Review: Citizen Cope at The Grey Eagle

On the evening of May 7, The Grey Eagle was packed. Despite my efforts to make it there at least 20 minutes early to scope out the audience, I still had to go through a hefty maze of people to be able to catch a glimpse of the stage. These fans were passionate — passionate to the point of taking it upon themselves to shush the crowd as Clarence Greenwood stepped out on stage, donned in a long blue trench coat and a giddy smile.

Better known as Citizen Cope, Greenwood reached the microphone and was flanked by two modest acoustic guitars and a metal peace sign that would up serving as a guiding force for the evening ahead. In a matter of seconds after his arrival, he launched into his first song and his raspy voice, punctuated by a Memphis twang, filled the room. 

The audience was instantly enthralled and there wasn’t a still body in the room. Heads swayed and hands stayed high in the air in a sort of worship as the crowd clung to every word. All the while, Greenwood took everything in with a grin on his face. In the middle of his 2012 hit, “One Lovely Day,” he threw his arms out and basked in the singalong that emerged from the gallery of people, earning even a wave of enthusiastic cheers from his dedicated fans. 

Citizen Cope’s songs are primarily stories, ranging in topics from heroin to helicopters, but all hold a similar message of hope. And while sharing these narratives to the Grey Eagle crowd, Greenwood’s genre-bending was on full display. The combination of soul, R&B, and folk was an astounding combination to see live, especially for a solo act, and the sheer talent between Citizen Cope and his guitar validated the audience’s dedication that night.

In the middle of the set, Greenwood stopped to banter with the assembled faithful, and as he looked out at the crowd, the words he spoke were lyrical enough to be its own song. He preached a message of love, friendship, and unity, and one comment he made has really stuck with me: “No matter where you come from, what you believe, we all came here to love one thing — music. Love is what brings us together! The music is us!” Hearing this caused a swell in my chest, and in that moment I took the time to appreciate the power of live music. As I looked, the same thing seemed to be resonating with my fellow attendees. 

The room noticeably silent after these words, Greenwood began to speak the opening lines from his 2004 song, “Bullet and a Target.” Though just as story-driven as the rest of his songs, it particularly stood out to me in its descriptions of a world of societal unrest, eerily similar to our current climate. As he repeated the opening verse, the crowd joined in, and, there it was — the music was us! This was a common theme throughout the rest of the night as the collaboration between artist and audience grew more pronounced, to the point that, on numerous occasions, Greenwood fell silent, letting his hoard of fans take over as vocalists.

Once the performance wrapped up, I stepped outside to the crisp night air on the smoke deck and discussed the show with some fans. A group of women were still ecstatic, clearly taking in the post-concert buzz. They told me that Citizen Cope was the first artist they downloaded onto their MP3 players, all the way back in 2004, and seeing him live had only re-invigorated their obsessions. 

I completely understood where they were coming from now. I had never heard of Citizen Cope before covering this show, but this is definitely not the last time I’ll see him. His message of peace, tolerance, and togetherness shone clear that night — all culminating in a beautiful celebration of live music and love. 

(Photo by Mattie Clark)