By Shelby Parker
Features Editor

There are many musicians who are great performers. They know how to work a crowd, say all of the right things in between songs, and have a big production that wows the audience with graphics, dancers and more. But, then there’s another kind of entertainer, one who doesn’t really need anything else, other than the power of a song, a good band and an indescribable connection between performer and fan. That’s the kind of entertainer Gavin DeGraw is.

DeGraw, who is currently on his “Make a Move” tour, played to a packed house at the Fox Theater on Sunday, April 27.

The musician kicked off the night with one of his latest hits, “Make a Move,” and immediately had the crowd on their feet, singing along to the “Ooo-ooh’s.”

“What’s up, Bakersfield?” he asked the crowd, as they responded with cheers and hollers, before launching into a round of several songs.

He commented to the crowd that their singing was “beautiful” during one of the slower ballads and would stop at certain points in the show to chat with everyone. It didn’t feel rehearsed, but more interactive. He wanted to tell a little about himself, because he thought some might not know. And others “know too much about me,” thanks to the internet, he added.

DeGraw then told the story of a time when he was around 15-years-old, he saw his idol, Billy Joel, in concert with his family. On the car ride home, he announced, “I think I know what I wanna do for a living-I think I wanna play music.”

His dad told him, “Then, that’s what you’ll do…You’ll be a musician.”

Flash forward to now, DeGraw will be opening for a few of Billy Joel’s shows in both Los Angeles and New York on various dates throughout the summer.

“If anyone out there is dreaming a dream that seems impossible, keep dreaming it. It’s happening for me right now, and it can happen for you, too,” DeGraw told the audience. He concluded his story with, “My sermon is over,” and went back to his piano to play.

Behind the piano, DeGraw seems to be in his element, but he never stopped moving for a second. It seems that his short time on Dancing with the Stars might have given him some pointers, as he bounced from one end of the stage to the other, always making eye contact with fans who were near the stage and grooving to the music.

Not only did DeGraw sing his most current hits, like “Best I Ever Had” and “Soldier,” he took it back a few years to some of his earlier songs such as, “I Don’t Wanna Be,” “Chariot,” and “Follow Through.”

Though I’d never seen him live, I had high expectations based on the feedback from past concert attendees. Not a negative word had I heard, and he exceeded all of those expectations.

It was refreshing to hear someone singing live and doing it well, especially with so much passion and love for the music.

DeGraw also brought along Parachute and Rozzi Crane as opening acts, and they didn’t disappoint.

Rozzi Crane is the first artist to be signed under Adam Levine’s, 222 records, and she easily has the vocals to prove that she is here to stay. With her R&B styling and Mariah Carey-esque notes, she has the makings of a star.

The other opening act, Parachute, did exactly what any opener is supposed to do: getting the people on their feet, pumped for the main event. Filled with energy, crowd interaction and good music, they couldn’t go wrong.

Both acts took the time to meet with fans after their sets, thanking the fans for coming out by signing autographs and taking pictures with as many as they could.

It was one of those shows that you never wanted to end, but alas it did. DeGraw stayed behind when the concert had finished, meeting and greeting with fans who surrounded the stage; taking selfies and taking the time to look fans in the eye to say “thank you.”

DeGraw’s motto seems to ring true, and that’s, “If you ain’t havin’ fun, we ain’t doin’ our job. It’s that simple…That simple.”