- Bassist Seth Bolt spoke to Magnolia Tribune prior to the show to talk about the tour and the band’s return to Mississippi.
The award-winning contemporary rock band Needtobreathe returned to the Brandon Amphitheatre on Tuesday as part of its international Caves tour.
Caves is the band’s ninth studio album, released in September 2023. The Brandon stop is one of many on the second leg of the international tour.
Needtobreathe bassist Seth Bolt spoke to Magnolia Tribune prior to the show about the tour and the band’s return to Brandon.
“(We’ll have) some great throwbacks, as well as more new music and a whole new staging element—all the goodness we could think of to pack into a night of music,” said Bolt. “And then we’ve got Judah and the Lion with us again, and we’re doing some collaborations with them on stage. So, it’s gonna be even bigger and better than last time.”
Needtobreathe’s last performance in Brandon was in April 2021, coming off the heels of the COVID pandemic.
“We did experience an awesome resurgence of energy, and you could just feel from our side and from our fan side, just the appreciation and the gratitude of getting the gift of live music,” said Bolt. “Getting to just be around people again after such a long time felt like a tremendous release for us. And certainly just reminds us how grateful we are to continue to have the people who make this life possible for us.”
Though often referred to as a contemporary Christian band, Needtobreathe doesn’t identify solely as a Christian band, though faith plays a large aspect in its music and writing. Bolt said that by not identifying solely as a Christian band, Needtobreathe makes music for everyone, not just the faith-based community.
Needtobreathe has won multiple GMA Dove Awards for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year. The band was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song/Performance in 2015 for the song “Multiplied” and was nominated for a Billboard award in 2015 for Top Christian Album for “Rivers in the Wasteland.”
Over time, Needtobreathe has continued to grow in its style and lyricism, though the band’s foundation of friendship has remained. Bolt said he and brothers Bear and Bo Reinhart have been friends since childhood and have made music together throughout their lives, and that growing together is reflected in Bear’s songwriting.
“He’s been prolific for a long time, and now he just gets better and better. The natural growth and evolution of the songwriting is something that just encourages me every time we go to make an album,” said Bolt. “I’m genuinely excited to invest a bunch of time in recording and bringing the songs to life because of the message and the potential that the songs have and the life that they, the songs give to, to other people.”
The Brandon Amphitheater located of Boyce Thompson Drive at The Quarry, has 7,000 seats. The venue attracts numerous shows each year, with this season bringing big names like Needtobreathe, Travis Tritt, ZZ Top, Lauren Daigle, Creed, and more.
Visit BrandonAmphitheater.com for more information.
Courtney Ingle
