Dextrous? Why, yes. And don’t worry, that’s just the dude’s other hand. Photos by .
“I love it when a plan comes together.” — Col. John “Hannibal” Smith
frontman J.D. Wilkes reminded us of the wisdom of those words, as true today as they were two decades ago, at the on Wednesday. The Nashville natives had packed the house with devotees, and I knew something good was coming when a flood of people simultaneously cleared the patio and bar areas at the first sounds of the stand-up bass being tuned.
From the beginning of the punk-energized Southern Gothic-rock set, the humidity and temperature in the room seemed to instantly double. It continued building as a pit churned and churned during every other song of the night. Hanging on every word, note and plaintive wail of the harmonica, the faithful were rewarded with spit and sprayed water and a laying-on of hands two-deep into that whirlpool of bodies. Echoes of Appalachian hardship and determination rang throughout the room and reverberated in my head.
Besides healing, the crowd was rewarded for their sweaty efforts with several new songs throughout the set. Calls for an encore were met with additional songs that rounded out the set at well over an hour. I, for one, went home exhausted, with memories, ringing ears and a camera full of images to remind me of the energy and showmanship I had witnessed.
Here are my photos from that night:
Jason Claypool is a digital photographer from Lakewood. He specializes in concert, music and event photography. His work is available as large-format prints. His complete profile, with contact information, is , and his collections are Track his show calendar on .
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