Eager butt shaking, enthusiastic guitar swinging and passionate, joint-hand clapping were just a few of Ron Pope’s unexpected body movements that excited the crowd when he performed at the High Noon Saloon Friday. I had the expectation that Pope would be a very low-key, full-of-slow-songs type of performer because he is best known for his heartbreakingly sweet love song “A Drop In The Ocean.”
In actuality, his performance was anything but expected. Most of Pope’s performance was high-energy and fast-paced. About halfway through his performance, though, all of this changed completely. He explained to the crowd that this crazier, let-loose side of him was only a part of the concert and transitioned into the start of the “second half” of his performance, a much slower and subdued part of the night. Pope’s balance between powerful, high-energy songs and soft, quiet love songs help to showcase his amazing ability to perform different roles as an artist.
The first part of Pope’s performance was intense as his voice blared through the microphone and he constantly moved around on the stage. Pope had an unexpectedly large band, which included five bandmates in addition to himself. The band members alone contributed to the high-energy performance as they crowded the stage. Pope often interacted with them throughout many of his songs. He would passionately run from one side of the stage to the other as he gathered closely with two of his other band mates and they would sing parts of the song together.
After performing his first few songs, Pope told the audience that if anyone knew the words to his songs, that they should scream them as loudly as possible. And the crowd did just that. When he performed “One Grain Of Sand,” the crowd was transfixed on him and a majority of people sang along to every word of the chorus. When he sang “October Trees,” his hands forcefully moved to the beat of the song and his body would twist as he really got into a specific melody. As the colors above him changed, Pope swayed his hips to the rhythm of the music and eagerly swung his guitar to the beat.
For the second part of Pope’s performance, Pope did a complete 360 on his audience. His band members took a break and it was only Pope and his guitar at the microphone. In this portion of the performance Pope showed a side of himself that he hadn’t shown before. As he performed “You’re The Reason I Come Home,” he stood on the stage solo, eyes closed, swaying ever so slightly to the music. Pope appeared to be in his own world, completely unaffected by the crowd around him. The crowd, feeding off Pope’s untroubled energy, quietly moved back and forth to his voice — very different from just minutes before when they had been screaming the lyrics to his songs.
Regardless of whether Pope was singing a crazy rock song or a sweet love song, he was able to completely captivate the audience. His passion for music cannot only be seen but also felt through his powerful performances. Pope’s dual dynamic only furthers his talent as an artist and exposes his ability to perform different roles. But more importantly, it showcases his ability to do this and still have an amazing connection with the audience.
