Nashville – Sunday night, Nikki Lane played the Mercy Lounge in Nashville. This following a performance the night before with Social Distortion at the Ryman, which she remarked, was a dream come true. Had she not told us though, we would not have known, because she never once slowed down. The energy and spirit still flowed as if she had something to prove and maybe she did.
Nikki Lane took the stage wearing her signature hat, dark hair curled, short-sleeve country style sheer vintage blouse, tight blue jeans tucked under cowboy boots that I may have taken more photos of than necessary. She looked eager to start and pleased to see such a full house. The audience was just as excited to see her hop on stage. Those bright eyes scanning the crowd, taking it all in, her bandmates right behind her every step of the way. Singing mostly hits from her second album, All Or Nothin and some from her debut album, the single “Gone, Gone, Gone” a definite crowd favorite. All Or Nothin was released earlier this year in May, with Dan Auerbach producing.
But as much attitude and bad-ass as Nikki Lane absolutely is, she has quite an endearing and charming personality. She wanted to thank the crowd for coming to join her on her “day off” here in Nashville on a Sunday night. Talking to the crowd as if they were old friends, in that voice so sweet I swear I could just eat it up with a spoon.
The middle of the night held a special guest performance with Johnny Two Bags, a.k.a. Johnny Wickersham of Social Distortion, who sang the duet “Love’s on Fire” with Lane. Nikki was definitely on fire and the crowd was loving the heat. Seeing her perform those high energy songs brought them to life. She strums her guitar as if she was born to do this. Then we come to the single “Out Of My Mind” which was not my favorite song of hers before. The conviction was not there, I didn’t believe the words and the lyrics are good, strong lyrics. Well, let me tell you… Nikki Lane put me in my place last night. I was left standing holding my camera just dangling, with my mouth on the ground. Along with the rest of the audience I do believe. The band quietened their instruments letting her just sing. As those vocals rang out through the room, you could hear a pin drop. Then the band booms back into the chorus and she never missed a beat.
She sang four more songs then came back for an encore and was joined by more friends on stage. Frankie Lee, who was the opener, joined her. His smooth vocals were a nice match with Lane’s sultry sound. It looked like a party on stage, even Nikki Lane’s mom joined the bunch, sharing the mic with her daughter. The crowd loved it and no one was leaving, hoping to hear more. All smiles as they said goodnight, Nikki went almost right into the crowd and took photos with fans and chatted.
Nikki Lane’s performance was a great one. She had fun, she had attitude and she killed it. She sang beautifully and now I have a new favorite. She seems comfortable on stage and with her band. If you missed her tonight, no worries, I told you she’s touring like a mad woman.
Nikki Lane will be in Nashville during the Americana Festival at Ascend Amphitheater September 19, and for a full tour list check out nikkilane.com and her Facebook or Twitter page.
Photo by Jess Sneed for BestNewBands.com
Jess Sneed
“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.” –Fabienne Fredrickson
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