From the opening song Tuesday night, it was clear this wasn’t going to be the low-key indie rock performance for which Eisley is known. The group played and sang with a fervor never before seen.
There is a more potent air of passion in the band from Tyler, Texas this tour. Its onstage energy presents a dynamic that excites the audience even more than the possibility of hearing songs that haven’t been played live in years.
But it seems having different sides of their personalities show during their performances this tour was all in the members’ plan.
"That’s what we’re fighting for. We want to just generate more onstage and be more of ourselves because we’re really energetic people," singer and keyboardist Stacy DuPree said.
An amped-up comfort level also added to the different dynamic.
"I feel like we’re at a point right now where we’ve toured so much (that) I think we’re at the most comfortable we’ve been, as far as performing live, in our whole career," singer and guitarist Sherri DuPree said.
Eisley, made up of sisters Sherri, Stacy and Chauntelle DuPree, their brother Weston DuPree and their cousin Garron DuPree, is just getting around to touring for sophomore album Combinations.
The band took almost five months personal time off since the album’s release, during which life had some surprises. The end of guitarist and singer Sherri DuPree’s marriage came in January, and soon after that guitarist Chauntelle DuPree’s engagement ended.
After going through such a tumultuous time, the two sisters said they were ready to use their music, and the tour, in a way they’ve never done before.
"Definitely for Sherri and I it’s like a new start, like we’re completely starting over, so it’s good," Chauntelle DuPree said.
Her sister agrees.
"We had a long time off and everyone’s just been through tons of crap and it’s just like it’s exciting and refreshing," Sherri DuPree said.
Playing all but one of their tracks from Combinations, Eisley kept fans satisfied, but the April Fools’ Day performance was far from perfect.
Eisley experienced the technical glitches that come along with most first shows of the tour. The sound at the Meridian was horrible,as usual, but the band powered through it.
In addition to the new personas onstage, old songs were re-worked and made new again. Stacy’s beautiful a cappella musical intros for "I Could Be There For You" and "One Day I Slowly Floated Away" transformed the songs into even more gorgeous melodic pieces.
Eisley opened up the tour with an acoustic in-store performance at Cactus Music on Monday, where it was evident the girls had some pent up energy that was just waiting to escape. It emanated through the lyrics, showered through the speakers and erupted in the audience’s ears.
"I know, me personally, I was just so psyched to play," Sherri DuPree said of her performance at the store. "It’s so fun. It’s been so long since we’ve played shows and it’s just exciting."
