House concerts have become one of my favorite types of venues to see my favorite independent musicians play their music live.  They are extremely intimate and it gives the musician and their fans a chance to truly experience the music which also usually includes stories behind the songs.  House concerts have become a popular choice for musicians to pick up extra gigs while they’re on the road touring at various venues around the country.  For most independent musicians in a COVID world, house concerts have become their primary source of touring since many small venues around the country are still trying to reopen.

When I saw that my good friend, JD Eicher, was playing in the Philadelphia area, I knew I had to jump at the chance to see my first live show since before COVID hit.  Not only that, but I hadn’t seen JD play live in almost four years, so I was due.  Luckily he was playing a house concert that was open to the public.  

A few weeks before the show, I was tuning in to his weekly live stream, JDTV, and I wrote in the chat box that I was looking forward to finally seeing him live in a few weeks.  Immediately, fellow Patreons chimed in to say they’d see me there, one of which were the hosts of the house concert I’d be attending, Tracy and Norm Krobath.  I soon learned that the Krobath’s had their own house concert series, and this would be their first since before COVID.  As a fellow house concert host, I was looking forward to experiencing a house concert outside of my own house.

The minute we arrived, I knew this was going to be a great night.  Luckily the weather gods were in our favor and the show was able to be held in the Krobath’s backyard, which was the perfect setting for this kind of show.  Tracy, Norm, and Tess (their adorable, welcoming dog) were at the gate to their backyard ready to greet everyone who walked through.  After introductions, I saw JD and was able to finally give him a proper hug hello after so many months of only being able to see him online.  

After a half hour or so of mingling and meeting some new people, the music was finally set to start.  JD started the show with his song, “I’m Coming Home” from his most recent EP, Court Street.  It was the perfect way to start what was most of the audience’s first live show in a year and a half.  I’m not going to lie, I got a bit emotional while he played that first song.  Musicians and lovers of music have missed live shows and it was so refreshing to finally have it back in our lives again.

For 90 minutes JD played as much of his catalog as he was able to with the addition of some cover songs.  Each time he was ready to play a cover, he gave the audience a choice of two songs that we voted on by cheers and hand claps.  Cover songs that won included Coldplay’s “Yellow,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” and Cage the Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked.” Then JD added Paul Simon’s “The Obvious Child,” and Ray Charles’ version of “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”

To say that JD Eicher was on his A game would be an understatement.  Not only was his performance on point the entire night, but so was his humor, as always.  JD is an amazing musician, but he’s also a wonderful, kind, and funny human being.  My boyfriend went to this show with me not knowing anything about JD, and after watching his show live, he became a fan.  I’m a huge fan of JD’s music, but he’s also become a friend.  I’m pretty sure each one of his fans would say the same thing.  That’s just the kind of person he is.  He’s genuinely a great guy and has the talent to back it up, as well.

Another great part of attending a house concert is having the opportunity to meet new friends, and getting to talk to the artist afterward.  We ended up staying much later than we anticipated since we lost track of time chatting with JD, the Krobath’s, and some of the new friends we met, but it was well worth the late night.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, do yourself a favor and look up Krobath Concert Series on Facebook and give them a like!  Even if you don’t know the artist playing, odds are you’ll become a fan by the end of the night and I can guarantee you that you’ll have just as spectacular of an evening as we did thanks to JD Eicher and the Krobath’s!

Be sure to check out JD Eicher on his social media pages!

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