Austin Meade gives The Lost Horizon more than just a concert

What does it mean to be famous? How do you know you’ve “made it?”

Roughly 40 fans attended Austin Meade’s intimate Thursday night concert at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse, but the size of the crowd didn’t stop the Texas rocker from making it a memorable night.

With songwriting you’d expect to hear on country radio and guitar riffs you’d expect to hear at “Warped Tour”, Meade and his band brought Southern alternative rock to the small Syracuse venue on Oct. 15.

The night began with two local bands. Fever Dream opened with a set of ’80s and ’90s covers, followed by The Endless Mountain Derelicts, who brought alt-country to the stage.

Before Meade’s set began, most of the audience stood back by the bar. But as he started performing, fans gravitated toward the stage, gathering together for a concert that would become more of a conversation than a traditional setlist.

“They are going to hate me,” Meade joked after the first song. “But we’re all just hanging out, so what do you guys wanna hear?”

Thursday’s smaller crowd gave fans plenty of opportunities to interact with him throughout the night.

For much of the 85-minute performance, Meade allowed fans to call out songs from his decade-long discography, occasionally checking with his band before agreeing to play them. Rather than following a strict setlist, he adjusted to the requests from the crowd while saving a few songs for the end.

After performing the fan-requested “Southern Side” from his recent mixtape collaboration with Treaty Oak Revival, he expressed surprise at the audience’s familiarity with the track.

Before the concert, Meade mentioned that he was still working to build an audience in the Northeast. “Honestly, I didn’t expect anyone to know that song this far north,” he said.

One song fans repeatedly requested was “Cave In,” which Meade had identified before the show as one of his favorites to perform.

“I really enjoy playing ‘Cave In’ live,” Meade said. “We never know exactly what the guitar solo is going to be in there. We have a lot of freedom on that and make it up on the fly.”

When the song finally came around toward the end of the show, lead guitarist David Willie demonstrated that freedom with an improvised solo.

Meade described his concerts as a miniature vacation for himself and his fans, giving everyone a chance to escape their everyday responsibilities. 

“I just really hope that people leave the concert feeling refreshed,” Meade said.

And for the fans who stayed after the show, the experience wasn’t over.

Meade spent time at the merchandise table meeting audience members, signing autographs, posing for photos and exchanging hugs. After meeting with fans, he briefly disappeared backstage before returning with an acoustic guitar.

After a fan requested “Almost Famous,” a song that hadn’t made it into the night’s set, Meade sat beside the merchandise table and played part of the song.

There was no stage lighting. No barrier separating the musician from his audience. No need for a crowd of thousands. Just an artist, an acoustic guitar and the fans who stayed to listen.

What does it mean to be famous? I don’t know. But for those fans, this is everything. A moment with an artist they’ll never forget.