Eli Young Band has been hitting the music charts since 2011, and on Jan. 12, they made their way to Baton Rouge at the Varsity Theatre. As a country band that started as college students at the University of North Texas in Denton, it’s able to give a twist on the usual Baton Rouge music scene.
“Baton Rouge has been a place on our radar for a long time, and we always try to come at least once a year,” bassist Jon Jones said. “Baton Rouge was in the further reaches of where we could go and make fans who didn’t care that we weren’t on mainstream country radio, and they just liked to listen to live music and the Varsity is one of our favorite venues.”
Eli Young Band has played at many venues for a variety of people, but the band prefers a college crowd, guitarist James Young said.
“We identify with the college crowd really well,” Jones said. “Even though college was a while ago for us, we never stopped playing music together.”
The band loves interacting with the college crowds. They started off playing shows at their own college, so they always find a way to relate to their younger audiences.
“It’s not like we’re trying to relive our college days,” Jones said, “but we can feel a kindred spirit what everyone is currently living in the crowd.”
Eli Young Band performs whatever the crowd prefers — it knows how to work the audience and keep them entertained. Every time the band is on tour, it makes sure it is providing its audience with the best performance.
“College students coming to party so we help provide that atmosphere,” said lead vocalist Mike Eli. “So if we’re having a good time partying on stage, the crowd is partying and having a good time as well.”
With each touring performance, Eli Young Band knows it has to be versatile in every location. The band is always ready for new ears to be exposed to its music, so it uses college towns as a tool to gain new listeners.
“We’ve been playing here for a while,” Jones said. “We know the people at the show tonight are not in school anymore, so they are also bringing new people out to hear us.”