I wasn’t planning on going to see Hayden in Cleveland, but when Kim said she had an extra ticket, how could I pass it up?
We drove into Cleveland around 9pm, and as soon as we arrived at the street where the Grog Shop was located, half of the power in Cleveland went out. After 2+ hours in the car, this is not how you want to be greeted by a city.
We walked to the venue, and at that point they were not letting anyone in or out. They didn’t know if they were going to have to cancel the show, refund everyone’s money, no one knew. So we waited for thirty minutes.
Time passed and the Grog eventually started to let people in. The power was still out, but they lit a bunch of candles and had about five lights that were battery powered. This is where the magic happened.
Because there was no power it became one of the most intimate shows I’ve ever experienced. The crowd sat on the floor in a semi-circle with Hayden in the center. He played his acoustic with no amplification or microphone. Could things have worked out any better? I don’t think so.
As time passed, the lights slowly began to fade until they completely turned off. For about three songs, Hayden played with only two pen lights from the crowd lighting him up.
I have to admit that I’ve not followed Hayden’s career lately. I had his first two albums but he sort of escaped my sights. Listening to him in that setting, though, really touched me. Each song told a perfect little story, and I now have to go back and pick up all of his records I’ve missed.
Shows like this can’t be planned, and they only happen once in a blue moon. I know Kim saw Hayden the next night in Pittsburgh, and unless the power outages were following her, I can’t imagine it being as special as our show. It probably was great, but in Cleveland, the audience and performer melded together for one beautiful performance.