California rockers Rival Sons kicked off their long awaited North American tour recently with a stop at the Fillmore in Minneapolis. Resident photographer Tom Sommers checked in for a review.
This show was supposed to have Dorothy open for them but for some reason she was unable to make it and instead added two other acts at the last minute, a solo act and husband/wife duo.
Rival Sons on the other hand could be the best band playing today. They are in an elite class along with Blackberry Smoke, Blacktop Mojo, and a few others. it’s always so hard when I do these reviews especially of a band that I love because I want you the reader to love them too. But how can you if you’ve never heard them? The obvious answer is to go out there and pick up a CD or listen to some songs online. To give you a small taste of what they’re like, I hear Led Zeppelin and I hear Bad Company or elements of those bands in their music.
Not taking away anything from them because they are truly unique but there’s something special about this band, you can’t help but love if you like straight ahead rock music with a blues feel. I don’t know how you couldn’t like Rival Sons, they’re the kind of band that can win over an audience that’s never seen them before which is not easy to do. At this show the house was filled with fans that knew all the songs. You could tell the crowd interaction was good because the band seemed so incredibly appreciative. You just get that sense that Minneapolis loves this band.
They played a very long set which is always a treat for me as a fan. We get some of the songs you expected them to play like “Pressure and Time”, “Feral Roots”, “All Over the Road” and “Keep on Swinging”. Jay Buchanan did a beautiful acoustic version of “Shooting Stars” which I’ve never seen them do before. One of the things that impresses me most about this band is their consistency. Not only as writers but also as performers. I have to say this was probably one of the best sounding concerts I have ever been to. I’m not exactly sure what it was about it but sonically it was about as perfect as you could get.
I remember the very first time I saw them play live which was at a festival. They were the first band on stage that day and I remember standing there with my mouth open going, ‘Oh my God these guys are incredible.’ Only to look around behind me and see a lot of people with the same look on their face. Please, if you are a music fan and you do one thing for yourself today, go out and get acquainted with Rival Sons if you don’t know them already. If they come to your town, buy a ticket you won’t regret it.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
