Author: Josh Bradley

The month of May was an absolute rut for me. Depression and writer’s block snuck up and destroyed me inside and out. Per the advice of Dan Levy (public, not personal), I planned a trip to let loose a little bit. It was bound to happen no matter the state of my mental health, but by the end of it all, I felt like a new man.

In February, I bought floor tickets to see Paul McCartney’s newly announced “Got Back” tour in Orlando on May 28. There was no Tampa date announced, and Macca is one of a handful of artists I’d travel to see live. The only other ones I can think of are Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, and of course, whichever concert series coincides with the current festival at EPCOT. There may be others, but in this day and age, if you have the opportunity to see a Beatle live, you snatch it.

Before I knew it, I was packing clothing, my camera, and my toiletries. I wasn’t just going to drive home for two-and-a-half hours while exhausted from a surely euphoric live experience. While I was packing the night before the show, I made a spontaneous decision to make tomorrow a bigger adventure than I had originally anticipated.

A week beforehand, my brother and I were in Orlando for MegaCon, which had the reunion of the four Hobbits (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd), and while we were away, our parents ventured out to an indoor antique mall in Lakeland—not far from Disney World—which was said to be selling actual pieces of Disney history, and things used in the theme parks.

As a lifelong Disney kid, how the hell do you say no to something like that?

So on the morning of May 28, probably around 10:15, I bid my family farewell, got in my car, and started driving. After stopping at Starbucks for my chocolate cream cold brew and double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich, I headed for Lakeland on the same road I usually take to Orlando: I-275. Oy, pray for me.

Literally half a mile away from the exit from I-4 (which I-275 turns into) to Lakeland, I came up on some traffic—naturally. It only took a few minutes to get out, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer it would have taken, had the exit been a few miles ahead. I might just be getting out of the antique mall right now!

I found the mall, and pulled into the parking lot. One of the first things I saw upon entry was Alice Cooper’s Dirty Diamonds on vinyl, a mega-rarity. I was amazed at how quickly I had stumbled across one of the vinyl sections. There were definitely some interesting picks in there, including a copy of the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack, which I held in my hands for about 20 minutes before putting it back. It was available for cheaper elsewhere.

I came across a whole section full of old toys of all brands, from Hasbro to McDonald’s Happy Meal. All I could think about searching for was a toy that one of the fast food places had like, eight years ago: It was Manny the Mammoth from Ice Age—voiced by one of my all-time favorites, Ray Romano—rolled up in a snowball. It’s literally the photo that my best friend uses on my contact page on his phone. I couldn’t find it, so I moved on, to find a section that had a small rack of shirts, one of which had some Lego bricks on it, and said in the proper font “Another Brick in the Wall.” And as luck would have it, the shirt was in my chunky XXL size. Sold.

I finally came across a section in the back that had some theme park memorabilia. The first few pieces I came across were signs from events having taken place at Universal primarily (one of which said “media entry,” which I very nearly purchased, had I known where in my bedroom to put it). Not to mention all the “Shrek” related standups, such as the $800 Great Moments with Lord Farquaad one. There were a few traces of Disney props around there, though, which served as my sneak peek at what was to come. For sale were some drinking glasses from Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and a few small things guests could find at the Grand Floridian, a hotel I’ve always wanted to spend a night at.

I kept moving towards the back of the store, and that’s where the magic began.

After I came across a whole jug of Shrek 4D glasses from Universal, I came across a massive, sun-bleached “Oliver & Company” poster that may have been used on Disney property when the movie came out. I didn’t buy it—mainly due to bedroom spacing—so I found the next best thing: A dark blue blazer that a Disney cast member would regularly wear, for $20. I’m still trying to find out what it was used for, but all in all, it’s a nice blazer anyway, so I’m really not that concerned about whether or not a cast member really wore it.

It would take me a whole other blog post just to explain how gnarly this place really was: There were hotel lamps, used-in-park Christmas ornaments, props going back to the 1930s, Funko POP!’s, you freakin’ name it. Though nothing I purchased was really antique-worthy, I’m already jonesing to go back.

