Marc Broussard Celebrated 20 Years of Carencro at 9:30 Club

Live Review

Live Review: Marc Broussard @ 9:30 Club — 3/2/24

marcshea2

March 8, 2024

Live Review: Marc Broussard @ 9:30 Club — 3/2/24 — Marc Broussard performs at 9:30 Club on March 2, 2024. (Photo by Marc Shea)

Louisiana “Bayou Soul” musician Marc Broussard is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his major label debut, Carencro. Part of the celebration is a tour where Marc and his band play the album in its entirety, along with some fan favorites from the rest of his catalog. The tour recently brought him to the 9:30 Club in DC .

But before Marc hit the 9:30 Club stage on March 2, Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers opened the show.

Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers have a fun energy. The music is highly influenced by the yacht rock marketing phenomenon. And you can tell the band members have a lot of fun. From a track suit with light-up sneakers to western to just overalls and more, each member was sporting a different look that matched the feel of the band’s sound.

When Marc Broussard and his band entered the stage, they came out with a ton of energy. The band is made up of Marc Broussard on guitar and vocals, Bobby Schneck, Jr. on guitar and lap steel, Terry Scott, Jr. on drums, Devin Kerrigan on bass, Jason Parfait on keyboards and saxophone, and Joe Stark on guitar.

Marc grabbed his acoustic and then broke the mic stand in half! It literally split into two pieces. After the mic stand was replaced, Marc explained what the show was about. He said the band would be playing Carencro in its entirety, including a hidden track at the end of the album, with other songs sprinkled in. They opened the show with “Hope For Me Yet.”

Watch Marc Broussard perform “Hope for Me Yet” live at the Print Shop on YouTube:

One of the best parts of the show was the beautiful energy of the show. There was a ton of it coming from the band but it was reflected in the audience. There were so many people dancing and just about everyone was singing along with the band on every song. One of the highlights happened when they broke into James Brown’s “Sex Machine” in the middle of the set!

In between songs, Marc would tell stories of some of the song’s origins. One of the stories was about a song called “Gavin’s Song.” That’s the hidden track on Carencro and it’s about his son. Marc said he wrote the song when his son was a baby and he was glad he wrote it then. Writing it now would have made it an entirely different song, he said as only a father can. As far as I can remember, this may be the first time I’ve ever been to a concert where the artist played the hidden track from one of their albums!

As the night wore on, the band kept the energy up and the good times going. You can tell Marc and the band have all been doing this for a long time. They were able to exude energy without running all over the stage. That’s not their style. Plus, with six band members on stage, it can get a little crowded.

In the last half of the show, Marc did something that I thought was immensely generous. He showcased songs that were written by two of the band members. Right after the song “Easy To Love,” Marc introduced Bobby Schneck, Jr. and his song, “Come Sundown.” Immediately after that came the song “Tambourine” by Joe Stark.

The set lasted 15 songs and included a rousing version of my favorite song from Carencro, “Rocksteady.” And even though the song is a pretty rocking song on the album, the live version brings a little more muscle to it. After finishing the set with one of his first singles, “Home,” Marc and the band left for a minute before reemerging for the encore.

Check out the official music video for “Home” by Marc Broussard on YouTube:

After thanking the crowd for getting into the show and reflecting back all the energy the band put out, they played a two-song encore before wrapping up for the night. It was such an enjoyable show and perfect for all ages. There were adults and kids alike in the crowd and everyone was dancing and singing the entire time. As the crowd shuffled out of the club, all I could hear were rave reviews. And I agree with them. The next time Marc Broussard comes to town, I will definitely be there.