Ryan Bingham | Chautauqua Theater | Boulder, CO | Review

Article Contributed by Allison Duff | Published on Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Ryan Bingham has a musical style beyond his years.  Without looking, you'd think a weathered, country veteran was on stage strumming that guitar, with his gruff voice and the hard life he sings about.  Much to the contrary, he is a young, incredibly sexy musician. Bingham is not only a skilled lyricist with a voice made for country-folk music, he's also a master on the guitar.  Props to the roadie; Bingham switched guitars like a sorority girl switches purses:  almost every song required a new one.  And it's not just rhythm, Bingham jams out on his guitar of choice, and plays the slide too, soothing the crowd into the ultimate music mood - at peace, in tune, hanging onto every chord, every word.Ryan Bingham is best known to the non-fan for his work on the "Crazy Heart" soundtrack starring Jeff Bridges, for which he won a grammy for the song "Weary Kind."  He's a singer-songwriter with country-folk influences.  And, on this night, he was backed by his ever-talented backup band:  The Dead Horses.The Chautauqua Theater in Boulder was the perfect spot to see Bingham; airy and more than a century old.  It felt like the songs rang through the rafters filled with the ghosts of concerts past.  "The Weary Kind" to "Southside of Heaven," the music echoed through the ceiling of the old barn.The crowd was impressive.  The auditorium seats about 1300, and every seat was full.  This is truly a *theater, so the show started with every soul sitting, that is, until Ryan told everyone this is a "ho-down" and to get up and stomp your feet, I was thankful he changed the tone.  I was also thankful for the diversity of the fans in attendance.  There were small children dancing in sun dresses, gray-haired men in Hawaiian shirts, mid-twenties men in flannel, and young women swooning over the dreamy, but married frontman.I've seen him before, I'll see him again. Ryan Bingham is a talented singer-songwriter:  relatable, unique and did I mention beautiful?Highlights for me:  "Depression," "Day is Done, "Tell My Mother I Miss her So," and the moment he took his cowboy hat off in the encore so you could see his face.