Review: Parker Millsap Brings his Blues Folk Sound to Sacramento
A COUPLE OF ACOUSTIC GUITARS — a single electric guitar, a drum set, keyboards, and a bass crowded the small stage at Harlow’s Starlet Room in Sacramento. The small club hummed with the excited voices of old fans, while new ones brimmed with curiosity about the upcoming show. With every passing minute the bar transformed from a downtown rock club to a classic folksy country bar. As if it was meant to be assembled with directions, each piece of a great blues-folk show could be found in the bar — all Parker Millsap and his band had to do was put them together.
The opener for the evening, singer-songwriter Alexa Rose, warmed up the crowd nicely. Her lilting vocals over her impressive acoustic guitar made the solo set feel intimate rather than isolating. The crowd slowly moved forward, enticed by her jokes between sets and charming stage presence. As the crowd applauded and she left the stage, heads swiveled to catch a glimpse of the headliner.
Millsap entered the stage with a confident strum of his acoustic guitar. Backed by an incredible trio of musicians, Millsap and friends rocked the audience awake and sucked them into the blues-folk world of the band. Touring to support his new album, Wilderness Within You, Millsap opened the show with the opening track from the album and welcomed the audience.
Maintaining that upbeat tempo, the first third of the show was filled with a combination of new songs and fan-favorite classics. The show only slowed when Millsap paused to let the members of his band take a break.
Then alone onstage, the second portion of the evening was dedicated to a solo acoustic set from Millsap. A talented guitarist, he brought the audience into his nature-obsessed world with only his voice and a guitar. The highlight of his solo performance was the intricate guitar and genuine love for nature that could be heard on the title track for his new album, “Wilderness Within You.”
The final section of the show was the peak of the evening, as we saw both the band and Millsap completely come alive. The songs turned into jam-band explosions, with guitar, drums, and keyboards all getting solo moments to shine. Each member of the band made their presence known but melded with the others to create a fun, magnetic energy onstage. The audience was enthralled, watching and listening, attempting to keep up as each musician took over from the last to impress them in a new way.
While the final hits of the drums rang out behind him, Millsap thanked the audience for attending. As the crowd dissipated, the room slowly shifted from the folksy country bar, back into the rock club that the audience had entered at the beginning of the night.
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