Review: CAAMP at Schottenstein Center

Caamp founders Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall took over a decade to travel 3.4 miles from their first paid gig at Hastings Middle School to their Aug. 29 homecoming concert at the Schottenstein Center.

The nearly sold-out concert caught Meier in a reflective mood. Before launching into “By and By” from BOYS (2019), he held a wine glass aloft to the audience and said, “Cheers, Columbus. I don’t have to give an elaborate speech about how we got here. Most of you know how we got here. You are the reason how we got here.

“Evan and I started making songs in Evan’s basement and playing for nobody in bars. We gathered a handful of fans along the way. I know a lot of you were there (for the journey).”

Former Hastings Middle School assistant principal Jim Buffer was one of those people at the start.

Sally Meier, Taylor’s mother, was active in the Parent-Teacher Organization and was responsible for bringing in a guest artist to share their talents during the middle school’s three lunch periods each Wednesday. Guests included an opera singer, a calligrapher, … and a band that eventually topped Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart in 2019.

“When Taylor was a student at Ohio University, Sally told me Taylor and Evan had a band and she asked if it was OK to hire them to play for the winter lunch program,” Buffer said. “So, for the grand sum of $150, we hired Caamp to play their first paying gig.

“It was fun to watch them start to grow. The first time I realized they were a big deal is when I saw they were opening for Nathaniel Rateliff at The Apollo Theater.”

Buffer would have been lucky to find a good seat at the Schottenstein Center for $150 on Aug. 29.

After the Hastings debut, Caamp has played several Columbus gigs, including the Newport Music Hall, KEMBA Live!, and Nationwide Arena in 2023. However, the Aug. 29 concert marked the first time they played at Ohio State’s Value City Arena.
Taking the stage to Bob Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero,” Meier smiled broadly and addressed the nearly 12,000 people with a hearty “Columbus, how are you? We came home for you. It’s going to be a good night.”

And it was for Caamp fans. After opening with “Huckleberry Love,” the folk rock band played an hour-and-a-half set with a versatile 22-song playlist that covered their five-album career.

Known for its straight-ahead, no-frills brand of music, Caamp showed off its versatility and chemistry — and even squeezed in a pair of costume changes.

Meier was the epicenter of the Schottenstein performance. His raspy vocals were restrained, almost whispered on ballads like “Strawberries” and “26.” “This is a lullaby I wrote,” he said quietly before launching into an acoustic version of “26.” I still sing it to myself when I’m having a hard time.”

The band was at its best when Meier deflected the spotlight to others. Caamp shifted into its more upbeat numbers like “Vagabond” and “All the Debts I Owe” when Westfall (banjo), Matt Vinson (bass), Nicholas Falk (drums), and Joseph Kavalec (keyboards) stepped into the spotlight. Westfall and Vinson took over lead vocals for a couple of songs during the set. Falk turned over his drum kit to Meier for a pair of songs.

For its homecoming show, the band often drew in members from outside its inner circle. Trombonist Darius Jones, a Columbus resident who recently toured with Mumford and Sons, and saxophonist Terrance Charles, who hails from Cleveland, gave Caamp a fuller sound on songs like “So Cool,” “Ohio,” and the show-closing “Vagabond.”

The largest influx of talent came in during “Peach Fuzz.” After opening act Archy Drive told the audience Caamp’s “Peach Fuzz” was one of the first songs they learned to play, Meier invited the four-member band to share the stage and let the band’s frontman Nick Mateyunas take the lead vocals.

Although their catalog often sounds like it came from the whiskey stills of Kentucky or the Appalachian Trail, Caamp appears to take great pride in its Ohio roots.

At one point, Meier slipped into his “workout clothes” — a cutoff Ohio State sweatshirt — to the delight of the Schottenstein crowd. Not to be outdone, the rest of the band then came out with a Buckeye ensemble of basketball and football jerseys for the encore and even dropped into a three-point stance after finishing “Officer of Love.”

At the end of the show, Meier surveyed the rafters and went into a pre-season pep talk for the football team.

“We’re going to the f-ing natty this year. Do you hear me Ryan Day, you (expletive)?” Meier snarled.

Westfall added apologetically, “Ryan, if you are here tonight, we love you.”

“The only thing we’re toxic about in our lives is the Ohio State Buckeyes,” Meier added sheepishly. “Well, that and the city of Columbus.”

And frankly, you can’t get more Columbus-like than that.,

Photos: David Heasley, Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment

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