By Josh Malone

Detroit, MI – September 19^th, 2025

Rising country artist Adrien Nunez opened his Don’t Wanna Go Home tour Thursday night at District 142, delivering a set that blended fan favorites, unreleased material, and even a nod to his basketball roots. With support from opener Brody Clementi, the Michigan native set a strong tone for the 14-date run.

Nunez, a former Michigan Wolverines basketball player turned country singer, wasted no time energizing the crowd with “WILD” and “ANOTHER DAY,” before introducing a newer track, “DAMN BROKE.” Between songs, he reflected on being back in his home state and promised fans a memorable evening.

One of the more personal moments came with “MINNESOTA,” a song he explained was written during a difficult period and inspired by his now-girlfriend, media personality Tianna Robillard. The crowd responded with cheers at the mention of her name. He followed with “APOLOGY SONG,” a continuation of that story.

Midway through the set, Nunez leaned into his athletic background, recalling his time with the Wolverines. The crowd answered with “Go Blue” chants before joining in the traditional “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine.” A bandmate then rolled out a basketball hoop, giving two fans the chance to shoot for prizes, a moment that blended his past and present identities.

The setlist also included his latest single, “808s & SIX STRINGS,” which stood out as a highlight live. Nunez surprised the audience with a cover of Justin Bieber’s “DAISES,” adding variety to the night’s performance.

He closed with “LOW ROAD,” the first song he ever released, acknowledging it as the track that launched his career. For the encore, he stepped into the middle of the crowd to deliver the song’s final verse and chorus, ending the evening on an intimate and memorable note.

The Don’t Wanna Go Home tour continues September 20 in Newport, Kentucky, with 13 additional dates scheduled across the country.

Brody Clementi – District 142

Adrien Nunez – District 142

by Dave Parsons

The promoter walking with me on the way to do an interview with Nashville artist KC Johns was pulled away for a moment.  As I stood in the spot where the promoter got pulled away, KC emerged from a camper, walking with a confidence that bore all the sweetness, sweat, and hope. KC Johns, with her guitars, her stories, and that voice, one part Memphis grit, one part roadmap across honky-tonk highways, didn’t wait for the formal introduction.  We shook hands, found two folding chairs that weren’t doing anything, and had a seat behind the makeshift trailer/stage at the Monongalia County Fair in Morgantown, West Virginia.

She had just come from the other end of the Fairgrounds, where she sang the National Anthem for the fair’s rodeo. For an artist used to performing in some of the most famous Nashville honky-tonks, this might be a setting out of time, but for KC Johns, the middle of a West Virginia field, with dirt under her boots, feels like coming home.

I haven’t been on a horse in over 12 years, she confesses during our conversation, But being back here in the dirt, the smell of it—it’s like a full-circle moment for me. I call this home.

It’s a sentiment that echoes through every note of her breakout viral hit Rodeo Queen, an upbeat rocker awash with country steel and roaring guitars that opens with the declaration: Mama didn’t raise no big city pretty girl. The song isn’t just a catchy anthem, but an autobiography set to music, a raw and honest tribute to the world that shaped her into the artist she is today.

Every great country music story begins somewhere humble, and KC Johns’ tale starts on a front porch in Mississippi with a grandfather who never pursued music professionally but understood its power. The whole reason I got into music was because of my granddad, Johns says, her voice softening with memory. He taught me how to play, gave me my first guitar. He loved good old country music, which made my love for country music. He basically brought me into this music life.

Born in Memphis and raised in Mississippi, those lazy afternoons picking on the front porch with her grandfather weren’t just music lessons, but classes in storytelling, in finding the universal truths hidden in personal experience.  He and I would just pick on the front porch, and I always told him he had the best seat in the house. That was like his seat, right there in that rocking chair. Then he’d bring out his lawn chair to all my shows, and he’d always have the best seat in the house at shows.

When her grandfather passed away two years ago, Johns could have let grief silence her music. Instead, she channeled it into Best Seat in the House, a tribute that reads straight from her heart. Even though he’s not physically present anymore, she says, he’s still there—he’s got the best seat in the house.

