Imagine a beautiful man, clad in a red shirt as silky as his stellar dance moves. Now give him one, long, dangling gold earring. Now give him a pompadour-mohawk. Finish him off with a mega-watt style. You have: JC Brooks.
Far from being an aloof beauty, JC Brooks immediately drew the crowd into the spectacle with warm words of welcome and guttural hoooooowls under an illuminated moon that evoked his new album. JC and his fabulous band of five played a solid set of two hours to a crowd that loved every second of it. They kept things visually pleasing with varied backdrops that ranged from naked body parts (JC Brooks quote: “can we get more titty on the center screen?”) to astronauts in space. If there was a theme, we sadly failed to grasp it. But enjoyed it nonetheless.
I had seen JC Brooks several times before, but as a newcomer to the artist, Halley was struck by the balance Brooks naturally exhibited between fun-loving and real-talking. The man’s most poignant songs spoke to the sadness we all feel. And his willingness to call it as it is was something that sets his act apart.