By PATRICK RECORD
Wednesday night, Donavon Frankenreiter played in front of a small, but energized crowd at the Wilma Theater here in Missoula. The southern California surfer-turned-musician is currently on tour promoting his new album, Glow.
Frankenreiter was quick to win over the audience before the show even started.
As early as an hour before the show, he was in the lobby of the theater shaking hands and posing for pictures with concertgoers.
Once on stage, Frankenreiter played a steady mix of new songs off of the new album, in addition to fan favorites from earlier albums. Frankenreiter’s fellow surfer and friend, Jack Johnson, produced his self-titled first album on his label, Brushfire Records.
As if the crowd’s singing along and dancing were not enough, Frankenreiter invited a fan with a hula-hoop on stage to dance along to one of the songs. As the song came to a close, she received a round of applause from the other audience members, in addition to Frankenreiter and his band.
As the night went on, Frankenreiter invited a number of audience members on stage to sing along. This was definitely a night to remember for the small, but lively crowd.
While Frankenreiter was aware of the smaller sized crowd, it didn’t seem to bother him. He asked if everybody else was at the Scott Hamilton function in town. Hamilton, an Olympic gold medalist and cancer survivor, was speaking at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Once the show came to an end, Frankenreiter was once again in the lobby thanking fans, taking photos, and signing concert posters as the crowd spilled out onto Higgins Avenue.
Soon after, Frankenreiter and his band made their way to the Top Hat Lounge for a little more of this great place we call home, Missoula.
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Prior to moving to Missoula to attend the University of Montana’s Journalism School, Patrick Record lived in Los Angeles, where he worked as a freelance audio technician and camera operator. Currently, he’s the photographer for the UM Foundation. Patrick is also minoring in Central and Southwestern Asian Studies and his career goal is to be a war photographer following graduation from the journalism school. Check out Patrick’s website to see more of his work.