cohorts and discussed his winning marketability. But, really, you could see it on stage, too: On this night, Brown's smile wasn't as wide as it usually is when he's on stage; his lips curled upward, but with hesitation. You could tell that, for him, this night and this crowd was special for him. The crowd, vocally, let Brown know they'd miss him. Brown, also vocally, but cearly visually as well, let his reciprocated feelings show. Yeah, it was kind of a sad display. But, again, a happy one: Brown's always been a talented kid, a gifted performer and a learned songwriter. He has brighter days before him — that much was clear from out in the audience on Saturday night. And, on this night, that much was as celebrated, just as his going away was bemoaned.

It was a tricky balance, sure. But such is the crux of the going away party conceit, indeed.

All photos by Will Von Bolton.


















2532_2

2532_3

2532_4

2532_5

2532_6

2532_7

2532_8

2532_9

2532_10

2532_11

2532_12

2532_13

2532_14

2532_15

2532_16

2532_17

2532_18

2532_19

2532_20

2532_21

2532_22

2532_23

2532_24

2532_25

2532_26

2532_27

2532_28

2532_29

2532_30

2532_31

2532_32

2532_33

2532_34

2532_35

2532_36

2532_37

2532_38

2532_39

2532_40

2532_41

2532_42

2532_43

2532_44

2532_45

2532_46

2532_47

2532_48

2532_49

2532_50

No more articles