Howie Day at Iota

Last night I went to see Howie Day at Iota. I don’t make it out to many shows on “school” nights anymore, but this had a couple things going for it:
a) in Clarendon, unlike his recent appearances at the 9:30 Club
b) they sold tix, so I could arrive at showtime and not have to wait in line and possibly not get in, which has happened to me
c) I’ve never seen him in a small club

I showed up with only a couple songs left from the opener. I got a beer and headed up front where my friend Linda had saved me a spot right next to the stage. When I first heard of Howie in 200, it was because he was only one of a handful of solo artists experimenting with live looping (or delay), along with Keller Williams. I love to watch the performance when they do, as it can sound like a full band up there. Last night was no exception, particularly on old faves like “Sorry So Sorry” and “Beams Of Light”. Watching him up close was a revelation, as the intricacy of his moves was nearly a dance routine. He was previewing songs from his new album and they were pretty good – the only one I knew was “Everyone Loves To Love A Lie”, and I enjoyed that. The crowd was old school, screaming for everything from “After You” to hit “Collide”. A great show, even if I did come home stinking of smoke (I can’t believe a no-smoking bill failed again in VA).

Howie Day

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