It's always been hard for me to justify buying tickets to concerts because they can be so pricey, but William Fitzsimmons was an exception. Ever since being 'introduced' to his unique sound a year or two back, I've been waiting for him to come back into town. It had been 7 years since his last appearance in Little Rock so I didn't miss this chance. William's music is something capable of universal understanding because of its peacefulness. Though his sound is soothing, it isn't the type of music that I'd play while while falling asleep (that's more of Bon Iver). William's music is something that somehow finds its place in the moment- no matter your mood.
The doors opened at 7PM and we were the first to arrive. While walking up to the door, a man with a beard and glasses said hello as he was taking a smoke on the bench. Turns out it was William resting before the show started.
He was the most down to earth, chill guy and talking to him came naturally. After shaking each of our hands and asking our names, we asked how far along into the tour he was. He only had one more stop after Little Rock and was exhausted from the tour, but that didn't suppress his enthusiasm as he engaged with each of us. He led on that he would have a nice break after his tour with his two little girls that he adopted. I was suprised to find out that just two days after the tour was over in the U.S., he headed to Poland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic for the European tour.
Denison Witmer travels with William on most of his shows and he opened our concert with several great songs. Halfway through the show Denison joined William for a couple duets. As the concert was closing, William asked for song suggestions that he hadn't gotten to. I yelled from the crowd 'Good Morning' which is my all time favorite of his. I was thrilled that he ended up closing the show with it.
When the show wrapped up around 11PM, Jake, Abby, and I had a craving for something sweet, so we walked around downtown Little Rock and grabbed ice cream at Kilwins. If you don't know where it is, just follow the sweet smell that lingers in the street. Kilwins ranks up there with The Green Corner Store (my all time favorite) and Loblolly Ice Cream. They're known for their fudgery, ice cream, coffee, and shakes. You'll spend a pretty penny, but trust me, your taste buds will be thanking you.
Until next time!
Madeline