Coming but 4 months earlier with Marc Broussard, Cope showed he had the flow needed to carry an audience into the wee hours of the night with his songs, but with an audience full of Broussard’s fans, Cope never got the chance to pull everyone in. On this night, Cope’s people were in the audience and they came to let go.

While Cope is getting some strong exposure due to his song Son’s Gonna Shine hitting the airwaves via a Pontiac commercial, it is hard to see how the laid back house party vibe of his shows could relate to an audience much larger than this one.

Call me selfish, but I wouldn’t want to see it, so maybe that’s why I can’t. Cope is best listened to in the smoke filled setting with a house party vibe where the drinks flow and people can their heads swaying without security on them or the masses making the night into what it shouldn’t be. The sound and vibe of Cope is too pure for that.

Of course, a bump up to the main room at the Meridian could do Cope some good. Fill the house with more people looking to party and just dance together. No $6 beers, no barricade at the stage, no separation. Just the music flowing through the audience from the stage. The way Cope translates best: from his guitar and mouth to your ears and soul.