When I walked into The Saint last night, the size of the crowd surprised me. I guess, though, when you're a regular cast member on one of the most popular shows in the history of cable television (Emily Kinney plays Beth Greene on AMC's The Walking Dead), fans will jump at the chance to get up close and personal. There really are few places that let you get as up close as you can at The Saint, and Ms. Kinney had the personal part covered with her songs about relationships ended, ending, beginning, and never-gonna-happen.
This was going to be the night where I tested out my new camera, so I wormed my way up to the front. When I got there, I met a super nice guy wearing a Daryl Dixon-style leather vest with the wings screened onto the back. He was a big fan of zombies and horror and was looking forward to seeing Emily Kinney and several other cast members at next month's Monster Mania Convention in Cherry Hill. My friend wasn't the only fan of the show there by any stretch (Hell, I'm a huge fan.), but most people in attendance seemed to have at least a passing familiarity with Emily Kinney's music.
I'd classify her music as pop. She's got a sweet voice, and puts it to use singing some often cutting, often funny lyrics that deal mostly with the trials and tribulations of relationships. Kinney currently resides in Brooklyn, and that comes up in many of her songs. She had the support of an excellent band.
Last night, she was a bubbly presence on stage, thanking everyone profusely for coming out, telling some of the stories that lay behind her songs, and smiling and laughing all evening. She played songs from both of her EPs -- last year's Expired Love and 2011's Blue Toothbrush -- receiving especially nice responses to Expired Love track "Kids," audience participation number "Julie," and new song "This Is War."
Unlike some actors with musical careers, Kinney acknowledged and embraced the fact that most people were there to see her because of her day job. She closed the evening with "Hold On," asking, "Should we do 'Hold On' for all the Walking Dead fans here?" Beth Greene famously sings the Tom Waits classic to baby Judith Grimes during a scene on The Walking Dead. After her set, she moved to the merch table where she smiled, signed autographs, and posed for pictures with everyone in the long line.
I saw my friend from earlier in the night and asked him if he'd gotten his picture taken with her. "Yeah," he said. "And she signed two things for me. I see her again in two weeks!" He was absolutely thrilled. Really, if you're an entertainer, isn't that what it's all about?
Here are some highlights from last night. You can see more in the Flickr gallery.
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