The first ever 94.7 Fresh FM Acoustic Christmas was held at The Fillmore Silver Spring and already has the bar raised with this year’s lineup. Headlining the show was Gavin DeGraw with The All-American Rejects, and Casey Abrams anchoring the triple threat. It was a cold and rainy Sunday night but fans braved the weather, anxiously waiting in a very long line to enter. The show was completely sold out with much anticipation looming.
As fans finally settled inside the cramped venue, Casey Abrams started off the evening singing solo with only his acoustic guitar in hand. He belted out songs from his self-titled debut album such as “Simple Life” and “Blame It On Me.” Mid-set he switched instruments and plucked from his upright bass. This singer-songwriter (who took 6th on the 10th season of American Idol) was truly amazing. He finished his set with the more familiar song from his album, “Get Out.”The crowd sang right along with him.
Next to perform was The All-American Rejects, whose acoustic versions of their popular hits brought the house down. Their extensive list of chart toppers created an organic connection between the band and the audience. Lead singer, Tyson Ritter, easily interacted with fans with songs that ranged from “Swing, Swing,” found on their self-titled album released in 2003, “Dirty Little Secret” and “It Ends Tonight,” from Move Along, “Gives You Hell,” from When the World Comes Down, and “Heartbeat Slowing Down” from their most current album, Kids in the Street, released this year.