When she finally stepped off those ships, she found her way to Dollywood, the Smoky Mountain mecca where young dreamers learn what it means to be part of a show bigger than themselves. For KC, it was another rung, another rehearsal for the real thing. She did the work. She showed up. She sang. She smiled. She tucked away every lesson Dolly Parton’s kingdom offered about showmanship, heart, and making a song feel like a story being told just for you. She even landed a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in a film, proof that she was willing to try anything if it kept her close to music and the stage.

Most aspiring country stars don’t spend six years as a cruise ship vocalist, but then again, most aspiring country stars aren’t KC Johns. At age 20, when most young artists are still scribbling in journals and singing into hairbrushes, she took a job offer that would shape her in ways no record label internship ever could.

I feel like the real courage came from when I got a job offer on cruise ships when I was like 20.  That was like a huge leap for me. And my family was like, you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it. I feel like you would love it. You’re going to learn a lot. So, I took the leap.

As a rock band vocalist alongside a male singer, Johns performed everything from disco to ’80s hits, country to rock and roll. You kind of become a family on that ship as well, because you’re with them for nine months at a time, every single day.  It was an intensive crash course in performance, professionalism, and the kind of stamina required to entertain an audience night after night.  These skills would prove invaluable when she eventually made her way to Nashville’s demanding music scene.

It was supposed to be six months, and it turned into six years. I loved it. They were great to me. I worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines. They were awesome.

It was work, but it was also practice for her soul. She learned to hold a mic so that people halfway around the world feel your heart. She learned that an audience wants sincerity even more than perfection.

After that ship docked for good, she found her way to Dollywood, the Smoky Mountain mecca where young dreamers learn what it means to be part of a show bigger than themselves. For KC, it was another rung, another rehearsal for the real thing. She did the work, and she showed up. She sang and smiled. She tucked away every lesson Dolly Parton’s kingdom offered about showmanship, heart, and making a song feel like a story being told just for you.

At the same time, the pull to write her own songs and tell her own stories was strong. In 2017, she made the leap, and moved to Nashville with nothing but an acoustic guitar, a dream, and more faith than comfort.  I was like, you know what? I’m just going to sleep on people’s couches and just go. I’m just going to do it. 

It wasn’t her first leap of faith—that had been the cruise ship job that launched her adult life—but it was perhaps her most defining one. I feel like my family really gave me the courage to take that leap. The decision to pack up her life and move to Nashville, living on couches and scraping together gigs, was both terrifying and exhilarating.

The first gigs were on Broadway, the strip where country dreams go to be tested under neon and beer signs.  She sang because she had to, because every night was a new test of her voice, her spirit, her belief that she belonged. The moment she knew she’d made the right choice came not with a record deal or a hit song, but with something far more valuable……community. I think, honestly, my drummer and I have been playing together for like eight years. He was the very first drummer I played with on Broadway. I met his wife, Lisa, who is my best friend to this day. She made me feel so much a part of the Nashville community that that was my ‘I belong here’ moment. I was like, I know that I’m going to make and build a community here.

She didn’t come to Nashville to be smooth. She came to be real.

That’s not the sort of line you write into a song because it sounds pretty. That’s the kind of confession you hear in the back corners of life, the ones you tuck into notebooks, the ones that later become choruses that lift strangers out of their own darkness.

Nashville can chew you up and spit you out before your first song even finds a chord. It’s a city built on broken dreams, neon smiles, and the constant shuffling of new arrivals dragging their guitars down Lower Broadway. KC Johns knew all that, but she came anyway. She didn’t come for the polish or the pageantry. She came for the pulse. She came because something in her bones said she had to.

There’s something in the way KC Johns talks about music that feels like sitting on a front porch swing at dusk. The day’s been hard, but you also know it was worth it. She doesn’t sugarcoat. She admits the industry can knock you down. But she keeps coming back to that rodeo image, because it’s the metaphor that raised her. The music and the show will continuously knock you down, but if you continuously get back up… that’s the whole point.

And yet, she’s not all grit. There’s sweetness in her, too.  It’s the kind of sweetness you can’t fake. It’s in the way she tells you about fans who surprise her by showing up hours from home, wearing her t-shirts in some strange town.

I just ran into some friends out there that had my t-shirt on….And I was like, what are y’all doing here? They’re from 5 hours away in Pennsylvania. And they came all the way out here.

That’s the kind of thing that makes her eyes sparkle. Not chart positions, not industry buzz, but the human connection of people showing up because the songs meant something to them.

