Sixpence None the Richer with Andrew James “We Are Love” Tour Warehouse Live Midtown October 19, 2024 I’m not saying the best thing about 1999 teen rom-com She’s All That is its use of Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me.” Of course not. Between the evergreen high school-set, “ugly” duckling-turned-swan plot and peak boyfriend-next-door Freddie Prinze Jr. coming off both I Know (and I Still Know ) What You Did Last Summer , it would be bananas to make that claim.
Never mind. The best thing about 1999 teen rom-com She’s All That is Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me” – which, for Sixpence None the Richer, may have been a “for better or worse” proposition.
But let’s back up.
The New Braunfels, Texas-born band, with a name cribbed from C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity , began with Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash, who met in 1991 and released their first full-length record in 1993. They made a name for themselves within the Christian music scene, releasing The Beautiful Mess in 1996 and their self-titled third album in November 1997 – and yes, this one is the “Kiss Me” album.
The song was famously picked up for film and television at a particular moment in the late ‘90s when contemporary Christian music (CCM) seemed to pop up in teen movies and all over the WB. I can only assume music supervisors remembered that the type of love and devotion found in CCM isn’t exactly dissimilar from the content of secular pop songs and started raiding the catalogs of Dove Award-nominated artists. (It’s a lesson they apparently forgot in the 20 years since Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.”)
The uber-popularity of “Kiss Me” cannot be overstated. In fact, I almost said that “Kiss Me” recently re-entered the cultural zeitgeist via Blackpink’s Lisa, who’s interpolated the song on her dance-y solo release “Moonlit Floor.” But the truth is, “Kiss Me” never really leaves. Through the years – which, for the band, includes more albums, lineup changes, and solo efforts from Nash – there is but one constant: The wide-eyed romanticism of “Kiss Me” remains addictive, like sugary drinks and candy.
Fast forward to now, and Sixpence None the Richer has released their latest album, an EP titled Rosemary Hill , earlier this month and is currently touring to support it. This is what brought them to town, fresh off a sold-out show at Gruene Hall, to perform at Warehouse Live Midtown as part of their 25th anniversary “We Are Love” tour.
The album and the tour are the first to feature the band’s 1998 lineup – Nash, Slocum, Justin Cary, and Dale Baker – in ages. For any casual fans (i.e., “Kiss Me” fans) who want to listen to the new record or check them out live, you should know one thing: “Kiss Me” is not representative of their catalog. It’s actually fairly far from indicative of their musical output, which leans toward the slightly darker and more introspective in lyrical content and more bite sonically – that bite, by the way, was on display from the go.
The band took the stage around 9 p.m. to Björk’s epic “Overture,” the cover of Rosemary Hill projected behind them. They opened with two songs from their 1995 album, The Beautiful Mess : “Angeltread” and “Within a Room Somewhere.” Both served as firm reminders of the band’s alt-rock sensibilities, as did the next song, “Thread the Needle,” off their new EP.
Nash led into “Thread the Needle” by saying, “I hope you’re cool with some new stuff tonight,” and considering the layered guitars and how beautifully it slotted in next to their prior work, it’s hard to imagine anyone complaining. Just in case, though, they moved into “a little familiar territory,” as Nash put it, with the band turning to their memorable cover of Crowded House’s 1986 hit “Don't Dream It's Over.”
An arresting rendition of “The Tide” followed before the band launched into another song from their latest release – this time, the title track, which references the New Braunfels street Slocum grew up on. The easygoing nostalgia of the tune, however, was quickly overshadowed by the rhythmic banging that kicked off the next song, a cover of The Choir’s “Burning Like the Midnight Sun.” It should be noted that percussion extraordinaire – and member of The Choir – Steve Hindalong is touring with the band, and he got a lot of love from the crowd as he traded shakers for tambourines, a guitar for chimes, and more as the show progressed.
The “kind of” Texas-themed and deeply emotional “Don't Let Me Die in Dallas,” one of Nash’s solo tunes, released as a single in 2019 and included on her 2020 EP Get Happy , was next. Inspired by her father, it was a treat to hear Nash’s evocative voice on this song live. Amidst three songs from their 2002 release Divine Discontent – the always popular “Breathe Your Name,” “Melody of You,” and “Down and Out of Time” – they wove in another from Rosemary Hill , this time “Homeland.” Nash described it as “a love song for Texas,” and if it’s not a Hill Country anthem, I don’t know what is.
The irresistible toe-tapper “Julia,” another new song, gave way to “very familiar territory” – this time, the band’s cover of “There She Goes” from Britpop predecessors The La's, and, of course, “Kiss Me.”
Nash said the band intends to continue touring and making more records and brought attention to the tour’s name, “We Are Love,” encouraging those in the audience to “spread that thought that no matter what your opinion is about anything. We’re still human beings, and let’s just love each other.” The message flowed into the evening’s penultimate song, “We Are Love,” and the encore, a hauntingly lovely performance of “Tension is a Passing Note.”
Random Note No. 1 : Andrew James opened the show with good humor and mellow songs.
Random Note No. 2: Earlier Saturday afternoon, the band stopped by Cactus Music for an in-store event, and Nash offered an important reminder about record stores and Cactus Music in particular, saying to “make sure that doesn’t go away,” adding, “those are very special.” We agree, as we just named Cactus Music our Best Record Store .
Random Note No. 2 : Here’s a clue to the age makeup of the crowd: One female fan said, “My first concert was Newsboys.” Another replied, “My first concert was Hanson.”
Setlist
Angeltread
Within A Room, Somewhere
Thread the Needle
Don't Dream It's Over
The Tide
Rosemary Hill
Burning Like the Midnight Sun
Don't Let Me Die in Dallas
Breathe Your Name
Melody of You
Homeland
Down and Out of Time
Julia
There She Goes
Kiss Me
We Are Love
Tension is a Passing Note
Local News
Comments / 0