The Calling at the Gramercy Theatre

Alex Band

Alex Band started playing music live with a band called Generation Gap in 1996 in Los Angeles, California, then performed briefly with Next Door. A demo gained Band a recording contract, and so he had to form a touring band, which he named the Calling, a moniker which reflected the band's sense of purpose. The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go," which Band wrote as a teenager, topped Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart for 23 weeks, making it the second longest running number one in the chart’s history; Billboard later named it the number one song of the decade (2000-2010) on the Adult Pop chart. The song's accompanying album, Camino Palmero, sold more than five million copies worldwide and was certified gold in the United States. The band's second and most recent album, Two, was released in 2004 but did not sell as well; its lead single, "Our Lives," was featured in the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics and was the opening song of the 78th annual Academy Awards. The Calling disbanded in 2005. In 2013, Band reformed the Calling with new members. After only a few shows, the group broke up again. Band assembled a new line-up in 2016.

Billboard also named the Calling among its one-hit wonders of the 2000s. At the Gramercy Theatre, Alex Band and his hired musicians proved that they were barely a band, as the musicians several times seemed mystified by Band's impromptu leadership decisions. At one point, as the drummer was trying to sort out a technical difficulty, Band performed solo, but then Band walked off the stage as the band was about to start backing him. Moments like this proved that the Calling is Band and Band is the Calling, the one-hit wonder. Band sang with a smooth, distinctive voice, packed with hefty, brooding passion. The songs were built on commercial pop-rock melodies that seemed like they all could been cell-phone-waving anthems. A more collaborative group effort might have grounded the music and given the performance stronger legs to stand on.

Visit the Calling at www.thecallingmusic.com.

Setlist:

1. Adrienne
2. Our Lives
3. Could It Be Any Harder
4. Stand Up Now
5. Why Don't You and I (snippet)
6. Stigmatized
7. Waiting at Your Gate
8. Rain Down Love
9. Wherever You Will Go

Encore:

1. Disarm (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
2. Anything
3. With or Without You (U2 cover)