That connection is why she doesn’t try to put on airs. She doesn’t manufacture some sleek image of a country star. On social media, she just is who she is.

Just be yourself on social media and, hopefully, people will connect with you. I’ve done that my entire life, and just throw what you can on social media and hopefully people relate to what you’re doing and just have fun with you.

When Johns released Rodeo Queen in April 2024, she had no idea she was about to capture lightning in a bottle. The song, a deeply personal tribute to her parents and her rodeo heritage, struck a chord that resonated far beyond Nashville’s city limits.  The track draws directly from Johns’ family history.  Her mom was a world-champion barrel racer, and her stepdad was a bull rider. But what started as a personal story quickly became something universal, connecting with listeners who recognized their own small-town roots and family pride in Johns’ honest lyrics.

The numbers tell their own story as the song climbed to number 28 on the Texas charts, garnered over a million streams on Spotify, and accumulated over 70,000 video uses on TikTok.

That’s like the craziest thing to me. To just watch that do its thing is actually really, really cool.

In an industry obsessed with algorithms and aesthetics, she bets on authenticity. And it works because it’s not a strategy, but an instinct.  KC Johns’ Nashville story isn’t a fairytale. It’s a patchwork quilt made from Memphis blues bars, cruise ship spotlights, Dollywood stages, Broadway dives, and borrowed couches. It’s a story of stubbornness disguised as faith. It’s the kind of story that makes sense only when you hear her sing, when her voice carries the weight of every leap she’s ever taken.

I grew up listening to a lot of Sheryl Crow. Sheryl Crow was my favorite. I love what she does with rock and roll meets country. That record, all of her writing is so impeccable to me. I absolutely love her.

Success hasn’t softened Johns’ edges or diminished her appreciation for the grittier side of the music business. When asked about the challenge of maintaining authenticity in a town known for manufacturing stars, Johns is characteristically direct….

Be yourself. It’s like, totally be yourself. I feel like we all struggle with that, especially in Nashville, where you continue to try to find who you are as an artist. And I think if you’re just yourself, and you write about what’s true, I think that’s the most important thing.

KC still dreams like the girl who packed her courage and a guitar onto a cruise ship at twenty. I asked her, if the next year unfolded perfectly, what headline she would love to see written about her. She laughed at herself for even imagining, then confessed:

Wouldn’t it be the hit to have a monster hit? That would be the coolest thing ever. Yeah. That’s the dream.

Not fame for fame’s sake. Not glitter for the sake of the lights. A monster hit because it would mean her stories, her people, her losses and loves had traveled farther than she could drive in a van. That strangers she’d never met were singing her life in their kitchens, in their trucks, at their weddings and funerals.

With soundcheck and showtime approaching quickly, I asked Johns what she wanted people to take home at the end of the night. When the lights are dim, the crowd has scattered, and the amps are cooling in their cases, what truth does she want following her fans back to the parking lot? She didn’t pause:

I hope everybody just comes to a show and has a good time. Just leaving and having a good, great time. And just like, know that there’s still good in this world. … I hope people go away thinking that they know us. And we know them. And I just hope people just go away and just take us for friends. See at the next show.

That’s KC Johns’ showmanship in a nutshell.  It’s part grit, part tenderness, part rodeo queen, part barroom rocker. She’s as comfortable barefoot in dirt as she is under a spotlight, and maybe that’s why people trust her. Maybe that’s why fans who didn’t know her name at 9:30 on this evening leave the show at 11 feeling like they’ve known her forever. She doesn’t demand attention, but she earns it. She doesn’t talk down to the crowd, but pulls them in, arms around shoulders, as if every last one of them belongs in her band.

It’s that trust that makes the rest of her story believable. KC Johns doesn’t just want to be heard. She wants to be known. And by the time you leave her show, you will know who she is.

KC Johns Set List – September 12, 2025 – Monongalia Country Fair, Morgantown, WV

Smoke Show

Bad Perfume

Maybe it was Memphis

Kind of Vibe

Wrong Side of Goodbye

The Chain

Dodging Bullets

You Shook Me All Night Long

Whiskey Break

Pour Me

Wild as Wyoming

Best Seat in the House

Confused

Break From the Heart

Black Dog

Rodeo Queen

KC Johns Photo Album

by Dave Parsons

There’s something magical about watching a performer who has spent five decades perfecting their craft step onto a stage with nothing but a microphone, a few costume changes, and the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime in the entertainment industry. On a muggy Sunday afternoon in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Vicki Lawrence reminded a packed Palace Theater why some performers transcend their era while others fade away.