Around 2:10, I remember that I still have another hour worth of driving before getting to Orlando. So, after I check out and take a potty break, I map out my route once again. I really didn’t want to get back onto I-4, because even though there were still six hours before Macca took the stage, I didn’t want to risk missing a second of the show, so I decided to take a backroad.

Truthfully, it was the best decision of my life.

I haven’t spent much time in Lakeland, having grown up in the old-folks home known as Palm Harbor, so when I got to drive down a two-lane road for about a half-hour, it was exhilarating. The only thing I could see on my sides were the woods, farmland, and the occasional horse. I was enthralled. Just driving down this road, with my McCartney music playing was one of my favorite moments I’ve ever had behind the wheel.

Before long, I was once again surrounded by tourists and residents with cobwebs on their turn signals. I had arrived in Orlando. A little bit before 4:00, I checked into the Buena Vista Suites and Resort, a longtime favorite hotel of my family’s. I didn’t care too much about the price (which in February, wasn’t that much to begin with)—I had picked this place to stay because not only do they cater to those under 21, but there’s also a complimentary breakfast buffet. Those who know me are well aware that there’s nothing I love more than breakfast buffets. All the bacon in the world? Um, yes please!

Speaking of bacon, I had one more stop to make before hitting Camping World Stadium.

Once I did my hair, got my sweatbands on, and took one more potty break, I headed for my obligatory pre-concert dinner stop: Giordano’s. 

Possibly for the best, we don’t have Giordano’s in Tampa, so stopping here has become a special occasion for the most part. I’ve stopped in here after conventions, and before my brother and I caught Billy Joel back in March, so I’m no stranger to the joint. I ordered some mozzarella triangles, and my regular: A small deep-dish with bacon, chicken breast, and jalapeños. Call me psychotic, but it’s what I’d put on my flatbreads at my old job!

Around 5:30, I got back in my car, turned on my McCartney playlist, and finally, headed towards the stadium that currently encased the Beatle.

Traffic near the stadium—and parking—was the furthest thing from fun, but the good news was that I had pre-purchased onsite parking in advance, so it was zero trouble getting from my car to the stadium itself. I was starting a brand new section of the parking lot—naturally—and I had no idea which way to position my car. The traffic attendants yelling at me didn’t help, but once I did it right, all was forgiven, I guess.

I grabbed my camera, locked the car, and headed right across the street. I got in line, hoping that the camera wouldn’t be a problem, which it wasn’t. To quote the security guard that totally didn’t give me an ounce of sassy lip, “nobody asked about the camera.” 

My digital ticket (which I still fucking hate) was scanned, and I was in. The first thing I saw was a bulging line for merchandise, which made me a little dizzy. Luckily, having purchased a floor seat, there was a separate merchandise booth in that section itself, which is where I headed straight for.

I got in line, and heard a voice calling out my name. It was Randa, a friend I had known through our mutual love of Tom Petty. We had been in each other’s presence many a time before, whether we met up or not. I can think of at least five or six shows we had both attended besides this one. Randa and I chatted for about two minutes (from slightly afar), and after waiting in line for what felt like a half hour, I purchased a green t-shirt that contained the design seen on Paul’s current tour poster. It was basically a drawing of Paul walking out to a river of sorts, and a path is forming underneath him, as he walks. 

I wanted that poster, I really did. But for one thing, I couldn’t fathom spending $50 on another poster. I did just that for the Rolling Stones in October, and because I already have a glorious print I bought at Paul’s “One On One” tour from 2017, there’s no need for another one. Plus, God forbid it rained again. That’s $50 down the drain.

I got to my seat, and took some pics of the stage, and was incredibly anxious in the best way possible. Ever since the tour started the month before, I had intentionally avoided any and all spoilers about the show. The only things I knew were that Paul would open with “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and that he was going to do a virtual duet with John Lennon on “Don’t Let Me Down.” I couldn’t wait to hear what else he was going to throw into the mix.

