The Evolution of Saturday Night Special

Louden Swain has captivated fans’ Saturday nights at conventions for years now. Swainers from across the country and even overseas, have been able to witness the talent and magic that is Saturday Night Special. 

My first SNS was actually back when it was called “Saturday night Cabaret”. It was the first anniversary of Rob’s stroke. After an incredible night with the boys of Louden Swain showcasing their talents we reached the final song A Little Help from my Friends. It was a celebration of Rob and how his friends and fans helped him through that previous year. The amount of love in the room that night was unreal and palpable. There was no negativity to be found anywhere for miles! From that evening on, I was hooked on Swain. I was lucky enough to attend about 25 more SNS concerts after this very first show.

 

I have seen so much change since that first concert. From it’s beginning as a cabaret, Saturday Night Special has been through many transformations and evolutions. Starting with the name change and ending with more cast members than ever before joining the band on stage. There has also been a lot of things in between to change. Namely, for me, the amount of people attending the concert on Saturday nights. The room fills up more than ever before. Dallas 2019 was my last SNS experience and it was my favorite experience. I sat on the side of the audience towards the back. I was able to dance and sit with my friends, and on top of that experience seeing the “She Waits” and “Amazing” lights from a new perspective. Seeing the entire room participating was magic. 

 

The lights have evolved and taken many forms. They stemmed from Rob’s emotional performances of “She Waits” and with help from fans organization each SNS has its own version of lights. One Minneapolis convention the lights were all purple glow sticks for their performance of “Purple Rain.” Another convention had heart shaped screens to place over cell phone cameras. In any way or ideration the lights take on they remain an integral part of all SNS’s. 

 

Recently the lights have also been used during the song “Amazing.” Rob’s ode and thank you to fans for their love and support during his recovery. At first the lights swayed normally back and forth, and through many shows and work of Swainers all over the lights have begun to dance to the beat of the music. Dallas con 2019 was the most participation I have seen in this for both “Amazing” and “She Waits.” For lack of a better word of terminology it was really amazing to see all those lights moving to the music.

 

 

From: Kelli Lair

 

My first SNS was at Spn Birmingham in 2018. Not many people knew about doing lights during the concert, but there were a handful of Swainers that made sure it got done. I am not sure if the few number of people knowing about the lights was due to the location and there being so many first time to SNS people or it just wasn’t well known. When all of the lights turned on during the concert the people around me had not been to a convention and expressed awe as they looked around the room.

 

The las SNS concert I attended was in Dallas 2019. For this event I decided to take the lead in organizing lights and commemorative bracelets. I wanted to do this because I know how much it means to Rob and the rest of the band and I know many fans would also be disappointed if the lights didn’t happen. It was really cool to hear Rob mention the lights during the concert, but he and I also got to talk about them a little bit on Sunday. One major change, outside of more people knowing why people are passing out lights in line, is that people organizing lights for the different conventions are starting to work together more in order to reduce the waste of excess lights. The extra lights from Dallas will be at Vancouver so I know they will be well loved. 

Like mentioned before I was lucky enough to attend this convention. It was my favorite SNS experience so far. I was also part of the bagging of these little packages, which was super fun. Getting to hang out with friends and fellow Swainers, was a great experience. Nothing like sharing happiness with people who share the same love for something as you do. 

 

Kelli still has Dallas bracelets available. You can fill out the following form here. She has about 200.  

 

 Kim Tuero:

“I noticed a special ambiance in the air from the very start of the first SNS I attended at JaxCon 2016.  Louden Swain was hitting all the marks, and the fans were responding. Half-way through the set, Rob heard the buzzing of our kazoos, and they played an impromptu “Medicated” with a chorus of 250 enthusiastic kazoo players humming along.  It was spontaneous and funny, beautiful and magical. The crowd cheered wildly when Rob said it was one of the “top 5 moments of the band’s history.” But, the most touching part of the show was yet to come.

The electricity in the room was almost palpable as it was volleyed back and forth, between the band and the audience.  It was already reaching a crescendo by the time they played “She Waits”. The cell phone lights started in the pits, and soon became a sea of illuminated solidarity, swaying in tune to the music, emitting a wave of love, like a blanket, that encompassed the entire room.  I’d never experienced anything quite like that in my many years of concert attendance, and it was truly amazing.”

Kim also organized the first kazoo invasion to SNS. The Kazoo solo has now moved to the vendor jam Saturday afternoons at conventions. It still remains one of my favorite things at conventions. It is a way of showing the band our support and love for their music. The band even sells “Medicated” kazoos at their vendor table or on their website. 

Jodie Fox:

I’ve been doing fan conventions since 2011, but my first supernatural convention came in 2016, the same year I started watching the show. I attended njcon. I had joined the Facebook groups, so had known ahead of time that this was being planned out, but had never heard any of Louden Swain’s songs. So I had no idea what truly to expect. In line, people started handing out ziplock bags with the red lights needed for “She Waits”. I mentioned that I knew that there was a special event being planned but didn’t know the song. They told me follow the lead, others around me will know what to do. Jump to the concert, the crowd is electric. I’ve been to nearly 2 dozen conventions, but never have I seen a house band featuring one of the actors featured heavily during a convention. It was exhilarating. Finally it came time. The lights came on, the audience sang along. I quickly learned the lyrics and began singing along with them. Then it happened. That special moment. What Rob did not know was that one of the con goers planned this out with the staff and even the rest of the band were in on the plan. The song ends. Silence. And then a whisper begins, builds up, until the entire crowd was singing back to Rob the chorus of “She Waits.” And all I can remember was the emotion and love in his eyes when he realized what was happening. It was something truly beautiful. I am now going to my third and fourth SPN cons this year with momento con planned so far for next year, but that first memory of the SNS concert where the whole audience sang back to Rob when She Waits ended will always stick with me.

There have been so many additions to SNS and some of my favorites are the addition of cast members singing some of their favorite non-Swain songs. Seeing the likes of Briana Buckmaster, Kim Rhodes, Ruthie Connell, Gil McKinney, Lisa Berry, and even Jensen Ackles himself join the band on stage is one of the coolest things. Seeing them be just as big of fans of the band as we are is such a neat thing. Their support of the band is wonderful. Chris Schmelke, the convention photographer has also been incorporated into SNS. He is a bassist so he joins the band on stage for a song or two allowing bassist Mike Borja to play keyboards. Richard Speight Jr., also a bassist, has his own appearance on stage too, albeit quite quieter than his daytime appearances. 

Either way SNS is filled with love, friendship, talent and support from all around and every direction. I am always amazed at the amount of talent and love that ends up in the room each night. Cast and fans are participants in a special thing every Saturday and being able to experience that 25 or so times have been among the top memories and moments of my life. 

Thank you Rob, Billy, Stephen, Mike, and the cast of SPN for all the memories and helping bring fans together in a room to experience such special moments. Can’t wait for the next one.