Review By Darren McIntyre Photos By Scott Anderson
Dan Reed is a singer/songwriter/actor/composer from Portland, Oregon who formed Dan Reed Network with his buddy Dan Pred whom he met in high school in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The band are described as easily charming with a heavy-metal-ish rock sharpened by junk funk with plenty of rock n roll theatrics, Dan is also an accomplished actor and has taken up roles in theatre & film. Dan has released 8 studio records as a solo artist & 11 records as Dan Reed Network and tonight Dan brings his epic vocals to The Classic Grand as part of his solo tour, please join me as I take in the smooth, soulful tones of this fantastic musician from Portland, Oregon, as the lights dim and the place readies itself we await the man himself and not before time Dan strolls onto the stage to a hero’s welcome as the place erupts in a volley of cheers and shouts as Dan thanks us for coming out. Dan tunes up his guitar and tells us that tonight is about stories, chat, life and just enjoying the moment, as ready ourselves Dan drops straight in with –
Long Way To Go – The track begins with smooth melodic acoustic chords that allow this mesmerising track the room it needs to grow. Dan’s vocals are just smooth with bags of soul as this soothing ballad track just opens and lets us feel the emotion pouring from this fantastic musician, the musicality just pours from the stage as Dan really digs deep and delivers a real thought-provoking arrangement that just stops us in our tracks as the mellow tones fill the venue as Dan just pours his heart into this opening composition as the crowd stands still and feels the depth of this incredible musician, we are in awe as Dan thanks us for coming out and wanting to spend a night with him as he takes us through his career spanning music, we roll into
Candlelight – The acoustic tones lead the way as Dan prepares himself to bring us this colossal rendition, the soulful vocals fill the room as the sweet chords ooze towards us. The thought-provoking lyrics are just incredible as they let us know that this is just going to be an incredible up close and personal night as Dan just controls the groove, the awesome vocals are just silky smooth with real depth as the place is just transfixed on the stage as we feel the fantastic tone that is reaching us tonight. The place is swaying from side to side as Dan just reaches deep inside and really brings the soul to Glasgow tonight, next up is –
On Your Side – Dan chats about this track and what it means to him the time he spent with Tibetan Monks and what they gave to him for a whole year.
The smooth mellow guitar picks wander freely into the venue as Dan drops colossal thought-provoking lyrics that really grab you and let you feel the energy coming from this fantastic artist tonight. The place is still as we just float off to another place and feel the emotion coming at us as the whole track just wraps itself around us and tells us that all will be ok I quite agree with this soulful musician as he really takes us where we need to be, the place goes nuts and hollers and claps loudly as Dan thanks us for our kindness and time for him to express himself through his music and again we clap loudly as we move onto
Lift Off – The track comes at us with real mellow tones as Dan’s well-travelled vocals let the track come to life as he wanders effortlessly through the venue this fantastic track tells us what life is really all about. The acoustic strumming chord works perfectly in the essence of the track and what it brings to so many in all walks of life, as we stand and watch this talisman do his thing you cannot help but feel better for being in his presence tonight as he just makes thing so much better as the track just wraps itself around you and tells you all is going to be ok. The crowd are being treated to something special here tonight as we get tracks that have never been played like this before as we roll into
Champion – The smooth cool acoustic chord wander freely into the track as Dan’s incredible vocals fill the room as the melodic track comes at us. The sweet lyrics are just flowing effortlessly through the venue as we just listen with real envy as the track wraps itself around us and tells us that things are going to be ok. The track is just opening up and letting the goodness flow into each and every one of us as this toe-tapping melodic track just builds as Dan strums heavily on the guitar as his vocals reach their peak and let the depth take us on the journey as we roll into
Coming Up For Air – The tone from the guitar is strong and really lets the track define itself as we get Dan bringing the thoughtful lyrics that let us sit up and take notice. The track really delivers with real depth as the crowd watches in awe as this awesome musician delivers sweet cool lyrics as he pokes fun at the Glasgow weather which brings barrels of laughter from this swelling audience as they let this cool musician really deliver a classy acoustic version of this fantastic track that just catches us unaware, the place is buzzing with anticipation as Dan just delivers a cool classy night of soulful classics that really take us down memory lane as we stroll head first into the classic
Rainbow Child – The tempo goes up a little as Dan strums heavily on his guitar as this classic track is brought to us with real ease. Dan gets us to sing along with him which brings a huge smile to his face as he really gets us tonight, the track is just fantastic as he gets all nostalgic and just delivers a sweet melodic composition as the crowd really gets into the gig as we just stand and sing along as Dan strums and watches us sing back to him which is quite something let me tell you, this is one on those mellow thought bending tracks that lets you feel good about yourself. Dan is enjoying himself as he smiles widely and brings happiness to the fine folk of Glasgow tonight, we stop for a second as Dan chats to us and again thanks us for coming out to watch him deliver a faultless set tonight, next up is –
Avalanche – Dan chats about the track and what it means to him as he lost his way a few years back but fought to find himself again. The heavy strumming chords are pouring from the stage as this fast-paced melodic track opens and really lets us feel the energy oozing from this charismatic musician, we are getting a real treat tonight as we don’t often get this up close and personal with someone of Dan’s calibre.
