Insert power fist here

"I can't believe I chose the hottest month of the year to play in Atlanta. What's worse is that I'm starting my tour here and I haven't worked off my beer gut yet."
--Butch Walker 07-19-06

I wasn't imagining big spoon/little spoon with Butch Walker on this occasion; I was in the middle of The Variety Playhouse watching Walker perform for the third time this year. If you're from outside of Atlanta, you probably know him best for producing that band you really like, or more recently, from his short-lived spot as a judge for this year's "Rockstar: Supernova." Even though Walker spends more time in California these days, he still keeps a special place in his heart for the city and the people that made him famous.

"I've put three solo albums out so far and I've toured extensively. Every time I play in Atlanta, I see the same faces. You don't know how much that means to me."

I smiled inwardly. I am one of those people and I'm glad Walker has noticed this too. Something has to be said about his fans, for a guy whose turn in the spotlight was indeed for 15 minutes. I've seen a girl with his face tattooed on her arm. That's dedication. It also speaks volumes that his newest album dropped a week ago and Walker was able to let his Atlanta fans sing lines from his new material. They had a week to learn it and they studied hard. I'm not sure the same can be said for other cities.

"It's great starting in Atlanta. Y'all need to come to Nashville tomorrow and do it all over again. We're showing off here, but tomorrow we're going to be like, 'Oh shit.' There's room for y'all, come along!"

The testimony can be seen during certain songs. When "Lights Out" debuted over 2 tours ago, Walker encouraged fans to scream, "Hell yeah!" with a pump of a fist. Years later and fans are still hitting the cue with the damn the man gesture, myself included, without any instruction from Walker. Older fans still periodically flash the double-handed horns, a symbol Walker often used during the early touring with The Marvelous 3.

His most memorable show for me was at the Tabernacle in 2001. There were fire and explosions, then when he sat on the piano for his ballads, it snowed. It was during the height of the Marvelous 3 period. At the time Walker stated that the Tabernacle was the largest venue they ever sold out. He has since toned down the performances in lieu for more attention focused on his songwriting, but this may also be related to a knee injury he sustained after jumping off a speaker one tour, forcing him to finish the tour in crutches.

The show tonight was everything you'd expect from the great performer. When Walker made his way to the piano for his ballad trio he said, "Let me just play one more song here. This is the only chance I'm going to get to catch my breath tonight! I'm a giver not a taker!" Of course the offer of one more song will never be turned down by a Butch Walker fan.

Check his newest album here.