The Head and the Heart
The Fillmore
June 11, 2014

As the final notes from "Rivers and Roads" dissipated into the air of the sold-out Fillmore, the lights dimmed and The Head and the Heart's crew prepared the stage for a scheduled four-song encore. As the crowd cheered and broke into chants of "one more song!" the minutes ticked by. After roughly 10 minutes, the lights came on and a Fillmore employee took to the stage and informed the crowd the show was over. A few boos were heard as nearly 2,000 attendees shuffled out of the N.C. Music Factory venue.

On Twitter and Facebook, fans expressed their displeasure saying they were "bummed" and disappointed. The band took to social media:

Charlotte- please read this about our show tonight. We are so sorry to have been shutdown. We had many songs left. pic.twitter.com/aRthTnkGrg
- The Head & The Heart (@headandtheheart) June 12, 2014

Rumors quickly spread that there was a bomb threat and people blamed the venue for not doing more. If the rumors are true, why blame the venue for ending a show and getting people out of the venue? Did patrons want them to "yell fire" and get people to panic and run? Fans should instead be blaming the person who made the threat for ending the show early.

The Fillmore, on Thursday morning, issued the following statement:

"After the band's final song, an apparently intoxicated individual on our property outside the venue claimed he had put a bomb on the property. Charlotte police apprehended the individual, deemed the threat non-reliable but nonetheless, in the interest of safety, a decision was made to end the show without an encore."

If the show had continued, The Head and the Heart was scheduled to play a new song, "Springtime," "Summertime," "Let's Be Still" and "Down in the Valley." As it stands, fans were left a bit confused and dispirited.

It was a strange ending to a night that had a rocky start. Opening act Valerie June was delayed at the airport due to weather and her scheduled 45-minute set from 8-8:45 p.m. instead went from 8:30-9 p.m. The Head and the Heart then took the stage at its scheduled 9:15 p.m. set time, only without founding member Josiah Johnson.

Violinist/singer Charity Rose Thielen only told the crowd he was "injured" the night before and was unable to perform on this night. That all did little to dampen the energy of the performance as the group kicked things off with "Shake." While the evening lacked some of the usual dual-male harmonies, Thielen did her part to pick up the slack alongside guitarist/singer Jonathan Russell.

The night's biggest singalong came during "Lost In My Mind" as the crowd collectively shouted to the rafters. During "My Friends," Russell noted that the band wouldn't be able to do three-part harmony and asked for more audience participation in filling the void.

After closing with the slow and sentimental "Rivers and Roads," the audience cheered in anticipation of more, but, well, we know how that ended.

All in all, the Seattle-based band did the best they could while missing a key member and in dealing with unusual circumstances that ended the show early. When did encores become such an expectation instead of a treat anyway? Fans should be content with the outstanding performance of 13 songs by a short-handed band instead of being disappointed in the three or four they didn't get to hear. Now they get to look forward to a double-encore the next time around, too.

Setlist
Shake
Homecoming Heroes
Coeur d'Alene
Ghosts
Cruel
Lost in My Mind
Winter Song
Another Story
My Friends
10,000 Weight in Gold
Gone
Sounds Like Hallelujah
Rivers and Roads