Keller Williams 11.10.11

The Blind Pig
Ann Arbor, MI

Words & Photos By Joe Le (Joe Le FOTO)

Keller Williams recently played to a full house at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, MI, with the same wild energy he has become known for over the last 15 years. Performing

as a one man band, Keller displayed a diverse catalog of covers, trance jams, and bluegrass rhythms. There was a unique crowd that night, with a few young kids crowding the front, guitar enthusiasts, hippies, hipsters and old fans. Only someone as talented and contrasted as Keller could draw such a crowd.

As the lights dimmed, Williams entered from the rear of the venue, shoeless, and playing a jam that turned into Nirvana’s “Lithium”. After some Keller classics, including “Breathe” and “Best Feeling”, both are songs that were recorded with The String Cheese Incident. He closed the first set with “Black Peter” into “Til the Morning Comes”. As I stepped outside at the beginning of set break, the alley next to the Blind Pig roared with people singing "make yourself easy." I even saw a few

friends who couldn't afford the show, wrapped up in blankets singing with those as they exited.

The second set featured a few tunes from Keller's upcoming new album, Bass, which is set to hit stores on December 13th. Other highlights included Keller strutting around the stage while playing “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees, and a very electronic version of The Grateful Dead’s “Eyes of the World”. This Dead cover really got the crowd moving, just like the first set closer, the entire crowd was singing and bouncing. After a few more original tunes, the show ended the way it began, as Keller exited the stage still playing his guitar while walking barefoot through the crowd.

www.kellerwilliams.net

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