News Herald: Singer debuts ‘Delirious’ at Tootsie’s
On a recent Thursday morning before Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge opened for business, singer-songwriter Christon Birge sat inside on a barstool on stage strumming his guitar and singing “Delirious” — in the place where it all began.
The final scenes of the music video for “Delirious,” Birge’s debut track, were wrapped up April 6.
“It’s amazing how long it takes to do a three-minute song,” said Amanda Paul, as we sat at a high-top table along Pier Park Drive. “This is where it all got started, a good public setting.”
After Christon won Tootsie’s 2014 Birthday Bash contest for his performances of “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band, he was given the opportunity to open for Kid Rock during Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge 54th Birthday Bash in Nashville.
“It’s a real adrenaline rush. I used to do a lot of karaoke. I didn’t think I could take it to the next level, and I still don’t, but I try hard,” said Christon, 36, a former MMA fighter who admits being on stage is “scarier than fighting. I thought I better not get any uglier, had to pick one, and I can sing longer than I can fight.”