Ian Moore at the Blue Door in OKC? Heck yeah. Count me in.
With that said, I really didn’t know what to expect. Certainly, what was experienced was beyond the realm of my expectations anyway and anyhow.
I had initially expected this to be a full band show. I was wrong in assuming so. Rather, this was billed as the Ian Moore Duo and even more unexpected, a Christmas themed show. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of “seasonally themed shows” in general, so although my wife was really excited about the show, I was a bit more dubious. Boy, was I wrong.
Moore has been doing this small run of December Christmas shows for several years, with The Blue Door a constant stop along the way. After a brief, playful argument about how many years, (it was the ninth) owner Greg Johnson welcomed Moore to the stage. Many in the audience were veterans of many of the past holiday shows, which Moore was quick to acknowledge. It is, after all a very small, intimate room. Joining Moore to complete the duo was multi-instrumentalist Kullen Fox, who also tours with Charley Crockett. Fox provided the keys, trumpet, xylophone and more, while Moore handled acoustic guitar and the occasional kick drum. It was a wonderful, warm, casual night of music. In fact, there was only one Christmas song played, “It Just Don’t Seem Like Christmas”. So, take that expectations!
Instead, Moore played songs from various stops of his vast, prolific catalog, and even took requests along the way. Highlights included, “Angeline”, “New Day”, and an absolutely stunning version of “Muddy Jesus”. Moore is also quite an entertaining storyteller, regaling us with tales of his time on the “Sling Blade” movie set, and the premier party. Highlights of this tale included Harry Dean Stanton, alcohol and getting punched by one of the Monkees. Keeping with the intimate theme, Moore and Fox even ventured into the crowd for a song, and provided a classic Susannah Clark joke. It’s really a show to be experienced first hand, as my words fail to do it the accolades it deserves. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until next December to catch it, as the short tour concluded the following night.
But, Ian Moore does tour with his full band throughout the year, and more information can be found here: https://www.ianmoore.com/ See our earlier interview with Ian Moore here: Interview: Ian Moore Talks New Release “Toronto,” “Sling Blade,” and SMASH Musicians’ Healthcare For our interview with Greg Johnson of the Blue Door, click here: Interview: Greg Johnson of OKC’s Blue Door — on the Evolution of the Best Listening Room in Oklahoma
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