On the heels of his reggae infused pop-rock album “Everything Everytime Everywhere,” Trevor Hall made his way through north Scottsdale, playing to a crowded house Thursday night at The Compound Grill.
For some, this blend of genres might evoke similar feelings to those experienced while tilted back in a dentist’s chair as the sound of cool jazz and drilling penetrates your ears. These feelings were not shared with those in attendance that night, especially the crowd of Trevor Hall fangirls.
The show opened with the Elan, a reggae singer/songwriter from Los Angeles. He is recognized for his Bob Marley-esque vocals and has performed with The Wailers and Gwen Stefani, among others.
Elan and his band appeared to be working overtime to get the rigid Scottsdale crowd moving to their spiritual type of reggae. The first few songs kicked off with him sort of pleading with the audience to show some signs of life. Eventually things loosened up as a few people in the front row began keeping beat with claps and a little body swaying.
The initial lackluster vibe wasn’t due to Elan and crew’s performance—they were musically tight and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It might have had more to do with the venue’s atmosphere.
The Compound Grill is more restaurant/sports bar than club. There is seating for dining which frames the stage along with plasma TV’s covering both walls that lead to the main stage as well as above the bar. Elan joked early on that this was the first time he’d played a show where he could watch the game while he performed.
After rolling through a set of reggae-pop, and instrumental jams they closed out their set, naturally, with a cover of Bob Marley’s “Jammin’.”
Clusters of girls swooned and cheered as Trevor Hall took the stage next with bare feet, blonde dreadlocks and acoustic guitar. His appearance seemed to round out the earthy energy of his music.
One of the more impressive aspects of Hall and his band was the unconcerned demeanor displayed as they kicked off their set. Where many bands’ live performances tend to be exaggerated cartoon versions of what they think a band should look like playing, it was refreshing to see Hall and his band mates just do what they do and let the rest take care of itself.
A few songs in, the uplifting, more danceable “Brand New Day” saw both Hall fans and plates of hot wings shaking. It was one of the standout moments of the set as Hall sang “Whatcha waiting for?” while the song erupted in its ending.
Hall’s band left the stage halfway through the set to provide a more intimate setting. With his acoustic guitar and a microphone, Hall engaged the audience and sang a few stripped down versions of songs. The band returned to churn out what remained of the upbeat set and left fans chanting for more.
Hall definitely has a solid understanding of how to craft poppy, sing-along songs within his genre, releasing over 8 records in the short span of 6 years. While he may not be selling out arenas, Hall has proved with his body of work and energetic shows that he has staying power.
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