I didn’t have plans to go much of anywhere this last weekend. Rest and recuperate were the only things on the agenda for a week Im mostly glad is behind me now. However, Saturday afternoon I got asked to come take pics of this band at Hub 121 in McKinney/Allen. The band Texas, Whiskey & You I’d never seen before but 2 long time friends (Tull Rea and Christian Sly) were in the band and I’d not seen them in forever. They’ve been “RenegadeRadio.Net” friends pretty much from the beginning.
So, when asked to help a friend, you do it.
The band is a tribute to country singer Chris Stapleton. Now I do listen to country from time to time, yes. Play it also on my own show. But I’d not listened to this singer much so it was all new to me. Hub 121 I am very familiar with and seldom shoot because lighting can be… interesting. But its a great place to see a show and that’s fine – lets me watch vs work.
I usually get to the venue about an hour ahead of time and watch sound check. This time was a bit different. The parking lot was already filling up and I had to park at the back. Something a bit new for me but hey – exercise. grabbed my chair and camera gear and walked in to find lot of people already setup and ready to country-rock the place.
My normal spot was still there, thankfully, so setup and wait. I know this game. I will say I did leave early for a few reasons and when I left, one of the things that stood out was the crowd.
Simply put, gonna need a bigger venue.
I’d never seen Hub 121 packed as much as it was last Saturday night. People even setup behind the concrete seats in the back around their own tables and chairs they brought. It was simply wall to wall people and many more simply listening from where ever they could find to sit. Now, why were they this packed?
The band, of course. And I must say that I think each and every person went away as a new fan of this group or reaffirmed as to why they love this group to begin with.
The night started with Andrew Dolan by himself, perfectly at home with his acoustic guitar playing a slow Stapleton song. Honestly it was one of the better ways I’ve seen any show start off. Certainly set the mood. For the 2nd song the band joined in never looked back. Vocals were on point and up in the professional level to be sure.
I did get up and around to get some pictures and “work it” so to speak. But you also have to put the camera down and times and just enjoy the show. For this band, I did that several times. I don’t have the set list so I can’t tell you what was played, but maybe next time. You see, this band will be coming soon to the bigger venues for reasons you’ll soon see on your own.
Follow them on their facebook page and get ready for a great night of Chris Stapleton music done very well. I’ll be back to both watch the band and get more pics – they’ve become a RenegadeRadio.Net local favorite in 1 show.
iceberg