Then, at 8:22, it happened. The lights onstage dimmed. The remix of the ending of “The End” blared through the speakers, and the Hofner basses displayed on the two jumbo sidescreens fronted some fireworks. The screens went black. 

Ten seconds later, the crowd went wild. Fucking wild.

Paul—holding his Hofner—waved, pumped his fist, and as promised, opened with “Can’t Buy Me Love.” I’ll be straightforward: It wasn’t a smooth start. Paul’s getting older, I get it. He’ll be eighty fucking years old this month. But the voice is gone, and at this point, you’re seeing a living legend. That having been said, I’d far rather pay big bucks to actually hear him sing than to watch him lip sync, (looking at you, KISS. You too, Frankie Valli) because when it comes down to that, the singer becomes a prop. A piece of history slowly being whittled away.

But not Paul McCartney. NEVER Paul McCartney.

Much of the setlist was the same as when I saw Paul five years ago in Tampa, but there were a few tunes that took me by utter surprise. For one thing, the cover of Wings’ “Let ‘Em In” was a great touch, and featured Paul at his grand piano, while videos of parades and protests scrolled behind him. Right before that was “Getting Better,” a song I knew before I knew The Beatles. Thanks, Smash Mouth. “I’ve Just Seen A Face” was another banger that Paul threw back into the mix recently. I remember hearing a live version of it on YouTube with Paul Simon singing opposite to Macca. Talk about a superduo.

“My Valentine” is always played sometime during Paul’s set, but these days, its presentation means a lot more. The music videos featured Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman, and if you’ve been paying attention to the news…yeah. Poignant as hell.

A just-as-modern song, “Dance Tonight,” featuring Paul on mandolin, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. dancing around, was presented, right after Paul asked the girls in the crowd to give off a massive “Beatle scream,” which they did. I couldn’t imagine paying what I did for this show, just to have that scream be all I heard, so kudos to whoever caught The Beatles play live in the ‘60s. Oh, and “You Never Give Me Your Money” and “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” were great touches, too.

I like to think that I’m not too much of a cryer, but I can safely admit that I cried thrice during the show, mainly towards the end. The first time was during “Let it Be,” not only because it’s such a gorgeous song. My grandmother—who had passed away a year ago two days prior—adored a Hebrew retelling of the song, “lu yehi,” and she used to sing it around the house when my mother and uncle were kids. I couldn’t help but think of her throughout it, but knew that she was there with me.

After Paul and his four-piece band lead Orlando through the “na-na-na-na’s” of “Hey Jude,” they left the stage for a few minutes, just to come back out with five flags: American, U.K., LGBTQ+, Florida—right next to the Pride flag, appropriately—and waved by Paul, the Ukrainian flag. This happens in every Macca show, but is always such a glorious reminder that Paul loves all.

Some more waterworks went off on my end twice during the ending medley, once during “Golden Slumbers,” and during the very last segment of “The End,” as Paul was finishing the lyrics. Thank God for sweat rags. Or in this case, tear rags.

“I guess there’s only one thing left to say,” Paul began his final remarks with. “We’ll see you next time.” Right after that, the stage filled up with smoke, and confetti filled the sky. I managed to snag a few pieces both from out of the sky, and on the ground. I actually keep a piece or two in my phone case, along with some Green Day confetti from earlier this year, that way Paul is with me wherever I go, in a sense.

As I sat in my car for an hour, waiting for the traffic to clear, I scrolled through the million and one photos I had taken in two and a half hours, while munching on a piece of leftover pizza. I didn’t get back to my hotel until about 1 a.m, and though I passed out pretty quickly, I remained pretty euphoric into the morning.

The days like May 28 remind me just how beautiful life is. Hopefully, next year when Springsteen comes to town, I’ll be able to relive bits and pieces of this day.

May you remain adventurous into your old age, and your inspiration, long may it last.

