Written by Kat
ORLANDO, Florida – Ian McConnell, fresh off the viral success of his hit song, Bangladesh started his Nobody Does It Like Ian McConnell tour in September. On October 22 McConnell stopped by Wills Pub, a well-established Orlando venue. Openers included local power pop band Orange Blossom Trail ( OBT), and Maryland indie pop duo Cherokee Social. The night was unusually cooler for the normally hot and humid climate of Florida, making for a beautiful setting for this night of music.
As 8:30 quickly approached, the septuplet OBT took to the stage, with a special appearance by Angel Howard, who features live periodically with the band, on cello. They started the show off with an unreleased track I don’t take Benadryl ‘cause I owe the Hat Man $3.95. This song opens with beautiful sounds of Joel Nieves on keys and Howard's cello. The energy they showed during the set had the audience dancing along to the band's performance. This show was special for the 7-piece band as it was the release show for their single, which they played halfway through the set Be honest, do yall really like me or only hang out with me because of the prophecy? Toward the end of the set, OBT brought the crowd up on stage to sing along to the chorus of When I got off Tinder because of the fucking quarantine, Tacoma wept. ( I'm two hours away right now from being inside someone else). The small stage of Wills Pub was then filled with members of the audience, singing along with OBT vocalist Christian Moyers. The Orlando crowd, at first unfamiliar with the band, were fans by the end.
Cherokee Social made a quick entrance, Julian Navarro taking to the keys, and Alex Creighton taking the guitar. Their stage presence was immediately immense with a newer release Eeyoko Mataylë, the groovy sounds of this track had the crowd dancing with their friends, and some singing along with Navarro as his words hit the mic. Multiple times throughout the night Navarro would leave the keys to be on the front of the stage and play bass, dancing around the stage with an instrument in hand. The night's impressive crowd work continued as Navarro brought a few members on stage to dance with him. As the set came to a close, Navarro riffed with the crowd, a divisive move as some in attendance felt disrespected.
Finally, Ian McConnell's set began with a few simple notes coming from his guitar as he monologued with the crowd, intertwining witty comedy during the spoken word moments. During the track Pictures of My Castle, the crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs. The lyrics were filled with sentiments about loving someone after a breakup. While monologuing to the simple chords from the guitar, McConnell spoke about the struggles of being an independent artist, saying he needed to get a job or have a hit, and not too soon after this internal conversation, his song Bangladesh exploded in popularity across the internet. Soon after he played Bangladesh, and as tradition, he added a new verse relating to the city he played in, with lyrics about being scented with sandalwood, olé-ing in Orlando, and tuning pianos. As the set came to a close, McConnell spent the rest of the night signing merch and speaking with all the fans.
These three acts at Wills Pub blended incredible crowd work with an array of pop sounds, creating a beautiful atmosphere of people dancing and laughing with friends they've known forever, or people who've just met for the first time.
