The Civil Wars

On October 25, 2011 I saw The Civil Wars at The Trocadero Theatre. This was the first time I had seen The Civil Wars live. To be honest, I didn't hear their music until this past summer. I had heard of them a few times on Twitter through some celebrities that I follow and I heard they opened for Adele in her last tour in the US. Well, anyone who is handpicked by Adele has got to be talented. I was hooked from the moment I heard the first song, "Poison & Wine." The Civil Wars consists of two people, Joy Williams and John Paul White. Their harmonies are unbelievable and you would think these two are married or at least lovers because of the chemistry between the two of them, but they're actually both married...to other people. You really feel like they're singing to each other when you see or hear them perform. They have a very raw sound...most of their album is basically their voices, a guitar, an occasional piano and violin. They released their debut album, "Barton Hollow," in February 2011, but they actually released a live album, "Live At Eddie's Attic" back in June 2009. I love both albums, but "Live At Eddie's Attic" is my personal favorite because you get a chance to hear their banter in between each song, which is adorable and quite humorous. It's hard to pick some of my favorites, but if I had to choose it'd have to be, "I've Got This Friend," "Poison & Wine," "Falling," and "Tip Of My Tongue." They also do an amazing and very rare version of the Jackson 5's cover of "Billie Jean." Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any video because I wasn't close enough to the stage, but I did include some live video from some YouTube videos I found. I also included the set list below.

On another note, it was my first time at The Troc, and I was very impressed. The sound was great, and the overall atmosphere was really unique. The Troc originally opened in 1870, and over the years it housed musical comedies, vaudeville, and burlesque shows. I believe they remodeled the theatre in 1986 to be used more as a concert hall. There is so much history in the building and I really enjoyed the old school feel to it. Downstairs is the main floor where the main stage is with a concession stand in the back. Upstairs is the bar area, a balcony seating area, and a smaller stage in the back of the bar where they have smaller acts come to play when there isn't an act on the main stage. All in all, I will definitely be on the look out for some more shows at The Troc because I'm a big fan. :-)

The Civil War's Set List - The Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA - Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Tip Of My Tongue
Forget Me Not
From This Valley
20 Years
I've Got This Friend
My Father's Father
Barton Hollow
Falling
C'est la morte
I Want You Back
New Song - "Oh, Henry"
To Whom It May Concern
(unknown song)
Poison & Wine
-Encore-
Billie Jean
Dance Me To The End Of Love

The Civil Wars cover of "Billie Jean" (LIVE)
The Civil Wars performing "Poison & Wine" live
The Civil Wars performing "Falling" live
The Civil Wars performing "Barton Hollow" live
The Civil Wars performing "I've Got This Friend" live
More Info about The Civil Wars on Wikipedia