On Friday, June 1st, Spafford headlined the 2018 Purple Hatter’s Ball, delivering a multi-faceted set that ranged from signature rock jams to remarkably heartfelt ballads. The band’s lengthy seven-song set opened with an impressive take on John Hiatt‘s “Memphis In The Meantime” and featured fan-favorite originals like “Ain’t That Wrong”, “Todd’s Totts”, “The Remedy”, and “America”. After the fiery performance, the Arizona quartet returned to the amphitheater stage for a moving two-song encore.
First, the band slid into their cover of Van Morrison‘s “Into The Mystic”, the crowd swaying along to Andrew “Red” Johnson‘s vocals. Without missing a beat, Spafford flowed into “The Reprise”, building to a sky-high jam to bring their headlining set to a close. Watch Spafford’s “Into The Mystic” > “The Reprise” encore from Purple Hatter’s Ball below:
Spafford – “Into The Mystic” (Van Morrison cover) > “The Reprise”
It was no surprise Spafford delivered such an amazing set, as the Spirit Of The Suwannee hosts this annual event for a truly inspiring cause. Promoter Paul Levine founded the Purple Hatter’s Ball as a loving memorial the life of a fallen friend of the music scene, Rachel Morningstar Hoffman. Though her life was cut short due to a tragic entanglement with law enforcement and the remnants of the War on Drugs, her family has used her untimely death as a rallying cry to fight unfair police tactics across the nation.
All the performances over the weekend from Spafford to bands like Lettuce, Breaking Biscuits, Toubab Krewe, Roosevelt Collier, Southern Avenue, Hive Mind, and the rest had a common factor: Each band was dead set on honoring the life and sacrifice that had brought them all together. You can learn more about the life and death of Rachel and donate to help keep her memory alive at the Rachel Morningstar Foundation here.
For a full list of Spafford’s upcoming performances, head to the band’s website.
Setlist: Spafford | Purple Hatter’s Ball | Live Oak, FL | 6/1/18
Set I: Memphis in the Meantime* > People, Ain’t That Wrong, Todd’s Tots, Lonely, The Remedy > America
Encore: Into the Mystic** > The Reprise
Notes:*John Hiatt, **Van Morrison