The Violent Femmes ‘Grasp and Reach for a Leg of Hope’ in Maine
By Savanna Pettengill
The Violent Femmes played a much anticipated extended set to a sold-out State Theater on Wednesday night in their fifth show of their Grasp and Reach for a Leg of Hope Tour of the north and northeastern United States.
The eager and excited crowd made their way into the sounds of a track titled “Unknown”, created specifically for them to walk into, followed by “Prove My Love”. The elation evolved with each song throughout the night. A sea of voices got louder and louder with each song, accompanying members in singing along with the band’s unforgettable catalog. Singer, guitarist, mandolin and violin player Gordon Gano led the stage with bandmates bassist Brian Ritchie playing an acoustic fretless Earthwood Ernie Ball bass and drummer John Sparrow on his iconic BBQ grill drum kit, and contrabass saxophone player Blaise Garza, who also played a variety of instruments throughout the night. Cajon player and backing vocalist Mike Kasperzk also joined the show.
Songs included Gano’s violin stylings to “Jesus Walking on the Water” and the crowd rattling the floors while dancing to “Blister in the Sun”, “Kiss Off”, and the set was ending with Ritchie moving to marimba for “Gone Daddy Gone”, followed by “Add it Up” to wrap it up.
An encore featuring “Betrayal” followed by their beloved hit “American Music” fully ended the evening, leaving fans surely beaming for days after.
The band will play in Chicago on October 17th, before ending the tour in Milwaukee on October 18th.
