Little Big Town fans traded costumes for cowboy boots and hats as they filled TD Garden on Halloween for the country band’s “Take Me Home” tour in celebration of the band’s 25th anniversary.
Little Big Town, a country band formed in 1999 consisting of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet, who all share the role of lead vocalist, recently released a “Greatest Hits” album earlier this year.
Accompanying Little Big Town on their tour are fellow country bands The Castellows and Sugarland.
The Castellows kicked the night off with a party — a Boston Tea Party, to be exact — as the sister trio donned blue American Revolution soldier costumes for their performance.
They played a mix of lively, upbeat songs along with slower, more sentimental tunes about their home in south Georgia that had me tapping my foot or swaying to each respective beat.
Sugarland opened their set with a sweet rendition of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” from the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” TV show.
Guitarist Kristian Bush came dressed as Mr. Rogers himself — wig included — while lead singer Jennifer Nettles sported a blue outfit and wings as X the Owl, one of the original puppets from “The Children’s Corner”, a 1955 children’s show written by Mr. Rogers.
Sugarland’s set was full of energy and charisma, especially with Nettles’ strong vocals leading the way.
The band played hits such as “Stay” and “Stuck Like Glue,” which were fun surprises for me because I instantly recognized the songs, but had no idea they were by Sugarland.
By the end of their set, Sugarland had the audience buzzing with excitement, singing, dancing and clapping along.
Finally, it was time for Little Big Town.
Fairchild, Schlapman, Westbrook and Sweet were raised up from under the stage and opened their show with a bass-boosted performance of “Bones” before continuing into “Little White Church,” which had the audience out of their seats early.
As the band members sang, I struggled to determine what their Halloween costumes were, but it turns out I had nothing to worry about, as Fairchild joked that she came dressed “as a plain old Karen.”
Little Big Town then eased into more mellow songs with performances of “Bring It On Home,” “Sober” and “Better Man”. In these, the instruments were not particularly loud and overwhelming, which I appreciated, as it allowed their voices to stand out and showcased their vocal harmonies.
However, the crowd appeared less interested, with people reclining back into their seats.
The band then switched back to their upbeat songs with electric renditions of “Looking For A Reason” and “Self Made.”
While I enjoyed these songs, I think placing them earlier in the set might have kept the audience more energized, as fans still lingered in their seats.
These two high energy songs were followed up with acoustic performances of “Silver And Gold” and “Rich Man.”
The acoustic set was the highlight of the whole show for me, with the band’s magical harmonies being a focal point of these songs. Despite the large venue, the performance felt intimate and authentic.
Little Big Town then reintroduced its accompanying band with a powerful cover of “Rocket Man” by Elton John — and one that I think John himself would approve of.
The energy of the concert reached a new level when Sugarland, who were dressed in inflatable bull costumes, joined Little Big Town on stage for covers of “Life in a Northern Town” by The Dream Academy and “Take Me Home,” the namesake of the tour, by Phil Collins.
Seeing Sugarland perform, followed by Little Big Town, was akin to getting two entrees for dinner, and watching the two bands perform together was like a dessert.
Little Big Town’s final two songs, “Girl Crush” and “Boondocks,” were lively and upbeat, culminating into the perfect way to close out the night.
Little Big Town was a treat to see live, much like getting a king size candy bar on Halloween night.
