Farewell Angelina: Touring Is 'About the Crowd, Number One'

Country quartet Farewell Angelina spend a large portion of their time on the road. As a fan-oriented group, the band is constantly touring to bring their live shows directly to the people; they've taken tour vans across the country, playing to rowdy crowds at headlining shows, festivals and everywhere in between.

These experiences have taught Farewell Angelina -- who are currently out on the road for the second part of their Women and Wine Tour -- lessons that they're in turn working into future performances. For starters, says Andrea Young, "It’s about the crowd. Number one."

"If we didn’t fully understand that starting out, we know it now," Young tells The Boot. "We are literally there for them. If they’re quiet, it’s our job to make ‘em loud; if they’re feelin’ it, it’s our job to make them feel more.

"It’s a growth process onstage: You’re reading the room and figuring out where everybody’s at," Young adds, "and then you figure out how to take them to the next place."

Bandmate Ashley Gearing agrees: "They can make or break the show," she say.

Farewell Angelina take this mentality into every show they play. Though they step onstage with a setlist every time, they've been known to make quick changes to meet the crowd's mood. While they may have planned to play one of their original ballads, the audience may demand a raucous cover of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

"We’re never afraid to change our set on the spot," says Lisa Torres, "because we’ve learned that that matters."

Continues Gearing, "It also matters how intoxicated the crowd is. Sometimes that just fuels us even more."

That adaptability is key -- on- and offstage -- as it helps Farewell Angelina survive in the country music industry, as well as with the varying types of shows they play. They try to make every show a fun experience for both the fans and themselves, emphasizing making each night memorable and making connections that they can carry from tour to tour.

"Nicole [Witt] will pull random people onstage; we’ve made some of our lifelong fans that way," Gearing notes. "That’s what’s so great about country music: It’s that personable connection, and it’s fun. So when we can make those connections, I think it’s the best."

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