John Vincent III’s first time in Detroit

There was a special kind of excitement and anticipation swirling through El Club Friday night. This was Americana-folk singer John Vincent III’s first time in Detroit, and boy, were we so glad to finally have him. John’s music transports you to another place, one where you're sitting under the stars, on road trips with your friends, driving through the mountains—it feels like warm weather and a breath of fresh air. This was a welcome feeling on one of Michigan’s signature chilly spring days.

All the way from Glasgow, Scotland, Merdo Mitchell opened up the night with some acoustic indie-folk. He was just as talented as he was funny, making jokes about his song titles, being in America for the first time, and his CD he had for sale. One of my favorite songs from his set was “June in July,” which, in my opinion, was one of his strongest vocal performances of the evening. “Room No. 7,” as well as “Come On, Lucy,” were other tracks to note. Did he mention yet that they were on his CD?

The room erupted in cheers as the band walked on stage, followed by John Vincent III himself. With a smile and a nod to the crowd in front of him, he picked up his sparkly gold guitar and kicked off the set with “City Rain.”

It was exciting for me to see how many fans had shown up and knew every word to these songs, especially with it being John’s first time in the city. It just goes to show how far music can spread and impact people, even just through a screen. John seemed to recognize that, as he paused between songs to express his gratitude for the people who had shown up to this stop on The Road Trip Pt. 2 Tour, stating how excited he was to be playing in Detroit for the first time ever. After a fan yelled out, “No more skipping Detroit,” he promised that would not happen again and that he was definitely coming back!

For a handful of songs, the band exited the stage and allowed John to perform a handful of songs acoustically. One of the songs being “Mountain Sounds,” which is the second song that John ever wrote. Seeing the fans hold onto every word and sing them back to John, a decade after they had been written, was beautiful to watch. 

For the final song of the evening, drummer Noah Pope stepped out from behind his kit with a tambourine in hand to accompany John at the mic for “That’s Just The Way It Is, Babe.” Noah’s soft, sweet vocals were the perfect addition to the song, harmonizing with John during the choruses. This was easily my favorite moment of the show, and I couldn’t think of a better way to close out such a beautiful night.

If you’re new to John Vincent III’s music, I highly suggest you take a moment to check it out. John is such a sweet person, with an even sweeter voice, full of gratitude and love for those who support him. You can keep up with him on any of his socials down below, and even though The Road Trip Tour is coming to a close, you can catch him at one of his remaining shows throughout the remainder of the year.