Scheduled for 3 PM on Sunday, September 14, 2025, and directly competing with the Steelers’ home opener 40 miles away and on every TV in the area at the same time, Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show delivered exactly what it promised, and what brought a theater full of people out despite the competition. 

The Palace Theater, with its restored 1926 beauty and intimate seating capacity, provides the perfect setting for this kind of show. Built during vaudeville’s golden age, the venue has hosted everyone from Bob Hope to Jerry Seinfeld, and surprisingly, there are a number of younger faces scattered throughout. A true testament to the lasting power of an entertainer and character ingrained in America’s hearts for decades.

While waiting for the lights to dim, a lady in her 60s, sitting next to her daughter in her 40s, plays with her purse straps in anticipation. She explains to her daughter, obviously for the 10^th time, that she’s been watching Lawrence since she was a teenager.  She explains that Saturday evenings were reserved for The Carol Burnett Show when her father and she were first married. Her daughter nods politely, clearly here more out of duty than enthusiasm, but her expression suggests she’s willing to be convinced.

The house lights dim at precisely 3 PM, and Lawrence emerges to thunderous applause, with her red hair perfectly styled. At 76, she moves with the confidence of someone who has stood on stages for more than half a century, but there also seems to be an awareness that each performance is now precious.

Lawrence begins not with Mama, but with herself, and immediately the show takes on an intimate quality, as if she’s pouring coffee for old friends. Speaking directly to the audience as if we’re guests in her living room, she traces her path to comedy icon.  The story has been told before.  She wrote a fan letter to Carol Burnett at 18, and Burnett’s show hired her as a regular. 

Lawrence explains that working with Burnett and the other legendary names in comedy and television on that show was like going to comedy graduate school every day. Lawrence shared behind-the-scenes stories that feel fresh even to longtime fans. She describes the careful choreography required for the show’s elaborate musical numbers, the weekly panic when sketches weren’t working, and the strange experience of performing live comedy for a studio audience while millions more watched from home.

Lawrence adds the little, human stitches, like how Tim Conway’s eyes would sparkle when a sketch went off the rails, how Harvey Korman’s laugh arrived a full beat after his body surrendered, and how Carol could steer a skit back to shore no matter the waters.

Somewhere between when she was on Carol Burnett and with her first husband, Vicki Lawrence addressed her unlikely career as a recording artist. At the height of her TV fame, her then-husband Bobby Russell let her sing on the demo for a song that nobody thought would be a hit. She didn’t even have an album.  Producers were leaning toward Liza Minnelli or Cher to record it, yet in the end it was Lawrence who recorded The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, and watched it climb to Number One, knocking Elton John and Carly Simon out of the way.

When she performed the song, it was interesting to watch the older folks in the crowd being transfixed as if they were back in 1972, with their 45 RPM version of the song.  In contrast, there is the somewhat confused look on the faces of the younger demographic who have always associated Reba McEntire with the song.  They had no idea that Reba’s hit was actually a cover of a hit record.

It was after the song that Lawrence delved into how the Mama character came to be.  It was supposed to be for only a few comic skits in a few episodes, and Burnett herself was supposed to be mama. The ensuing 7-year run of Mama’s Family, from 1983 to 1990, was a complete surprise and took Lawrence from a supporting character to a leading woman.

And then, Lawrence said she was going to go look for the old broad, and the first half came to an end.

The second half began without fanfare, but just Mama wandering onto center stage. The metamorphosis is almost a sacrament. We’re watching a woman of 76-ish slip through the looking glass into an older woman of 80-something with a sharper tongue and better shoes. The wigs, pearls, and pocketbook become props. Mama marches out, hips telegraphing disapproval, and Greensburg braces like it’s seen a relative at the Kroger it thought had died ten years back.

After surveying the crowd with characteristic disdain, she says, Look what the cat dragged in, and the look, the voice, and the physical transformation are truly remarkable. This is master-level character work, the kind of performance that reminds you why some actors become legends while others remain mere celebrities.

