ON THE BRICKS
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The Whigs:
Yep! You read the bill right. In possibly the most bizarre lineup I’ve seen all year, Athens, Georgia’s The Whigs opened for the buzzing Texicans called Los Lonely Boys and the ever-so-dated-circa-late-90’s Fuel. The Whigs even went over well.
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Their subtly insistent brand of rock was balanced out with melodic pop flourishes. While they never blew the crowd away, they clearly made a positive impact as well as a few new fans.
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Mr. North:
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Jackson Sneed:
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Los Lonely Boys:
Los Lonely Boys hit Atlanta at just the right time to capitalize on the hype of their left field, eponymous homerun of an album. The majority of the crowd was clearly there to see them and with good reason. With technical proficiency that virtually requires comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Santana, the trio of brothers put on the best non-production show of the year by relying solely on their own energy and abilities.
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With semi-choreographed moves that felt
fun, not hokey, they whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Guitarist Henry covered the eyes of
JoJo while he did a fiery bass solo…as the bass lay flat on the stage. JoJo later
returned the favor by joining Henry in a solo…on the same guitar. The drumming
brother, (actually named) Ringo, kept it all together. Even though he was barely tall
enough to see over the mounted toms, his flailing arms attested to his similar intensity.
By the time of the audience participation heavy “Heaven,” they’d made at
least one new fan…me.
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Fuel even managed to put on a surprisingly potent show. I can’t tell you a single song or remember any of the melodies but they did indeed “bring the rock.” It was obvious, contrived, lacking originality and cookie cutter but they made it work with sincere and total commitment to the cause.
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As a side note, it was quite amusing to watch the amazed reactions of the Los Lonely crowd to the sudden influx of crowd surfers and pit kids during Fuel’s performance. The fans of each act may not have enjoyed the other bands, but before it was over, they all had a good time. (Chris McKay / concertshots.com) |
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