If you were walking down Baxter Avenue and happened to pass Baxter’s 942 around lunch time, you may have heard a familiar voice drifting through the windows and out into the street. No, your ears weren't deceiving you. That voice you heard was Nate Ruess of the rock band Fun., who dropped in for a special acoustic show with 100.5 MyRadio and 98.9 Radio Now.
Ruess stopped in for the special mini-show while apparently taking a short break from his tour supporting his debut solo album “Grand Romantic” here in Louisville.
He first took the stage with 98.9 Radio D.J. Kobi for a short interview. Ruess talked about shooting a round of golf in town that morning and not wanting to take a shot of Fireball (to which he had never before been introduced) because he was going for a jog that afternoon. (He ended up taking two shots of Fireball).
After that, the four-song acoustic mini-set took the audience through songs from Ruess’ solo album and hits from Fun.’s multi-platinum arsenal of infectious pop classics. From the solo album Ruess did stirring renditions of “Nothing Without Love” and “Great Big Storm.” The most surprising part of the show was when he played two of Fun.’s biggest hits, belting out “Carry On” and “We Are Young.”
Even at a noon performance with The Highlands sun beating down, Ruess’ croon holds up as the million-dollar voice that made adoring fans fall in love with his lovelorn ballads and explosive pop-hooks. And for the record, he still possesses the most theatrical falsetto this side of Freddy Mercury.
It was a great little show from a rock star who just seemed thankful to Louisville for granting him a little bit of solace from the road.
Photos by Evan Burkhead, provided by I Heart Media.