Mama proceeds to roast the Palace Theater, the city of Greensburg, and the audience itself.  But, there is genuine affection underlying the insults, a sense that Mama is hazing the audience because they decided she was worth their time and attendance. The crowd eats it up.  This isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a reminder of why Mama became a cultural phenomenon in the first place.

For the next 40 minutes, Lawrence, as Mama, delivers what amounts to a philosophical meditation on aging, family, and survival. It’s presented as classic Mama, full of sharp observations and quotable one-liners, but underneath the comedy lies genuine wisdom about navigating life’s challenges. 

A montage of clips from the show is played as Lawrence slips off stage.  She returns for an encore as herself, reflecting on the evening’s journey and her career’s path.  She chooses the standard, For All We Know, to leave with the Greensburg crowd, as stills from her Carol Burnett show colleagues are displayed on the screen. The audience responds to each still photo with admiration and respect.

As the curtain falls and the audience files out into the warm September late afternoon, you can feel the energy that comes from witnessing something special. And THAT Mama, she exits clutching her daughter’s arm, clearly emotional about having seen her television idol in person. Her daughter seems to just be glad she was a part of it all. 

Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show succeeds because it operates on multiple levels at the same time. For longtime fans, it’s a celebration of beloved characters and cherished memories. For newer audiences, it’s an introduction to the old school craft of character creation.

Most importantly, it’s a reminder that great comedy transcends its original context. Mama Harper, created for 1970s television, remains relevant not because she represents eternal truths about Southern womanhood or family dynamics, but because Lawrence invested her with genuine humanity. The character’s longevity stems not from her ability to confirm stereotypes, but from her capacity to surprise audiences with unexpected depth.

Lawrence herself has evolved similarly. At 76, she’s neither trying to recapture her youth nor apologizing for her age. Instead, she’s using her accumulated experience and hard-won fans to produce performances that bring television to life before your eyes. Out on the street in front of the theater, folks make their way to their cars, and in a quiet dressing room that smells like roses and hairspray, a woman takes off a gray wig and places it on a stand like a crown. Another day of honest work done. Another house was made into a living room. And another night, the lights went out and somehow, in the laughter, came back on.

Vicki Lawrence Photo Album

Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band

Chicago Theatre, Chicago

September 10, 2025

Photos By Roman Sobus

Review by Tom Antonson:

This past Wednesday Ringo Starr brought his trademark warmth, humor, and timeless energy to a sold out crowd at the Chicago Theatre. Ringo and his star studded All Starrs delivered a show that was equal parts nostalgia trip and fresh adventure. Even at 85, the former Beatle brought more energy than performers half his age.

The evening was filled with a mix of Beatles classics, solo hits, and the collaborative covers inspired by the All Starr Band. But one of the most memorable moments came when Ringo showcased a track from his brand-new country album. Introducing “Look Up” to the crowd, he poured his country flavor into the heart of downtown Chicago.

In true country fashion, the performance took an unexpected turn when a fan near the front handed up a white cowboy hat boldly bedazzled with “RINGO” across the front. With a grin and a laugh, Ringo popped the hat on his head, which sent the crowd into a mix of applause and laughter.

Throughout the night, Ringo’s connection banter with both his bandmates and the audience reminded everyone of his down-to-earth presence. Songs like “Photograph” and Beatles staples like “Yellow Submarine” and “I Wanna Be Your Man” had the crowd on their feet, while his country material provided a new flare to the show.

Highlights from the show were the Toto songs Steve Lukather performed, including “Rosanna,” “Africa,” and “Hold the Line.” Men At Work guitarist Colin Hay also raised the roof with “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?” Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band, had the crowd grooving with “Pick Up the Pieces” and “Cut the Cake.” 

The other musicians to round out the All Starr’s included: 

Warren Ham, (of Toto) has been with Ringo since 2014 and does an inspiring job filling in on vocals and playing a number of instruments throughout the evening. Keyboardist Buck Johnson (of Aerosmith and The Doobie Brothers) along with drummer extraordinaire, Gregg Bissonette, (of David Lee Roth) round out this spectacular lineup.

