BY JESS BECK | Go Venue Magazine
Local radio station 104.1 The Blaze sponsored a number of concerts this weekend at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, Nebraska on August 31st, 2019.
But this one was different.
From the moment the arena began to fill with people, the energy was electric. It was palatable.
People were ready for a storm.
And that’s exactly what they got.
The gravel-soaked vocals of lead singer Lzzy Hale began to belt out from behind the stage as the lights dimmed. Erupting on que was the entire arena in response. Lzzy and her band mates walked on state and took their respective positions, opening the 15 song set with their single “Do Not Disturb,” off their “Vicious” album which dropped last year in 2018 (which, by the way, if you haven’t listened to it yet, do your earholes a favor and stream that shit immediately – you’re welcome).
They followed with “Love Bites,” keeping the energy high and the light show stunning until slowing down on “Chemicals,” which was appropriately dedicated to those lost in the last year. After a sombering duet between Lzzy and Joe Hottinger, the picked up the pace again with “I Am The Fire” and maintained the energy for the rest of the night.
One of the more entertaining portions of the performance was when Arejay Hale, the drummer, began to play a solo during the middle of the set. After hammering away on the drums for a moment, he threw his sticks into the crowd to the delight of the fans, and then brandished an entirely different, yet wildly obnoxious set of oversized sticks to continue the solo. Thankfully these weren’t thrown into the crowd!
At the end of the performance, fans gathered around the tour bus, and each member of the band, Lzzy, Arejay, Josh, and Joe all came out to greet the fans, take selfies, and sign autographs. Arejay met a young girl who mentioned she was a drummer as well, and he was very enthusiastic in encouraging her to continue her craft. “We need more female drummers!” he told the delighted young fan.
The entire band was great to their fan base, and it’s always awesome to see that side of the production. Yes, you just played your hearts out for 90 minutes on a hot stage in a metal building at a State Fair in the middle of the country. But they didn’t forget the reason they were there – the fans. No doubt everyone who took a selfie with each member of the band is now a fan for life – perhaps even myself included!
All images © Jess Beck
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