There’s nothing more special and invigorating that a first. First kiss, fist baby, first speeding ticket. My new favorite first is seeing a band play for the first time post pandemic shutdown. At The Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, Kentucky it was apparent by the smiles on the faces of the patrons and staff that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. For so many in this world music is a healer. It is something that binds us all together as one. Candlebox and Of Limbo made sure this first was one to remember.
When the time came for the music to start four long haired best friends nonchalantly wondered onto stage. Hailing from Long Beach California, Of Limbo, came to Louisville to shake the dust off the speakers and teach us how to party. Immediately grabbing the attention of every soul in the room singer Jake Davies belted out the notes to their opening song. If he didn’t grab your attention, the bassist, Rob Gravely most definitely did. Bearwulf, thank you. Thank you for being hands down the most entertaining bassist I have had the pleasure of watching. This guy is the whole package and a bag of chips. Funky, smooth, sensual, bass beats. Mix that with dance moves that would make Prince jealous and an over abundance of personality, you have the glorious wildebeest (their words not mine) that is Rob Gravely. With the whole audience captured Of Limbo continued to bring down the house. Guitarist Luke Davies and drummer Christopher “Bug” Bristol both brought unique flair to the sound. Pulling all the talent together you get a sound that I can only describe as Sexual Southern Rock. Of Limbo promises to bring the party back to rock-and-roll and they did just that. The crowd exploded when they rallied the troops with a cover of the Beastie Boys “Fight for Your Right”.
Of Limbo proudly announced their new album Running Out of Time would be available everywhere at midnight (August 6th). Be on the lookout for a review of the album coming from yours truly. Be sure to follow these guys on Facebook, Tiktok, Twitter, and Instagram. You will not want to sleep on this phenomenal foursome.
The crowd was now fully charged and ready to take it back to 1993. As the lights dimmed radio static filled the air. Before confusion could set in, we were teased with clips of the undeniable sound of the great Seattle grunge masters. The voices of Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain, and Scott Weiland echoed through the venue. It almost felt like a hauntingly warm hug, telling us it will be OK. Just before we, OK I, got too emotional Candlebox pierces onto the stage with “Arrow”. A powerful hit off their self-titled album. The song perfectly showcased the powerhouse vocals of Kevin Martin and the mesmerizing guitar skills of the one and only Island Styles. Time seemed to be frozen as the band blasted through songs “Stand” from Into the Sun and “Change” from their self-titled album. Kevin warmly greets the crowd, joking about how he wasn’t sure they had practiced enough to play live for the first time in twenty-two long months. As eager as we were to hear more of the flannel-soaked Seattle sounds, we were ecstatic to find out the night would include some never heard songs off their forthcoming album Wolves. Hanging off every word and note of “Let me Down Easy” from the upcoming album, the crowd was a mixture of awe and bliss. It will be no surprise to me when Wolves explodes off the charts when it drops on September 17th 2021.
As Candlebox played a mix of songs from the past I looked around at me fellow concert mates. As simple as it may be, the common vibe was simple, and that vibe was happy. Couples embracing, girlfriends enjoying a mom’s night out, singletons (like myself) just there to be in the moment, and of course the bourbon sipping bros in the back. As the last few notes of “Sometimes”off Happy Pills ended we heard the beginning of “All Downhill from Here” from Wolves. This song is sure to be a hit. During the middle of the set, Kevin took the opportunity to give a speech. One that we all probably needed to hear. The theme of the speech; music can heal us. Mentioning that regardless of political stance we all need to be there for one another. To help your fellow man when possible and let the undeniable bond of music never separate our souls. Now that he has the crowd feeling all warm and fuzzy, Kevin is cloaked with an acoustic guitar. The die hard Candlebox fans know it is time for a timeless favorite “Cover Me”. Cell phone light up the room and voices ring out. Every word from Kevin and the guys was accompanied by the hundreds of fans. The warm and fuzzy moment was sadly ruined when a bourbon friendly fan caused ruckus on the right side of the venue. Surprisingly, Kevin took a moment to address the issue in the best way possible. The fan wanted an acknowledgement that it was their birthday, but probably didn’t get it in the way they had hoped. Once politely asking the fan to calm down and back off, Kevin made sure the trampled fans were fine. After giving it a moment for the dust to settle Candlebox played two new songs, “Nothing Left to Lose” and “Riptide” before the lights dimmed for a pseudo ending. Unlike most encores the band stayed on stage while the lights remained dark. One could see the guys congratulating each other on a successful first post shutdown show. Out of nowhere the guys grabbed their gear to jam out their two biggest hits. “You” off Candlebox was well received and sounded as crisp as it did in 1993. Ending the night with “Far Behind”, also from the self-titled album, was the cherry on top. The Billboard Top 20 bitter grungy break up song was sang partially by the crowd as Kevin held his mic out to us. Every single person was screaming it to that one special person the song suggests.
After the lights went up those of us who were hanging on the left side of the stage were lucky to witness a very endearing moment. The sweetest white-haired lady could be seen in front of the barricade. Her toes tapped the whole night, in Converse I may add, to the sounds of a band that was obviously a favorite of hers. Each band member made a point to wave at her and thank her for coming. She even left with some guitar picks, drumstick, and a setlist. It goes to show you now matter your age or ability; you are still able to rock out all night long. It gave me hope that I’ll be able to enjoy music far into my life.
The show top to bottom was solid. From an unexpected amazing opener to the timeless tunes of Candlebox; the show was fantastic. Candlebox will be releasing a brand-new album, Wolves, September 17th 2021. They also mentioned a B-Side album coming out on vinyl only soon. You can surely catch Candlebox at a city near you, as they have several shows from now until March 2022. Head over to www.candleboxrocks.com to pre-order Wolves and get tickets to an upcoming show.
Their setlist from that night:
- Arrow
- Stand
- Change
- Let Me Down Easy (Wolves)
- Crazy
- Sweet Summertime
- Sometimes
- All Downhill From Here (Wolves)
- Cover Me
- Nothing Left To Lose (Wolves)
- Riptide (Wolves)
- You
- Far Behind
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