Ringo singing “With A Little Help From My Friends” and a snippet of “Give Peace a Chance.” had the crowd leaving on a high note. Ringo Starr continued to spread his peace and love mantra as the crowd made their way towards the exits. In these trying times in the world, this show was the perfect mix of a trip down memory lane and an adventure down a new path, which was a much needed treat that this audience will remember forever.

RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND SET LIST

Honey Don’t (Carl Perkins cover)
It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo Starr song)
Rosanna (Toto cover with Steve Lukather)
Pick Up the Pieces (Average White Band cover with Hamish Stuart)
Down Under (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Boys (The Shirelles cover)
I’m the Greatest (John Lennon cover)
Yellow Submarine (The Beatles cover)
Cut the Cake (Average White Band cover with Hamish Stuart)
Octopus’s Garden (The Beatles cover)
Look Up (Ringo Starr song)
No No Song (Hoyt Axton cover)
Overkill (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Africa (Toto cover) (with Steve Lukather)
Work To Do (The Isley Brothers cover with Hamish Stuart)
I Wanna Be Your Man (The Beatles cover)
Who Can It Be Now? (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Hold the Line (Toto cover with Steve Lukather)
Photograph (Ringo Starr song)
Act Naturally (Johnny Russell cover)
With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover with “Give Peace a Chance” outro by Plastic Ono Band)

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band – The Chicago Theatre

By Caitlin Schmidt

What better way to celebrate a birthday than surrounded by thousands of fellow punk rock fans, soaking in a stacked lineup of 80s, 90s, and early 2000s nostalgia mixed with modern-day adrenaline? The Kia Forum was jam-packed on August 29th as The Offspring brought their SUPERCHARGED WORLDWIDE IN ’25 tour to town, joined by Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory. Each band delivered a charged-up performance that perfectly blended the best of punk rock, alt-rock, and pop-punk from the last few decades—only bigger, louder, and somehow, even more fun.

New Found Glory – Pure Nostalgia

Opening the night with the kind of energy that made them legends of the pop-punk genre, New Found Glory took the stage first and instantly lit the fuse. Having not seen them since the Honda Civic Tour with Good Charlotte twenty-two years ago, this was a full-circle moment that I was looking forward to since their place on the tour was announced.

Their set wasted no time reminding the Forum why their songs have stuck with fans for decades. They kicked off with “Understatement,” the perfect burst of adrenaline to get the night moving, before diving into “All Downhill From Here,” which had the entire crowd screaming every word in unison, myself included as I shot my photos. From there, they rolled through “Hit or Miss” and “100%,” keeping the pace relentless. “Failure’s Not Flattering” maintained the singalong spirit, and a quick, fast-paced run through “Intro” served as a lead-in to their finale. They closed with “My Friends Over You,” a track that has aged into an anthem and the kind of song that instantly unites a crowd regardless of age.

Even after all these years, New Found Glory proved why they remain such a vital force in pop-punk. Every song felt immediate and lively, the crowd fully invested, and it was easy to see why their music continues to resonate with fans across generations. Being there as they played felt like being part of a shared moment with friends old and new—a perfect reminder of why we all keep coming back to this music.

Jimmy Eat World – Melodic Power and Precision

Jimmy Eat World took the stage next, bringing a different kind of energy—less frantic than New Found Glory, but equally captivating. Despite our paths having crossed at festivals, this was my first time seeing them live, and they proved immediately that the wait had been worth it. While much of the set was heard from a semi-obstructed area due to the post-photo pit shuffle, the sound carried through with clarity and impact.

They opened with “Pain,” followed by “Just Tonight…” and “Let It Happen,” building momentum with layered guitars and driving rhythm. The crowd lit up for “Work,” and when “Futures” and “Lucky Denver Mint” rolled in back-to-back, it felt like the heart of the set had arrived. Their biggest sing-alongs came from “Bleed American,” “Sweetness,” and the heavily anticipated closer, “The Middle,” each one met with borderline overpowering voices from the audience. Newer material such as “Something Loud” felt dynamic and fully integrated into the set, showing the band’s ongoing strength and presence.

The Offspring – A Theatrical, Explosive, Unforgettable Headliner

And then came The Offspring.

From the first riff of “Come Out and Play,” the Forum erupted into a storm of energy, with fans jumping, skanking, surfing, singing, and completely immersed in the music.

