(Image provided by Brooklyn Bowl)

It seems to be the season for rock-band-solo-act tours, as my third straight live event is yet another frontman who has stepped out on their own as a side gig. NEEDTOBREATHE's Bear Rinehart has been performing under the moniker Wilder Woods for a while now (it's not a secret identity like Duke Silver, but a similar air of mystery did surround the project in the months leading up to his debut release). In support of his brand-new third album, Curioso - and while his day job is sitting off the road - Bear is headlining The Curioso Tour, with indie solo act Haffway as his opening support.

Now, while NEEDTOBREATHE has been very directly linked to the Christian music world, Wilder Woods is more skewed towards mainstream audiences. Lyrically, while Bear tends to dig deep at times - even spiritually - these songs tend to be mostly about relationships, and the whole sound and feel of the project feels more club-ready than, say, NEEDTOBREATHE. And while I can't say I'm familiar with all of the acts that have opened for NEEDTOBREATHE over the years, one could see pretty quickly with opener Haffway that they weren't quite Christian market friendly. As Haffway, Sam Westhoff took the stage with only his guitar as accompaniment, and took some time between songs to banter a little with the audience. A lot of his chit chat was seemingly random (even joking with an audience member or two about identity theft), but then out of the blue he remarked "I grew up in the church... that's all I have to say about that" between random uses of the "S" and "F" words. (Side note: I am aware that many believers are divided on if profanity is okay or not, but I personally have a greater respect for those who can tame their tongue out of respect for their audiences.) Musically speaking, Sam's set certainly wasn't bad, and his modest little solo set was a decent primer for the evening; I just wasn't loving the "attitude" he was giving off.

After Haffway, there was about a half-an-hour set change, and a couple minutes after 8:30pm, the band members for Wilder Woods began trickling out onto the stage. With a disco ball displayed prominently, scattering light across the Brooklyn Bowl second floor, the vibe was set. A full band was present to support Bear, with even soulful background vocal support from the impressive April Rucker, and NEEDTOBREATHE's own guitarist, Tyler Burkum. Appropriately, the band kicked off with the soulful "Time On My Hands," from Curioso. Sporting his signature round flat-brimmed hat and a pair of yellow sunglasses, Bear forsook his usual accompanying guitar and dove headlong into the role of lead vocalist. He moved about the stage and danced to the groove, giving the set a distinctly "Wilder Woods" feel. Another new one, "Where Do We Go From Here," followed, and then Bear paused to address the crowd before moving into "Heartland." "Feel" and "Hide Anymore" followed, and then Bear stopped to talk about the origins of the band name (which is the first names of his two sons put together) and how he had written the next song for them, but has come to wonder if it was more so written for himself. "Someday Soon" followed, and then the band offered up a cover of The Black Crows' "She Talks to Angels," with April performing a vocal solo. Bear introduced the next song as being about people in our lives who mean a lot to us and then played "Wild Fire," followed by "Love Last." The funky "Devil in My Eyes" was next, and at one point, Bear asked that everyone close their eyes (until asked to reopen them) and feel the music as the band proceeded to turn the song into a groovy slow jam. He then instructed us to open our eyes again as they finished the song.

The catchy "Criminal" followed, and then pianist Bobby Seinfeld offered up a tasty piano solo to precede "Mary, You're Wrong." Bear teased the audience about their hometown team allegiances in an effort to get them more engaged, and then talked about the next song being a different kind of love song. April stepped out of the shadows into the spotlight to join Bear with his acoustic for "Offering," before stepping back again as Bear broke out the harmonica. Bear strut his stuff once again for the danceable "Maestro (Tears Don't Lie)" from FEVER/SKY, and even took a moment to greet some fans standing off to the side before briefly belting out some of the verses a cappella. To close the set, they performed the rocking Curioso opener, "Swimming in the Ocean," and left the stage.

But an encore seemed inevitable, and the band was soon back for "Be Yourself" and the delectable "Supply and Demand." For that one, Bear climbed down from the stage and walked around through the audience, shaking hands and bumping fists along the way, even getting the occasional fan to sing along. It was a highlight moment of the night, and you can tell the fans were loving it. Bear returned to the stage, and explained that their last song was released as a "work tape" some years ago and that it meant a lot to him. With that, they played their final song of the evening, "Sink Our Love Now," and the show was finished at around 10pm.

For fans of Bear's voice and his work with NEEDTOBREATHE, Wilder Woods is a no-brainer. At times, his side project feels like a more soulful outlet creatively, but in recent years, there seems to be a bit more blurring of the lines. Much of Curioso could arguably work as a NEEDTOBREATHE entry (especially after the more CCM-radio-friendly Caves). But as we have come to expect from a NEEDTOBREATHE show, Wilder Woods is just as impressive and satisfying to see and hear live. This was my first time seeing Wilder Woods in concert, and I definitely hope it won't be the last.

From the merch table: I took a peek at the merch offerings for Wilder Woods, and there were two t-shirts and a hoodie available, as well as some unique accessories. If you were hoping to pick up a physical copy of Curioso, they had it on vinyl for $30 and CD for $15. The shirts were $40 each, and the hoodie was $70. (Both seem a bit steep to me.) There was also a trucker hat for $30. For decidedly more unique items, a Curioso candle in a black canister with lid was $30, a bottle opener was $10, and a gold bracelet was $15 - the latter two of which were branded with the Wilder Woods "W".