Spafford Shares 30-Minute "America", "Hollywood" > "The Reprise" From Tempe Closer [Watch]

Last month saw Spafford return to the stage with a two-night run of pod concerts at The Marquee Backyard in Tempe, AZ. The shows had been delayed nearly four months and were originally intended as a New Year’s Eve run, but were ultimately pushed out of an abundance of caution. On Wednesday, Spafford shared the encore of “America”, “Hollywood” > “The Reprise” from the second of two April performances in Tempe.

After two straight nights of music, one wouldn’t blame the band for dishing out a quick encore before calling it a night. Instead, Spafford—who hadn’t played before a live audience since 5/4/20—savored every moment back on stage and delivered a 30-minute encore, celebrating the return of live music and the band’s own return to the stage.

Beginning with the headbanging riff of “America”, Spafford built upon the tradition of high-energy improvisation that had permeated throughout the night. After a lean jam, the band nearly stopped on a dime and dropped into the laid-back melody of “Hollywood”, displaying the versatility that made Spafford a band to watch years ago.

With drummer Nick Tkachyk providing some first-rate whistling and Andrew “Red” Johnson leading the way with sublime piano passages, the stage was set as guitarist Brian Moss worked himself into a frenzy ahead of the transition into “The Reprise”. Spafford then left fans on a roar rather than a whimper with a lengthy jam that built to a fiery crescendo to close the show.

Watch Spafford encore with “America”, “Hollywood” > “The Reprise” from the band’s second of two shows at The Marquee Backyard in Tempe last month.

Spafford – “America”, “Hollywood” > “The Reprise” – Tempe, AZ – 4/21/21

[Video: SpaffordMusic]