Dexter Holland and Noodles’ onstage banter was both hilarious and heartwarming, a window into decades of friendship that you could feel between every song. They launched into hit after hit—“Want You Bad,” “Original Prankster,” “Gotta Get Away,” and “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)” featuring the original “Pretty Fly Guy,” Guy Cohen, who danced across the stage alongside wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men, hyping up the crowd to absurd levels.

The Offspring also showcased their versatility with several covers. Noodles and Dexter flawlessly executed partial covers of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” in tribute to “The Dark Lord Ozzy Osbourne.” Dexter performed a solo rendition of Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” and the band honored the Ramones with “I Wanna Be Sedated.” During the Ramones cover, a man wearing a gorilla mask danced across the stage holding a sign that read “I Wanna Be” on one side and “Sedated” on the other, flipping it in perfect time with the lyrics, sending the crowd into hysterics and fully amplifying the playful chaos of the night.

A standout drum solo from their young drummer, Brandon Pertzborn (whom Noodles dubbed “the second most handsome member of the band”), kept the energy sky-high. A sweet surprise came during band introductions, when multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy was introduced, and I realized I was seated right behind his proud father, who loudly proclaimed, “THAT’S MY SON!” It was a genuine, unforgettable moment that captured the familial feel of the whole night.

The encore—“You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” and “Self Esteem”—wrapped things up with a fireworks-laced punch, but no one wanted it to end. Confetti cannons, coordinated visuals, giant skeletons, massive beach balls, and pyrotechnics galore turned the Forum into a carnival of punk-fueled wonder. I was in complete awe from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

The Offspring delivered a full-blown rock opera of chaos, humor, nostalgia, and genuine emotion. Their showmanship was on another level, and the production matched every beat, with song-specific visuals, dramatic lighting, and interactive fun that made everyone—no matter their age—feel like a kid again.

This was one of those nights where everything aligned: the bands, the crowd, the energy, and the memories. Between the music, the chaos, and the sheer fun of it all, it’s a show you can’t stop thinking about even days later.

This was also one of the most challenging shows I’ve ever covered. Shooting from the soundboard for the first time, perched on a step stool, arms shaking with the heaviest lens I’ve ever held- combined with the sheer mass of the Forum, made it all very uncharted territory—a true learning experience that pushed my skills in a completely new way.

We’d like to thank New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, and of course, The Offspring, for having us out and letting us join in on the fun.

10/10 – A birthday to remember forever.

New Found Glory – Kia Forum

The Offspring – Kia Forum

by Dave Parsons

The Monongahela River rolled lazily past the Ruby Amphitheatre on a humid Friday evening as the final notes of summer 2025 prepared to fade into memory. But if this was indeed the sunset of another concert season in Morgantown, then Maddie & Tae, and rising stars The Hobbs Sisters, made sure it blazed orange and gold across the West Virginia sky.

What started as the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust’s modest gesture of free Friday night concerts has evolved into something much larger for this college town. And on this particular evening, with the semester just beginning and thousands of WVU students mingling with longtime locals, the Ruby Summer Concert Series delivered its most potent dose of authentic country storytelling yet.

The evening belonged first to The Hobbs Sisters, Nashville transplants who’ve spent the better part of a decade perfecting their brand of harmony-driven country. Twin sisters Hannah and Lauren Hobbs, Pittsburgh natives who began singing in church from a young age, have built their reputation as a fiery duo.  That reputation felt less like marketing hyperbole and more like understatement.

Opening with a full hour-long set that showcased both their musical prowess and stage presence, the Hobbs Sisters commanded the amphitheater with the confidence of headliners like Lady A and Russell Dickerson, who they have opened for in the past.

But tonight, they proved they’re ready to carry a show entirely on their own.

The sisters’ setlist showcased both their original material and their ability to breathe new life into country standards. Originals like Mistakes Like You and Think About You immediately established their chemistry before delivering a stunning version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene that had the crowd singing along from the first verse. Their performance of Love Breaks the Rules was another moment to get on cellphone video!

What struck observers most was the genuine chemistry between the twins. It’s not just musical, but the kind of lived-in familiarity that only comes from sharing a womb, a childhood, and now a career. When they traded verses on their newer material, finishing each other’s phrases both lyrically and melodically, it felt less like a performance and more like a conversation between sisters who just happened to be having it in front of 3,000 people.

