Maoli Brings Their "Country Reggae" Vibes to Detroit
Saturday night, Detroit showed up at the Majestic Theater to have a good time with Maoli on his Last Sip of Summer tour. Before this show, Maoli was a new band to me, and I was intrigued to see what this “reggae country” vibe was all about. Spoiler alert: I get the hype.
The opener, TJ Fevella, walked on stage with his cowboy hat and guitar and played some country covers for the room. Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan was one of the notable ones, with the fans singing along. Switching into Lose Control by Teddy Swims, the crowd was excited to hear another song they knew and loved, as Fevella let his vocals shine through. Playing an original song as his final song of the set, Fevella told the crowd that this one was about his home island of Maui, and he called out, “This one goes out to all the islanders,” before closing out his set and walking off stage.
When the lights went down once again, the room erupted with cheers as Maoli entered the stage. The lights began flashing, and the band began their set with their song “Country Boy,” which had everyone vibing along to the beat. The fans along the barrier were die-hard fans, all swinging their cowboy hats, swaying to the beat, and singing along to every word.
Everyone was having the time of their lives, from a group of older ladies singing and dancing with each other in the back of the room to men with big old cowboy hats and a little girl in cowboy boots on the shoulders of her dad. They were all singing along to every word. There was such a diverse group of fans making up this crowd, which attests to the fact that there is something in Maoli’s music for nearly everyone.
About two-thirds of the way through the set, a guitar battle ensued on the stage, with the band playing rock classics like Crazy Train, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Enter Sandman, Thunderstruck, etc. It was an unexpected switch-up from the reggae country we had been hearing all night, but it was a very welcome one. The energy in the room soared.
Frontman Glenn Awong, speaking to the crowd once more, tells everyone that he always gets asked if he sings reggae music or country music. And to that, he says, “I sing a bit of both,” using that as the perfect lead-in to their song “Country Reggae” with the lyrics “I’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit reggae; sometimes I listen to Marley while I sip on my whiskey.”
Another cover that was welcomed by the crowd was Maoli’s version of “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me” by The Bellamy Brothers. The set continued on before coming to a close with “Every Night Every Morning.”
With such a unique, unexpected blend of country and reggae music (with some rock elements sprinkled in), Maoli knows how to put on a show that anyone can enjoy, and the diversity in their crowd is proof of that.