The place is just letting the groove wash over us as the gig is just bubbling away nicely as Dan takes us on a journey with every track tonight, the guitar work is just awesome as the tone is mellow with real depth as we wander freely onto the next track in the form of –
Tiger In A Dress – The familiar strumming chord oozes from the stage as the place claps along to the foot-stomping groove that just brings a smile to your face tonight. Dan’s soulful melodic vocals fill every corner of the venue as the track delivers strong powering chords that just grab your attention, we are clapping along as this classy track delivers meaty funk grooves that just let you wander free and want more from this classy musician as he just takes us with him as he smashes his way through Glasgow tonight and really strums heavily as this classic DRN track is given a makeover with soulful vocals that are just awesome, up next is
Promised Land – Sweet chords flow freely through the venue as Dan brings classy soulful vocals that just allow this track to breathe. The mellow tones are just incredible as we feel the emotion oozing from the stage as Dan tells his own story this toe-tapping track just comes at us with sheer delight, the place is feeling the love tonight as we sway from side to side and really want all we can get tonight from this awesome musician as he just keeps on keeping on as this sweet track just takes us to another place and gives us hope in this rather dark world today, we roll into –
Only Love – The tempo is taken down a notch or two as Dan brings his soulful tones to us tonight as this colossal number drops in Glasgow tonight. The place is still and really letting this guy deliver a near-perfect rendition of this classic track that is just tugging at your heartstrings tonight, the track has some powerful lyrics that just allow us to float off and really get into this epic arrangement as we just stop and feel the waves of emotion pouring through us tonight. Dan’s vocals are just timeless as they let us feel the depth flowing at us tonight, we are hitting the business end of the gig as we rock up into
Last Day On Saturn – Dan wanders around the stage and strums heavily on his guitar as we ready ourselves for this awesome track. The vocals are just awesome as they really let this track breathe the tone just flows evenly through the venue tonight we feel blessed to be here tonight as this smooth silky vocal-laden track just builds with ease as this classy arrangement just takes us to somewhere new as this epic gig has delivered on all levels tonight as the place has just witnessed a real musician at the top of his game bring the emotion, depth and swagger to the fine folk of Glasgow tonight as we stroll into –
Stronger Than Steel – Dan brings this mellow track to life with cool vocals that are accompanied by sweet mellow acoustic strumming tones that are just on the money. The place is singing along as Dan leads the way and gets us into this classic track we just want this gig to last a little longer, the gig has just brought us a fantastic night of fantastic songs that have been specially arranged to let us hear every word and feel every chord as it pours from the stage tonight, we are hurtling towards the finish line as we take in the classic –
Sacred Ground – Sweet melodic strumming chords are wandering freely from the stage as this real thought-provoking track leaves its mark tonight. Dan lets his soulful vocals wrap themselves around The Classic Grand tonight as we stand still and feel the lyrics tell their story as Dan strums with ease and really grabs our attention as he hollers out the captivating lines that just allow us to float away to really get the mood from tonight’s performance. The place is captivated by this charismatic frontman as he lays himself bare and really takes us with him on this journey, we move onto another DRN classic –
Get To You – The tone of the night goes up a notch or two as Dan comes at us with a real funk-laden groove that gets the audience singing along to this classic track. The vocals are smooth and really capture the night and what it has brought to Glasgow with the crowd really welcoming this fantastic musician, we are just so lucky to be able to witness the music, stories and personal journey of this cool guy as he took us on the journey of his life, love and stories that have made him a household name.
The track takes on a real funk tone as he goes all acapella style with his take on the lyrics as he strums heavily on his guitar as we really let this guy take control of tonight’s proceedings, we have a couple of tracks left and roll into All My Lovin – The tempo is taken down a little as Dan lets his smouldering vocals take control of this classic track as the night draws to a conclusion. I think we have been lucky in a way that we got to spend an evening in the company of a great songwriter, musician but above all a nice guy that seemed humbled to have been in our presence. The sweet guitar strumming grabs our attention as the night moves sweetly and takes us to another place we feel the emotion pouring from this well-travelled musician as we reach tonight’s final song of the evening in the form of
Losing My Fear – The final track of the evening is a sweet soulful venture as Dan lets his awesome vocals steer this emotional-laden track take us homeward. The lyrics are just letting us float away and feel the intensity oozing from this awesome musician as he tells his own story in this melodic number as we let ourselves be drawn into this fantastic track as we let ourselves wander emotionally through this final track that has just been a pleasure to witness. The crowd have been treated to a real night of classics that have taken us to other places as we really did some soul searching as Dan brought the emotion and depth to Glasgow tonight.
Dan Reed –
Dan Reed – Vocals / Acoustic Guitar
Setlist –
Long Way To Go
Candlelight
On Your Side
Lift Off
Champion
Coming Up For Air
Rainbow Child
Avalanche
Tiger In A Dress
Promised Land
Only Love
Last Day On Saturn
Stronger Than Steel
Sacred Ground
Get To You
All My Lovin
Losing My Fear
+ There are no comments
Add yours