Emmet Swimming Beats Out the Rain at Brew Fest

Friday, June 24

Recommended Beverage to go with this show:
Otter Creek IPA—very hoppy with a sweet finish (much like emmet!)

Todd Watts really wanted a beer. After 40 minutes, the lead singer of Emmet Swimming hoped to sample at least one from a long list of microbreweries present at the Old Dominion Beer Festival this past weekend. But it began to drizzle and, given the ominous forecast, he and the band decided to play straight through the nearly two-hour set. And the weather mercifully held out.

The crowd was smaller than usual but some hardcore emmet fans were there, reveling in the beer and the Emmet. It was hard to do both simultaneously, though, as the sound was pretty muffled unless you were close to the stage. So, ClubD stayed near the stage but snuck away for “a beer vacation” during “Sunblock.”

Hardcore fans were rewarded with two rare gems from Emmet’s first album: “Blue Moon,” which rocked, and the ballad “Lose Yourself,” which takes on a whole new meaning after numerous microbrews. While much of the show featured up-tempo songs that spanned their four studio albums, two other ballads struck the perfect chord: “You’re So Pretty,” an anthem to a mysterious redhead from Fairfax, and “Guru,” the live-album version adapted from their last studio album.

Watts expressed appreciation, and awe, that fans stuck around to hear the band long after the taps had closed. The foursome came back for an encore of two of their most popular covers, Billy Bragg’s “Levi Stubb’s Tears” and The Police’s “So Lonely.”

Emmet Swimming will appear at the 930 Club on July 22.
See my earlier review of this band.