Ella Langley Leaves Springfield Wanting More
Some might say seeing the same artist 3 times in 3 different cities in one year is excessive. These people do not know true happiness. I’ve seen Ella Langley crush it at Joe’s on Weed in Chicago in September, I’m going to see her again at Red Rocks in Colorado in August, and she absolutely stunned in Springfield, Illinois. There is a reason why I follow this girl around the country and that’s because she puts on a damn good performance.
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Not only have I paid to see her multiple times a year, but I splurged for meet and greets as well. Ella came out in sweatpants, comfy shoes, and a zip-up hoodie. She’s just as amazing stripped down, natural face, in athleisure as she is full band, full face of makeup, and full wardrobe. She performed 2 acoustic songs and answered fan questions. Knowing she’s an animal lover, I asked her what we should name our new black lab mix. Her response was Bo. Simple. We named him Colt, but he does look like a Bo. Her dog Gru ran wild through the crowd and got all the pets. She did not meet with fans individually like she normally does due to illness. You could tell the poor girl was hurting, so while it’s slightly disappointing we didn’t get a true meet and greet, I still appreciate that she came out at all. Along with the preshow acoustic set, fans who paid for the meet and greet got Ella tote bags, guitar picks, and VIP laminates.
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Carter Faith opened for this set of shows with Ella. Carter looked angelic with her blonde hair and while long sleeve, lace maxi dress and spotlight. She opened with unreleased “Bar Star” which was my personal favorite of the evening. She might look like an angel, but she’s got some sass and displays it in fan favorite unreleased “Grudge.” Rather than packing her set with songs and covers, I love that she sang all original songs like “Strong Stuff” and “Lasso’ and told a few stories. She closed with “Greener Pastures.” She’s an artist that can pull off playing solo in a rowdy venue where nobody knows your name.
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Ella game out singing “Weren’t for the Wind” in a long black fur coat which she shed to reveal a sheer flowing black shoulder cover and black leather pants and heeled boots. Her outfits scream Stevie Nicks. She cleaned up nicely for being in sweatpants and sneakers during the meet and greet. I love her fashion sense. Clearly every other girl in the crowd did too because they were all wearing the same Amazon sheer black long sleeve top. I’m sure you can type that description into Google and see what I’m talking about. Ella played all 4 bonus tracks from her deluxe album “Still Hungover.” She was strutting the stage like the Energizer Bunny. She kept crowd favorites like “Nicotine,” “Hungover,” and “Love You Tonight” in the setlist from the original album. Other than some raspiness in her speaking voice, you could not tell this girl was sick.
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She played a venerable rendition of “If You Have To” and then brought Carter Faith back out for an acoustic version of “Cowboy Friends.” They looked like yin and yang on stage with their outfits. The crowd was louder than they were, which was amazing for a deep cut. She sang her version of “you look like you love me” with the original verse. “That’s Why We Fight” might not be my favorite song, but it’s my favorite to see live because of how she interacts with her band during it. She puts her heart and soul into her movements. It’s mesmerizing. She closed with “Paint the Town Blue” which is the exact opposite of how the crowd was feeling after the show. Even though her set has a lot of sad songs, you’re never going to leave an Ella show sad… except maybe if she reveals she’s dating Riley Green and they’re both off the market.
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It’s been incredible to watch Ella’s rise. I hear more people singing her songs in the crowd at each show. If you’re lucky, you have tickets to a show on her sold out “Weren’t for the Wind” Tour, or you can catch her opening for Riley Green this summer.
