Photos: Country in the City with Jamestown Revival and Shelby Lynne

Jamestown Revival have been on the road all year, touring behind their debut full length.

With stops at Bonnaroo and other big festivals under their belt, it was time the adopted Angelenos (native Texans) brought the show back home.

Instead of being road weary, they seemed thrilled to be on stage and their energy was contagious.

There were a bunch of fans in the crowd singing along to every word as they tore through favorites from the album — “Revival” and “Golden Age” among them — and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “On the Bayou”, all leading up to the finale of “California“, which sounded extra sweet on a grassy lawn, under a perfect blue sky with temps in the low 70s and a cool breeze.

It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day and it was hard not to have a moment of pride about where we live as the song played out and you took it all in — kids running around, blankets and picnics spread out, lots of smiling faces, and so much more.

Immediately after they got off stage, we introduced the duo behind the band — Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance — to Shelby Lynne who embraced them and told them how much she loved their album.

Shelby, dressed all in white, commands every situation she is a part of. She is a force and everyone seems in awe of her.

She’s been in the studio working on new material (recording in Louisiana and putting the finishing touches on it in LA for an early 2015 release) and hadn’t played LA in a bit, so it was a very welcome visit for her fans.

When she visited MBE on Friday for a live set, she mentioned that she got the masters for “I Am Shelby Lynne” back and will be re-releasing it this October.

She played the entire record Saturday night which, for longtime fans like me, was an incredible treat.

There’s a reason that album catapulted her to fame — every single song is excellent and there were a lot of singalongs happening. She also played the b-sides that will be included in the re-release,”She Knows”, “Wind” and “Should Have Been“.

She had the crowd wrapped around her finger for the entire show and brought out the Jamestown boys for the final song, a cover of Neil Young’s “Are You Ready for the Country”.

When Jason asked Shelby where she thought she fit in the country canon, her response was “the misfit section.” And what makes her so special is the combination of that misfit side with the pure truth she speaks in her songs — pain, heartbreak and the like. It’s not always pretty, but it sure sounds good.

Host Chris Douridas opened the show with an eclectic DJ set ranging from James Brown, Chet Atkins and The Ventures to next week’s Country in the City opener, Nikki Lane.

The show is free with RSVP and the last in the series. The Annenberg Space for Photography will be open late so you can check out their excellent exhibit “Country: Portraits of an American Sound“.

Jamestown Revival – Band Members

Jonathan Clay GUITAR

Zach Chance PIANO

Ed Benrock DRUMS

Nick Bearden BASS

Brad Lindsey GUITAR

Shelby Lynne – Band Members:

Shelby Lynne Vocals+Guitar

Ben Peeler Guitars

Ed Maxwell Bass

Brendan Buckley Drums

Chris Joyner Keyboard

Sally Dworsky Backup Vocals/Guitar

Lisa Donnelly Backup Vocals/Guitar

Shelby Lynne by Jeremiah Garcia