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Setlist
Tour Dates
Dec 15 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Dec 16 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA Dec 17 Lincoln Theatre Washington, DC Dec 19 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA Dec 20 Bijou Theatre Knoxville, TN Dec 21 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN Jan 7 Kids Helping Kids Folsom, CA Jan 8 Granada Theatre Santa Barbara, CA Jan 9 Kids Helping Kids Santa Barbara, CA Jan 22 Barter Theatre Abingdon, VA Jan 23 Iron City Birmingham, AL Jan 25 Murray Hill Theatre Jacksonville, FL Jan 26 Amaturo Theater Ft Lauderdale, FL Jan 28 Key West Theater Key West, FL Jan 29 Straz Center Tampa, FL Jan 30 Taps & Tunes Craft Beer Fort Myers, FL Jan 31 Cayamo Miami, FL Read More
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How much do husband-wife duo Johnnyswim love Christmas?
Enough to cut a holiday themed EP, and venture out on their second Christmas tour, playing nineteen December dates in just 21 days, and decorating the stage to look like you’re in their living room for a festive, friendly concert—that’s how much they love Christmas.
The Nashville pair (Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano) even dressed nattily for the occasion with Ramirez in a dark suit and bowtie and Sudano in a flowing black cross strap dress, with the rest of the band in mostly black, to counter the white fireplace and stockings hung in one corner of the stage with two large and two smaller trees and lights positioned around the group.
The performance was “an evening with” composed of two sets, and a mix of holiday standards interspersed with the band’s own originals. Things got started in the holiday spirit with a bevy of traditional classics, but then shifted mid-first set to originals like 2013’s ‘Don't Let It Get You Down’ and last year’s ‘You & I’ after which they introduced us all to “the newest member of the band”, their ten month-old son, Joaquin.
Seeing his son reminded Ramirez of their favorite song and the story of his proposing to Sudano in Paris, so a cover of ‘La Vie en Rose’ (with translated lyrics) was quickly swapped into the set list.
Drinking from red mugs, the pair then moved on to “not technically a Christmas song” but an off-mic version of ‘What Are You Doing New Years’ Eve’ as the hushed crowd watched.
Before first set-closing ‘Adelina’, Ramirez urged the audience to venture into the lobby, not to buy their merch, but to stop instead at the Food for the Hungry table to help sponsor a child in need.
The second set started with the New Years’ traditional song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as a sing-a-long and a medley of other holiday classics. Ramirez took over for most of a ramped up ‘Little Drummer Boy’, with Sudano bringing soul to the chorus of their modern adaptation of the song.
The defiant ‘Diamonds’ remains the band’s so-called “suck it song” then the duo jumped into the crowd for a rousing ‘Home’, lit only by crowd members’ cell phone lights and warmed by their clapping in time.
For the encore, the band never left the stage, eschewing the tradition of walking off then returning quickly; instead, Ramirez strapped on an electric guitar for their cover of the modern holiday classic, 1971’s ‘This Christmas’ by Donny Hathaway.
That song’s opening lyric reads, “Hang all the mistletoe, I'm gonna get to know you better this Christmas” and with this intimate holiday concert in their (pretend) living room, Johnnyswim did just that… all because they love Christmas.
Enough to cut a holiday themed EP, and venture out on their second Christmas tour, playing nineteen December dates in just 21 days, and decorating the stage to look like you’re in their living room for a festive, friendly concert—that’s how much they love Christmas.
The Nashville pair (Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano) even dressed nattily for the occasion with Ramirez in a dark suit and bowtie and Sudano in a flowing black cross strap dress, with the rest of the band in mostly black, to counter the white fireplace and stockings hung in one corner of the stage with two large and two smaller trees and lights positioned around the group.
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Joaquin |
Seeing his son reminded Ramirez of their favorite song and the story of his proposing to Sudano in Paris, so a cover of ‘La Vie en Rose’ (with translated lyrics) was quickly swapped into the set list.
Drinking from red mugs, the pair then moved on to “not technically a Christmas song” but an off-mic version of ‘What Are You Doing New Years’ Eve’ as the hushed crowd watched.
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The Band |
The second set started with the New Years’ traditional song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as a sing-a-long and a medley of other holiday classics. Ramirez took over for most of a ramped up ‘Little Drummer Boy’, with Sudano bringing soul to the chorus of their modern adaptation of the song.
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in audience |
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Setlist |
That song’s opening lyric reads, “Hang all the mistletoe, I'm gonna get to know you better this Christmas” and with this intimate holiday concert in their (pretend) living room, Johnnyswim did just that… all because they love Christmas.
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Johnnyswim at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (08 Dec 2015) |
