Lee DeWyze Summer feat Corey Crowder – REVIEW

On the Lee DeWyze Summer Tour feat Corey Crowder, they came to Davis Park in Rockford, Illinois. You can check out our review after the break.

As I walked up to Davis Park in downtown Rockford, IL, I wasn’t surprised that the concert we were going to was outside. What time of the year is better for an outdoor concert than late June? I don’t think there is a better time. Davis Park was right next to the Rock River and there were people sitting in boats waiting to watch the concert. Not a bad idea, right? You get to see some great live music for free!

Once we got inside, we saw a swarm of people rushing over to a gated walkway backstage. I now knew that Lee DeWyze was in the building. It was also apparent how crazy the crowd was going to be during his set and they didn’t disappoint!

Lee’s supporting act, Corey Crowder, took the stage and the crowd seemed intrigued to hear what Corey would sound like. I was impressed with the range of songs he played, which included a nice mix of Country and Blue Grass.  In the middle of his set, Corey played a song about the people who are not talked about everyday (like firemen, policemen, etc.) and he dedicated it to his brother who risks his life every day as a fireman. This song really helped Corey connect with the crowd on an emotional level. Plus, the song was quite good. He also urged the crowd to @reply him on Twitter with a pictures of him on stage and they would receive a free poster from his merch table after the set. After his set there were about 50 people in line for his autograph, so this method seemed to work well for him.

After about a 30 minute intermission, it was time for Lee DeWyze to take the stage just as the sunset. A DJ from 97ZOK took the stage first to introduce last year’s American Idol winner. The crowd went wild when he took the stage with his keyboardist and percussionist. Lee started his set by informing the crowd that some of his family was in fact in the audience (Rockford is only about an hour from his hometown of Mount Prospect) and he said that his other family was in the audience as well (which of course meant his fans). After a few songs, just like many audience members do, I started to think about who he reminded me of and after some thinking it clicked. He definitely reminds me of a more stripped down Kings of Leon and a more raw John Mayer. Actually, later in his set he played a cover of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody”, which really got the crowd singing along. He also played a few songs from his ‘before American Idol’ albums, including “Annabelle” and “Stay”. Of course, he played a bunch of songs off his debut album, Live It Up, including my personal favorite “Brooklyn Bridge”. At the end of his set, he decided not to fake a encore, like most artists do, and decided to just start his last song. He started playing and the crowd knew the song right away and started to sing along to his rendition of “Hallelujah”, which he also performed when he reached the Top 3 of American Idol.

Information about the review…
Tour: Lee DeWyze Summer Tour feat Corey Crowder
Artists: Lee DeWyze (RCA) and Corey Crowder (Tooth & Nail)
Date: June 25, 2011
Venue: Davis Park in Rockford, IL