Concert Review: Wild Rivers pack The Ryman after a two-year hiatus

By: Dylan Basden

Wild Rivers make their Ryman debut with a sold-out weeknight concert, ending their near two-year hiatus from the Music City.

Since their first show in Nashville at The Basement, a tiny if-you-know-you-know club on the edge of town, in 2017, Wild Rivers have been quietly building a hardy fanbase. I first caught the band a few years ago at Drew Holcomb’s music festival in Chattanooga, acting as one of the opening bands for the day. Since then, the trio has flown under my radar, only to reappear with a Wednesday night sell out on the theatre circuit. Despite my ignorance, their following was fiercely loyal, lining up down the street for a seated show and packing out the house even ahead of their opener’s set.

Going into a show unfamiliar with a band’s music, let alone where they currently are in their career, can be a little nerve-inducing. It sets you up for either a disappointing night that could sour an otherwise good band or it leaves you enamored and wanting to hear more. This show was the latter, with the band’s rich harmonies, slick guitars, and unexpectedly groovy rhythm absolutely gripping me. I had this perception that Wild Rivers were just a Canadian folk band that made easy listening music, and while that may be true to an extent, they certainly expand beyond that.

Out in support of their new album, Never Better, as well as its upcoming sister album Better Now, the band seems to have hit a new stride. A trip to Joshua Tree has seen the band polish their sound to more resemble a modern take on 70’s folk-rock than their previous back catalog. Starting out their set swinging, “Never Better,” might deceive you with its absolutely catchy instrumentation, its bass line hooks you like an expert bass fisher, but the song uses this to coverup a rather complicated story of a situationship on the rocks.

Truth be told, the band actually thrives on their writing, and they’ll tell you this. Even in such a large venue, they add a touch of intimacy as they breakdown their songs between plays, adding stories and context for fans to dive into. “Everywhere I Go,” an intimate ballad headed by co-frontman Khalid Yassein, was surround by a story of his late grandfather, adding rich detail to an already poignant song. Individual lyrics had a habit of popping out of the song as details connected from the story to the performance. This was followed by an equally as poignant moment from the band’s other vocalist Devan Glover, who took lead on piano for “Backfire,” a swelling ballad that ultimately ended in an explosive guitar moment from Andrew Oliver and a cross-stage spin from Devan.

Wild Rivers also added to the experience with a fan vote leading up to the set, allowing fans to cast votes in favor of deep cuts, old tracks, and unreleased music in a special stripped-back acoustic section of the show. “Freezing,” an unreleased track off of Better Now, took the win, giving concert goers any early peak at the album set to be released on October 18th. 

This was a truly unexpected, but warmly welcomed, concert. Having not kept my eye on Wild Rivers for many years left, in retrospect, a pretty major gap in my musical knowledge. Despite this, I was amazed by their creativity and performance. This is a band who not only thrives in a live setting, but also has a clear love for their fans and a desire to provide a performance that would be memorable. I cannot recommend this show enough, especially for any fans of the modern folk-meets-soft-rock sound in the vein of Drew Holcomb, The Head and The Heart, and The Lumineers. Go see Wild Rivers.

View the full live gallery here.