My wife does not like concerts. Ok, that is not exactly true. My wife does like concerts, but they have to be in venues where you mostly sit, there is moving air and you are not directly surrounded by people. A row of folks is fine, but not a gaggle that you find in most concerts outside of major arenas. The Eras Tour? Will try to go even if it’s the day before Father’s Day. Concert at Rumba cafe on a Wednesday night? Hardly.

“Do they serve coffee?”

“No”

“Are they open during the day?”

“No”

“Then why is it called a cafe!?”

I completely get not wanting to go, because I go to concerts and fight every desire to leave. They are usually hot. Some places *cough* PromoWest *cough* are overpriced. People talk during the sets. In general, I do not like other concertgoers. It is not because I am the perfect purveyor of music myself, hardly. I am 6-foot-1, or 6-foot-2 depending on the shoes. That automatically makes me hated by most people in the audience because I show up to shows early.

So, with all that in mind, my smart, beautiful and strong-willed spouse joined me for our annual couple concert. Regularly I ask my wife to come with me because I like her company. I swear it is not so she says no then does not get upset that I still want to go without her. I genuinely want to share concert moments with her because for all of the issues I have with fellow show inhabitants, I love them so much.

Wednesday night at Rumba Cafe is a perfect example when Bella White dazzled the Columbus crowd.

In previous reviews, I shared my growing love of the genre and White’s voice is my favorite of the bunch. The vocal range and emotion of her voice stand out immediately when you listen to any of her two full-length LPs. Until Wednesday, I never had a chance to see White live because the country/bluegrass singer never came around these parts. Based out of New Orleans, and in a genre that does not regularly include Central Ohio in its usual routes, there is no fault to the singer.

Since releasing “Just Like Leaving” in 2021, White toured mainly as an opener. Fortunately for Columbus music fans, White hails from Canada, and included her homeland in her headlining Red Rhododendron Tour so Ohio was a natural stop on the way. Local music fans responded and the show sold out 12 days before the night of the concert.

Sam Gelband of Mr. Sam and the People People started the show with an acoustic set. Known as Mr. Sam, or loser (affectionately), by his dad when Sam grew up, the nickname stuck. Gelband played a mix of unreleased tracks and a few from his 2024 “Again! Again!” release by Garhole Records, co-founded by country artist Nick Shoulders, and Tape Dad.

The highlight was “Now That I Know You” off that recent LP. It’s a love song full of hope. It accurately describes a life changed by the love found between two people. The feeling that there is nothing that is impossible.

“And I’m thinking of the water now
And how it can do almost anything
It reminds me of the love in me
Now that I know you”

Gelband emphasized the final line above to hit its peak on start of “you.” The decision to emphasize made a difference and accompanied by his guitar playing that followed hit perfectly. Despite Mr. Sam admitting to the crowd that he thought of the cool “S” everyone drew in the 90s during one of his songs, it appeared that he was putting all the emotion he could muster into his set.

Between songs, Gelband talked about that love, his father and more, Gelband was a master of the between song chit chat, which adds to a show for me. Gelband referenced his Canadian girlfriend, which he stressed is not make believe and comparable to a holographic Charizard Pokemon card. For the record, I did not doubt Mr. Sam because his girlfriend was the headliner of the concert.

Mr. Sam thanked the crowd who, surprisingly, did not talk through his set. In the ranking of concert pet peeves, that is high up on the list for me. Maybe it’s because the room is smaller, and full from front to back, and there was nowhere to hide from vitriol if you were the one who spoke during songs. Maybe everyone in the crowd had common decency. I think it’s more because of how great Mr. Sam played and controlled the narrative of the room.

All night, the two lead singers did not act above anyone. The entire two hours of live music featured artists who genuinely enjoyed their time chatting with the crowd. Mr. Sam even recognized the laugh of one specific concertgoer when they later accurately, and with great comedic timing, responded to Mr. Sam saying “I’m not a parent,” with “that’s apparent!”  That came before “You Are Kind,” a track about parenting.

Bella White got on stage around 8:45 and played for a good hour and a half, which is worth much more than the $20 ticket price. White played songs from both of her LPs, her recent EP of covers and four new songs from an album that has not been formally announced.

Early in the set, White thanked the crowd for their above and beyond politeness, which is honestly something I have heard a lot at shows in Columbus. I do not know if it is because folks are Midwest nice or maybe they say it every night? The pessimist in me feels it’s the latter but the whole night was full of beautiful music so I’ll believe them.

White started her set by introducing her dog Indie, who was upstairs sleeping during the show, who later received a full rendition of Happy Birthday from the crowd for his five-month birthday. Gelband and singer/songwriter Gina Leslie supported White on drums and bass/backup vocals, respectively. While there was a full band, the songs did lack the exact same sound as what you hear on records with instruments missing, but White’s voice is something that needs to be heard live.

The singer does not sound like a 20-something singing but an experienced veteran. Think Lucinda Williams with less grit in her voice, an artist White referenced multiple times during the set. After going through tracks from her 2023 release “Among Other Things” with “Flowers On My Bedside” and “Break My Heart,” White played two new unreleased tracks. Then she played Williams’ “Concrete and Barbed Wire” from White’s favorite all-time album “Car Wheels On a Gravel Road.”

At one point, White shared that she lived in a house with fellow country and bluegrass members for over a year and they played music all day, everyday. It explains how there is a maturity to the singing and lyrical work, minus drinking out of a water bottle which White admitted makes her nervous on stage. White managed to successfully hydrate not once but twice, which showed her great range as a performer.

Behind the microphone, White moved her head to enhance her singing, giving her voice a natural fade effect. That meant throughout the night, White will slowly move her head from side to side. White puts everything into each note as she looks above the crowd at a single point in the back through most songs.

White is also transparent. From the water bottle truth to telling the crowd that anytime she laughs on stage she made a mistake. I am by no means a performing musician, so I could not tell you one time I saw mistake.

For “Marilyn,” White told the story of its inspiration. On tour, White grabbed food and overheard a man talking about his wife. It broke the singer’s heart and she put it into the track.

“He was a nasty manHe was a foolish manWell, often he did not seem botheredHe was an undeservin’ father with a cruel handHe was a mean old man (ooh-ooh-ooh)”

How White sang the song, you can’t help but get ready to get a pitchfork and torch and follow her to the man’s house.

In the encore, White played “Rhododendron” and “Just Like Leaving.” They included stories about forgetting lyrics, her now passed tuxedo cat and a bird and her babies. When it was over, it did not feel like the singer went for over an hour and a half. That is when you know the concert is something to remember.

The last time I was at Rumba Cafe, the air conditioning system was broken. It did not feel much better on Wednesday. So, despite the level of performances by White, her band and Mr. Sam, I think my wife is ready to sit out of my concerts until 2026.