STYX Freeman Arts Pavilion Selbyville, Delaware Saturday, June 3, 2023It was a very chilly and windy night when Styx rolled into town on their Crash of the Crown Tour.  Back  when tickets went on sale, this show sold out in five minutes, and you could see it in the throngs of concertgoers heading to the entrance gates at the Freeman Arts Pavilion, my first time back here since 2021.  The all new added box office and entrance gates made for a much easier entrance than the venue’s old configuration.  As I made my way into the pit to get ready to shoot, the stage was already set up with a banner draped across the entire back of the stage with the STYX logo on it.  The drum kit was placed in the back center of the stage with a rotating keyboard to the left, and stairs at both ends of the catwalk that ran the entire length of the stage.At 8:00 pm, the house lights went out as one by one the band members made their way to the stage:  Tommy Shaw, lead guitars and vocals; James “JY” Young, lea... » Click here for the full story.

COLLECTIVE SOUL SPRINGFEST 2023 Friday, May 5th Ocean City, Md.    On a chilly early May evening as thousands of people were strolling through our 32nd Springfest at the Inlet, Collective Soul rolled into town for a stop on their summer tour in support of their latest album, Vibrating, released on August 12, 2022.  At 7pm the house lights went out and the band hit the stage with lead vocalist and guitarist Ed Roland front and center sporting all white slacks and a blue sequined shirt. The band opened the show with "Cut the Cord" and "Heavy", with the sell-out crowd already on their feet and we were off and running. After the next song "Right as Rain", Roland said, "Well, here we are Maryland. What a beautiful place you have here and a lot of beautiful people as well and not a bad view at all looking out at the ocean as a backdrop.” He then addressed the crowd by saying, "we just woke up."  We all had a good laugh; then Roland looked down and pointed at me saying,  “It's true, we really... » Click here for the full story.

ZZ TOP RAW WHISKEY TOUR 2022 Delaware State Fair Wednesday, July 27, 2022    Back to the Delaware State Fair and not for the midway games, food and rides, but for my All-Time favorite band, ZZ Top.  The band brought their “Raw Whiskey Tour” to the Delaware State Fair.  The tour is named after their just-released (Friday, July 22nd) new album RAW which consists of newly recorded classic tracks from the original lineup of ZZ Top.    The band hit the stage at 8:30 and Billy Gibbons with his shades, hat and beard, was joined by drummer Frank Beard (the one without the beard), and new bass member Elwood Francis, who replaced Dusty Hill who passed away last summer.  Francis, who was the band’s former guitar tech, fell perfectly into place, beard and all. There was no reference of Hill at all through the night.  Reportedly, it was Hill's wish that the band continue with Francis as his replacement.  The band’s sold-out 90-minute set drew heavily from the 1983 Eliminator album with a bunch of o... » Click here for the full story.