columbia: moonrunner and ha ha tonka

i had the privilege to see ha ha tonka friday with a bunch of friends and it was absolutely incredible. i missed them last time they were in town which means it had been quite some time since i'd seen them. but before i get too far ahead of myself, i'll start at the beginning.

it was a late show, not starting until nine-thirty so i took my time and arrived around ten. i had never heard of the first opener so i wasn't too disappointed in missing them, and the second opener, moonrunner, is a local columbia band in which i know a handful of the seven members. they've improved by leaps and bounds since i'd seen them last and i really enjoyed their set. i found some friends that i worked with two summers ago midway through the set and we chatted while we waited for tonka to set up. there was a great crowd there; every time i see them they have a bigger fan base which is really neat. the blue note is the biggest venue in columbia and they had it pretty filled. the crowd was absolutely wild by the time they started playing and i can't remember the last time i danced so much at a show. they played a good mix of new and old songs, and seemed so humble and appreciative. every person in the crowd was clapping, stomping their feet and singing along and it's no surprise they got called back for an encore. what was surprising though, was the second encore that the crowd absolutely insisted on. i've been to my fair share of shows and that was definitely a first. very cool.

it was really late by the time the show was over so i didn't stick around; i probably should at some point. i've seen them a dozen times and i have yet to really introduce myself. oh well.

www.hahatonkamusic.com