Hot Chelle Rae performed a 75 minute set on the Comcast Arena stage at the Big E
Pop group Hot Chelle Rae performed at the Big E on Friday night.REVIEW
WEST SPRINGFIELD -- It may seem to some that country music is the default genre at the Big E each season and while it does play prominently on the annual fair’s concert stages there has been a solid history of rock bands (Foghat, Black Crowes, Bret Michaels), pop bands (Fergie, Boyz II Men) and alternative groups like Owl City.
This year it was pop rock group Hot Chelle Rae carrying the torch for the non-country portion of the fair, performing a 75 minute set on the Comcast Arena Stage on Friday night. Thousands streamed in for the free performance, filling the floor seats and much of the center bleachers.
The Nashville-based quartet (lead vocals, guitar, bass, and drums) is led by Ryan Follese who appeared on the stage in a white tuxedo jacket and black bow tie singing “Beautiful Freaks.”
The group didn’t take long to light into one of their signature hits, kicking out “Tonight, Tonight,” to the delight of the crowd who seemed bent on out-singing the band on nearly every song.
“The ‘E’ in Big E must stand for energy,” Follese would later quip, impressed by the response his band received from the locals.
The song was infused with a snippet of the theme song from Will Smith’s “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” sitcom.
After introducing the band, Follese led the charge on a cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” followed by “Wish,” a song only released in Japan, and “Why Don’t You Love Me,” a song the group recorded with Demi Lovato.
The acoustic guitars came out and Follese and guitarist Nash Overstreet reprised a new song “Alright” which will be part of an upcoming album release, and the humorous “Emo” which Follese suggested was about the earliest incarnation of the band.
He suggested the crowd offer up “three fingers” as a salute to the song “Whatever” and followed up with the single “Honestly.”
The finish, a run through “I Like It Like That” featured Follese tossing some t-shirts out to the crowd while also inviting up a group of fans to help on the rap portion of the song.
Westfield’s own Katherine Kalill opened the festivities with a stirring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”