Music Review | Little Big Town at the Santa Barbara Bowl

Little Big Town kicked off their pop-country evening at the Santa Barbara Bowl side by side in the center of the stage, harmonizing straight into their 2005 banjo-backed banger “Boondocks.”

The boondocks might be home for the self-proclaimed “hillbilly” quartet, but most Santa Barbarans are probably far from familiar with rurality. Although they may not share the same muddy water running through their veins (as the song goes), Saturday’s crowd could feel the heart and soul in each harmony and every reverberation of plucked strings. It felt like a kind of homecoming for people who may have forgotten where their home was.

It was the Grammy Award–winning country band’s first time at the Bowl in their nearly 25 years together, and they were not afraid of getting sentimental under the stage’s neon lights. “This is a real special night for us,” vocalist Karen Fairchild said. Their openers, including the incredible folk artist Patty Griffin and country singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, contributed to the show being a “gift” for the band’s members.

In the midst of welcoming the crowd, Fairchild swallowed a gnat. She reassured everyone that she was fine and it wasn’t the first time she swallowed a bug, using the moment to make fun.

“Don’t worry,” she continued. “It’s dairy-free, gluten-free.”

“We’ve swallowed a lot of things,” chimed in her fellow vocalist, Kimberly Schlapman.

Fairchild added later that they had played a rodeo the night before, where some audience members had broken into fistfights. “You can get in a fight; it’ll be fine,” she jokingly permitted the crowd.

It was all to say that the Alabama natives are the real deal when it comes to rowdy, energetic melodies that sound like a party among tall grass, with solo cups full of wine and beer and liquor, highlighted by fireflies, and backdropped by the strumming of an acoustic guitar and the incessant sound of chirping cicadas (or maybe I’m embellishing too much).

Disappointingly, by the way, no one got into a fistfight at the Bowl. But the audience did mirror the band’s energy throughout the set. They were having genuine fun, and it was palpable.

The night took on a lighthearted atmosphere and the group’s witty and down-to-earth reflections between songs continuously proved to be almost as entertaining as the songs themselves. Their entire performance was, in the words of Fairchild, “just a big ol’ party,” mixed with a bit of sweetness, a little heartbreak, and some good ol’ country duets.

Little Big Town’s members — including Jimi Westbrook and Philip Sweet, in addition to Fairchild and Schlapman — grew up on gospel, bluegrass, and classic country harmonies. Formed in 1998 and together ever since, the group has built up a pop-influenced discography unrivaled in the country music scene. Their playful, upbeat spirit and vibey, party sound is unmatched. Think of a glamorous pop star mixed with a bluegrass banjo player, with a touch of Las Vegas, summer nights, and rock and roll.

Since their start, they’ve earned themselves multiple awards, the status of platinum artists, and a place on a Rolling Stones tribute album, which they proudly announced Saturday night. Their rendition of “Wild Horses” by the renowned English rock band gave the song a new originality and tune, to the delighted surprise of their Santa Barbara audience.

Out of everything, it was their own songwriting that particularly shone through every lyric, every catchy chorus, and every time their harmonies made the breath catch in my throat that night.

Whether it be empowering, like a song about fighting for “The Daughters,” or a party anthem about “Day Drinking,” or a tribute to “Wine, Beer, Whiskey,” the tracks they played were eclectic and interesting, and truly showed poeticism and skill.

“A lot of times you’re writing other people’s stories; a lot of times you’re writing your own stories,” Fairchild said. “Songwriting expresses things deep down inside.”