Four-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter John Paul White unites with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for an incredible, once in a lifetime performance.
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
John Paul White, a native of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is best recognized as one half of the Americana duo The Civil Wars. Known for his heart-wrenching songwriting, captivating vocal ability, and lush neotraditional instrumentation, White's collaboration with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra was an immediate eye-catcher. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) traces its roots back over 100 years to 1921 and has been a fixture in Birmingham's musical landscape since its rebirth in the 90s.
John Paul White and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra was scored by composer Scott O'Neil and was conducted by Dr. Daniel Stevens, who masterminded the event.
John Paul White 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
This performance was magnificent to watch. Personally, I've seen John Paul White perform multiple times, both with a full band and as a soloist, and his concerts are already a must see. The addition of a 50-member orchestra was the icing on top of the cake. White has a way of pulling in the audience with his delicate singing and poetry, he truly has one of the most beautiful singing voices I've ever heard live. White can swell with such monumental impact, draw back to a whispery, soft-spoken tone, and then hit high notes like you wouldn't believe.
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
The show started out with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra doing an instrumental interlude featuring John Paul's song "Call It Love". The song twirled and twisted, with a chaotic cascade of sounds that felt like a race. This immediately put the audience at the edge of their seat and John Paul White had yet to even hit the stage. White's appearance on stage was immediately felt, as he dove straight in with "I Wish I could Write You a Song". White and the ASO consistently felt like they were walking in tandem, from the gorgeous string-driven arrangement on "Hurting Kind" to the booming percussion on "The Good Ole Days", the two entities were blended perfectly by O'Neil's score.
John Paul White and The Alabama Symphony Orchestra 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
Closing out the first half of the performance, White tackled two songs solo on his acoustic guitar. While initially I was taken aback (he had a full orchestra behind him and chose perform solo?), it truly is magnificent to see him perform in the manor in a room built for acoustics. John Paul White can fill a room with his presence. After a brief intermission, White and the ASO returned to the stage. The second half of the performance greeted fans with multiple songs from The Civil Wars, including an unreleased track, "The Violent Hour", that had only ever been played twice before. Huge swells of the horn section, deep bass, and heavy percussion highlighted "Barton Hallow", which also featured a creative composition of strings that felt closer to low, guttural, gang vocals than any instrument.
John Paul White 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
Arguably my favorite piece of the night was "Hate the Way You Love Me", a song from John Paul White's 2016 solo album, Beulah. This song felt like an open field on a Spring day, with a delicate opening from the orchestra's xylophone giving way to a light tapping of the snare drum. The string section soon joined it, swirling around the percussion like a gentle breeze. It was awe-inspiring.
Setlist:
1. Call It Love (Alabama Symphony Orchestra orchestration)
2. I Wish I Could Write You a Song
3. The Long Way Home
4. The Hurting Kind
5. This Issn't Gonna End Well
6. This Life
7. The Good Ole Days
8. Black Leaf
9. Black Leaf (John Paul White solo)
10. No One Will Ever Love You (John Paul White solo)
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11. Alien
12. The Violent Hour (The Civil Wars song)
13. 20 Years (The Civil Wars song)
14. Barton Hallow (The Civil Wars song)
15. Hate the Way You Love Me
16. What's So
17. My Dreams Have All Come True
John Paul White 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
John Paul White has a handful of shows announced for this year, including a stop right here in Auburn at the Gogue Performing Arts Center. John Paul White's upcoming dates can be found below.
4/23 Tallahassee, FL — World of South: A Festival of Literature and Music 2023
4/28 Wilkesboro, NC — MerleFest 2023
4/29 Auburn, AL — Alabama Artists Festival 2023
5/10 New Orleans, LA — Chickie Wah Wah
5/11 Houston, TX — Coffee House Live @ St. Andrew's
5/12 Austin, TX — 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
8/21 Nashville, TN — Rodney Crowell's It Starts with a Song: 4 Days and Nights of Songwriting
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra's upcoming calendar can be found here.
John Paul White 4/6/2023 at The Alys Stephens Center | Dylan Basden Photography
This was easily one of the most incredible shows I've ever seen. O'Neil and Dr. Stevens crafted a perfect balance between cathartic, raging symphonies and soft, ethereal swoons. They captured the essence of John Paul White— staying perfectly in pace with him as they navigated through his extensive catalog. Even White himself was awestruck, often at a loss for words. It is unclear if a show like this one will ever happen again, but if it does, you cannot miss it.
