Written by Bill Whiting
Photos by Bernice Whiting
Ryan Bingham’s March 27 appearance at the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio was in support of his outstanding 2012 disc, Tomorrowland. Opening with the aggressive, tightly grooving sounds of “Guess Who’s Knocking,” Bingham, a tall southwestern singer songwriter, had the audience immediately in the palm of his hands. With a raw scream, Bingham exuded a rock and roll star’s presence onstage as he launched into “Heart of Rhythm” off of Tomorrowland. Jumping back to 2010’s excellent long player, Junky Star, Bingham picked up an acoustic guitar, and strummed the chords to the elegaic ballad, “Hallelujah.”
A Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award winner for the song, “The Weary Kind,” Bingham connected to the enthusiastic throng at the Taft by serenading them sweetly with the Crazy Heart nugget. Tomorrowland’s “Flower Bomb” was performed in an intimate, hushed tone as Bingham thanked the Cincinnati faithful for coming out for a midweek concert. And, as he launched into the autobiographical number, “Western Shore,” Ryan Bingham pulled together the elements of his country folk rock material with stunning results to produce a magical and majesterial late March evening in Cincinnati. A concert for the ages.
