October 4, 2021

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It's been over two and a half years since Needtobreathe last visited northern Ohio, and their return was well worth the wait.

Shortly before 9pm on this warm, fall evening, the band hit the stage at Jacobs Pavilion with the opening notes of "Alive" and didn't stop rocking until just after 11pm.

The band has released two albums of music since they last toured, and they sang nine of those songs, from the twenty-three they played that night.

 

That may sound like a lot of new material, but the nearly sold-out crowd knew every word, to every song.  "Hang On," "Into The Mystery" and "Sunshine" all earned their spot into the setlist, and proved that they will be concert staples for years to come.

 

Two others that really stood out, came towards the end of
the set. "Who Am I" from the 2020 release Out Of Body, quickly followed by "I Am Yours" from the latest, Into The Mystery album, and both proved to be crowd pleasers.

 

Other highlights included "Great Night," "The Outsiders" and "Something Beautiful." The band invited Jon Foreman from Switchfoot to join them onstage for the song, "Carry
Me."

 

Needtobreathe have always thrown in a few cover songs whenever they play live and tonight was no exception. "Honky Tonk Woman" by the Stones , and the old traditional folk song, "The Midnight Special" made famous by CCR, were thrown in tonight.

Another amazing highlight was the last song before the encores.  NTB brought both opening bands onstage for a extended version of the song "When The Levee Breaks" which had the entire crowd on it's feet.

The band has gone through a few changes since the last time they were in Ohio, and that was even addressed in the show. Lead singer, guitarist, Bear Rinehart stated that when his brother left the band in 2019, they were't sure the fans would still show up if they
toured.

 

The fans did show up, and absolutely loved every minute they were in town. Along with Bear, the band consists of Seth Bolt on bass, Josh Lovelace on piano and keyboards, Randall Harris on drums, and Tyler Burkum on guitar.

 

This band is tighter than ever, and it appeared that they loved being in Cleveland, as much as Cleveland loved having them here! If you didn't get a chance to see this show, I encorage you to see this "best kept secret" the next time they come around.

 

Hopefully we won't have to wait another two and a half years!

Opening the night was a band from Nashville, The New Respects. Led by singer, Jasmine Mullens, they poured themselves into a short set of rock and roll, including a great version of "Come Together" by the Beatles. They also provided back-up vocalsthroughout NTB's set.

Switchfoot then took the stage for a blistering, high energy, eight song set that included "Meant To Live," "Dare You To Move"and "Stars."

 

These guys have been around for 25 years, but you couldn't tell that from the excitement and energy they brought to the stage.

 

This was another great night to spend in Cleveland, and a fantastic four hours of good old rock and roll music!

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Photos and Review by Dave Whitman