For the last three years I’ve tried to see The Head and The Heart in concert in Seattle, Portland, Sun Valley and the Gorge. On August 11th, I finally saw The Head and The Heart at the Idaho Center in Nampa. Let me just say the wait was worth it.
I first heard about The Head and The Heart in college when their first self-titled album, The Head and the Heart, came out in 2009. I was immediately drawn to their raw, uncut sound and have been hooked ever since. Of course now with them becoming more popular, their sound has lost of its roughness, but the lyrics and music remain unique and creative.
Before the concert, I was reading up on their latest album, Signs of Light, and tour news when I found out one of the founding members, Josiah Johnson would not be touring with the band in 2017. The reasoning is due to his drug addiction. This is something he’s been struggling with for a while, but to fully conquer and get it under control. At first, I was pretty bummed. He sings in basically every song on all their albums, so I was worried their sound would be weird without him. To my surprise, their sound wasn’t compromised, but it did miss his vocals and overall energy on stage.
I’ve always preferred outdoor venues to inside ones, the vibe is more low key and there tends to be more space to get jiggy with it. This was my first concert at the Idaho Center, and I was pleasantly surprised. Walking up to the front gates, I was expecting a county fair-type set up, but it was open with food trucks and beer tents lining the top of the lawn/general admission around the venue. Not to worry, I took full advantage of these culinary and beverage options.
The concert was amazing. Gregory Alan Isakov and Blind Pilot opened with great sets. Both of these bands have similar but slightly different sounds than The Head and The Heart, so it was a nice musical warm up for the main act.
When The Head and The Heart came on, the atmosphere immediately became electric. Everyone got on their feet and sang along as they opened with a top hit (All We Ever Knew) from their new cd, All We Ever Knew. They played an hour and a half set with a great mix of songs from their first, second and latest cds.
It wasn’t a sold out crowd, but overall vibe was awesome. About a quarter of the way into the show, I got up and started dancing and didn’t sit back down again. I loved every second of it. If you ever get a chance to see a show at the Idaho Center, I would do it. Such a great atmosphere and set up.
If you go to any concerts or shows at the Idaho Center in Nampa, remember to tag @theboisebeat! See you out there!
