Neon Hitch House of Blues November 10, 2014
Where to start with Neon Hitch? Let's start with her name. Neon Hitch is her government name. It's true; she showed me her passport. She is a gypsy raised on a bus after her home burned down May 25, 1986. Her dream at that young age was to have her name in lights, NEON in blinding neon.
Don't believe me? Watch this BBC documentary on her family. Neon is resilient. Neon is a survivor. Neon is going to be bigger than even she can ever imagine.
Her dream turned into a partial nightmare when she realized that her label was stymying her talents. What she decided to do from that point was something that my artists do not even think about doing. She chose to abandon her label and go out on her own. No songs, nothing except her freedom. Even more than that, she chose to start a label -- and not necessarily her label, but one controlled by her fans.
House of Blues' small Bronze Peacock Room was blessed by Neon's "Yard Sale Tour" on Monday night. The Londoner took the stage with a mild amount of Jameson flowing through her body as the lighting painted the band in a neon pink glow. A #NEON was laid out at the front of the stage.
She performed "Midnight Sun" with incredible passion, sitting on a drum placed on the middle of the stage by her tour manager and synth player, Ben McGehee. The slow, seductive and painful tune's talk of alcohol and empty of relationships drew Neon closer to her audience.
Her band worked impeccably together, from the drummer, Bear, to McGehee's consistently eyeing Neon to ensure she had the backing she desired. Jeremy "Mojo" Phipps played the trombone and served as the group's hype man. The talented performer also served as one of Neon's opening acts and had the room buzzing with his solo set. Keep an eye out for this humble young man.
The secret formula to her success may fall in part to the Coca-Cola one-piece bathing suit. Neon is stunningly beautiful, and rocked the cowboy boots and fishnets to complete the outfit (designed by her stylist, Nemo) that would make madam Edna Milton Chadwell of the infamous Chicken Ranch blush with pride.
The performance finished strong with "Yard Sale," and afterward Neon jumped into the crowd, embracing many in the audience before retiring to the green room. After the show she cooled down for a bit and then came to the merch table to sign CDs, ticket stubs, headscarves and chat with fans. She hula-hooped as only a gypsy could, with stuffed bear Nigel in one hand and a huge smile upon her face.
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