Concert Review | Delta Rae and Greg Holden- After It All Tour

If there’s anything to be expected from folk rock group, Delta Rae, it’s that they are a powerhouse of beautiful voices and unique instruments. Joining heavy piano and percussion along with 4 voices has crafted a sound that will keep a buzz in your ears for moments on end. 

I got to experience Delta Rae for the third time live when they stopped in Nashville at City Winery. An energetic performance with surprises along each stop awaited for each audience. Greg Holden, another Warner Brothers artist, joined Delta Rae on the spring leg of their tour. Surprisingly, I had never heard of Holden, but he had his own fan base that came to hear him as well, due to the success of writing Phillip Phillips hit single “Home”. Holden’s set was a beautifully emotional one. He hadn’t performed in Nashville for almost five years and since then he had written a handful of meaningful songs that really hit home for several people in the crowd. His band just amazed me, especially his electric guitarist Alex, who put an impressive spin on Holden’s songs. 

This particular Nashville stop for Delta Rae featured Preston Wimberly from The Wild Feathers and a collaborative cover of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” with Greg Holden and his band. A few pop song mashups paired with their original songs also got the crowd roaring with excitement. The most notable moment in the evening is when Delta Rae set down most of their instruments and gathered around one mic to sing “Any Better Than This” with drummer Mike McKee on tambourine and bassist Grant Emerson on bass in the background. The acoustic nature bringing back the authenticity to which Delta Rae started, gave me, and I’m sure many other in the room, the goosebumps because of how much strong their voices sound together. Solos from frontman Ian Hölljes on Scared, and a few piano and vocal solos from Eric Hölljes also gave the good kind of chills. Brittany Hölljes and Liz Hopkins also belted out a gorgeous rendition of “Chandelier” by Sia during the encore. Delta Rae performed most of the songs on their new record, After It All, including “Outlaws”, “Bethlehem Steel”, and their hit singles “Run” and “Chasing Twisters”.

Overall, Delta Rae’s live performance is something that is memorable and will stand the test of time. The Durham, NC based group just wrapped up their spring leg of the After It All tour, and is currently headed to the United Kingdom for a short stint before they return to the US for their summer leg of the After It All tour. Delta Rae has a history of selling out rooms with the success of both their records, so I highly suggest jumping on getting a ticket as soon as they become available.