Mid-set highlights included What If It Was and Summer on a Slow Burn, both showcasing their songwriting prowess, before they stripped things down for an acoustic portion featuring Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide and their own Girl You Met.

The energy surged back with Never Find Another, building into the evening’s most joyous moment came when they launched into Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman!  The hour flew by, and judging from the line at their merch table, they gained many new fans with that opening set.

Maddie & Tae took the stage at 8:30, as the sun had descended behind the hills surrounding Morgantown, casting long shadows across the amphitheater. If the Hobbs Sisters were a spark, Maddie & Tae were the bonfire. The duo walked on with a kind of seasoned ease that comes only from a decade of surviving country radio, motherhood, marriage, and the stubborn unpredictability of the music business. Their bond—Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr—has been tested, and their catalog has grown deeper with each trial.

Maddie Font and Tae Kerr emerged to thunderous applause, immediately launching into Free Like, a song that felt perfectly suited to the open air, flowing river, and the kind of freedom that only comes when music connects artist to audience without pretense or barrier.

The duo’s 18-song setlist balanced their biggest hits with deeper album cuts that showcased their evolution as artists. Recent ACM Award nominees for Duo of the Year and CMT Music Award winners for Group/Duo Video of the Year, Maddie & Tae have spent the better part of a decade proving that authentic country music doesn’t have to choose between commercial success and artistic integrity.

Shut Up and Fish, their second song of the evening, got the crowd singing along immediately.  I was apparent that the new generation of fans they have picked up is loud and loyal. Sad Girl Summer and Kissing Cowboys showcased their ability to paint landscapes with precision, while Girl in Alabama demonstrated why they’ve become such powerful voices for women in country music.

The acoustic portion of their set, featuring Fly and a stunning cover of Lee Ann Womack’s I Hope You Dance, stripped away all production and left only two voices, two guitars, and 3,000 people hanging on every word. Tae’s powerful voice showed remarkable restraint during these quieter moments, while Maddie’s natural storytelling ability turned each song into a three-minute movie.

Woman You Got, the song that earned them their CMT Music Award, arrived midway through the set like a mission statement. Here was country music that celebrated rather than objectified, that found strength in vulnerability, that proved radio-ready didn’t have to mean substance-free. The crowd’s response, mainly from the young women down at the barrier, suggested the message was being received loud and clear.

While the hits certainly had their moments, it was the album tracks that provided the evening’s most revelatory moments. Chasing Babies & Raising Dreams offered a look at the different paths life can take, while Heart They Didn’t Break served as a defiant anthem about resilience. These weren’t songs written for radio programmers or streaming algorithms, but were written for people, by people who understand that country music’s greatest strength has always been its ability to find the universal in the specific.

The evening’s most surprising moment came during One Hit Wonders, a song that could have felt like self-deprecating humor but instead came across as confident self-awareness. Here were two artists at the peak of their powers, acknowledging the fickle nature of the music industry while simultaneously proving they’ve moved on past such concerns.

I can’t say enough about the venue and the quality of the sound and lighting. The Ruby Amphitheatre’s natural acoustics helped to allow every vocal nuance and instrumental detail to reach even the back rows clearly.  The fact that this was a free concert, part of the Ruby Summer Concert Series presented by the City of Morgantown and the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust, only added to its significance. In an era when concert ticket prices continue to skyrocket, events like this serve as crucial reminders that music’s power doesn’t diminish when financial barriers are removed.  If anything, it increases in power and significance.

Setlist:

MADDIE & TAE Ruby Amphitheatre, Morgantown, WV August 29, 2025

1. Free Like
2. Shut Up and Fish
3. Sad Girl Summer
4. Kissing Cowboys
5. Girl in Alabama
6. Woman You Got
7. Friends Don’t
8. Chasing Babies & Raising Dreams
9. Heart They Didn’t Break
10. Fly (Acoustic)
11. I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack cover) (Acoustic)
12. One Hit Wonders
13. Your Side of Town
14. Girl in a Country Song
15. Fall in Love & Find Out
16. Every Night, Every Morning
17. Bathroom Floor
18. Die From a Broken Heart

Hobbs Sisters Photo Album

Maddie & Tae Photo Album