I’m not gonna act like 2021 was the greatest year ever. But I’d be lying if I said we didn’t get any good music this year. Honestly, it felt hard to keep up at certain times, with so many artists finally getting out their lockdown masterpieces that could have been overshadowed by Dylan or McCartney last year.

The year was full of comebacks, farewells, and not to mention The Legendary No Nukes Concert from Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band finally dropping (which I’ll get out of the way now). Here are my twelve favorite albums of 2021 in chronological order, and why. Happy new year, my friends. Be well, be safe, and keep on rockin’.

January: Weezer – OK Human

I very well could have waited until May for my favorite alternative rock band to release its long-awaited Van Weezer album—originally intended as a tribute to the hair metal vibes of the 1980s. But instead, I’ll take on Weezer’s unexpected, orchestral-based masterpiece that dropped almost from out of nowhere, nine days after Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Rivers Cuomo was talking about making OK Human a few years back, and had apparently recorded it before Van Weezer finally surfaced this spring. This one feels very Pet Sounds-inspired, in the sense that the boys stepped away from their alternative rock-based formula, and toyed around with analog equipment all throughout. Perhaps the piano-and-orchestra blend on “Here Comes The Rain” was just what the fans needed. On the other hand, the upbeat tempo and instrumentation on “Screens” sounds just like they’re saying “hey, we’re still the same Weezer you remember,” even though they’re really not.

After a pretty horrifying month (looking at you, Capitol rioters), Rivers Cuomo and friends actually provided fans with a soothing half-hour of peace. Imagine.

February: Willie Nelson – That’s Life

Frank Sinatra with a country taste? Forget it.

Relax. Like on 2018’s My Way, the country legend did not pull a Dylan, and Nelsonify his favorite Sinatra songs. His voice remains unmistakably distinctive, but like on your typical Sinatra work, there’s an orchestra—or a grand piano, backing him up on every tune. “You Make Me Feel So Young” was an appropriate pick for this point in Willie’s life. The guy’s 88 years old, and is still touring! I also really loved that he brought Diana Krall onboard to duet with him on “I Won’t Dance,” and that he finally recorded a version of “Luck Be A Lady.”

It’s been a minute since ol’ Willie has put out any brand new material, having mainly relied on covers in the last few years. But when you’re Willie Nelson, you don’t have to explain why or what you’re doing Frank Sinatra covers for—whether you’re stoned or sober.

March: Jon Batiste – We Are

I think my dad recommended this one to me. It had occurred to me earlier in the year that my taste in music wasn’t super diverse. Other than Ray Charles and Lizzo, my knowledge and love of black musicians was embarrassingly slim, and I wanted that to change.

After loving the shit out of Pixar’s Soul—where Batiste composed the jazz pieces, I bought the vinyl copy of WE ARE at Barnes & Noble before even listening to it. And what doesn’t this album have? For one thing, the personnel was insane. You’ve got Robert Randolph playing the pedal steel during “Cry,” soon-to-be Stones drummer Steve Jordan on a few tracks, and a spoken word segment from the legend herself, Mavis mothafuckin’ Staples. Undoubtedly, you can’t forget just how musically gifted Stephen Colbert’s musical director is. Mixing in jazz, hip-hop, and modern day pop instrumentation? To “tell the truth,” (sorry) I can only think of one other recording artist today who is capable of doing that, and nobody being shocked. I’ll give you a hint: She did a record with Tony Bennett this year.

Whatever Grammys this album wins in 2022 will be well-deserved. 

April: Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid Tension Experiment 3 

I didn’t listen to this one until the summer, right after interviewing the band—and King Crimson’s bassist, Tony Levin. We talked a little bit about it in the 25ish minutes we were on the phone together, and instrumental metal and progressive rock done by him and three of the guys from Dream Theater sounded like a fascinating mix.

What I got was an exhilarating, nearly-two hour long ride through the instrumental, inner-workings of the minds of the guys from Dream Theater. “Chris & Kevin’s Amazing Odyssey,” which has a brief bongo section, guitar effects that sound like car engines, and a pretty basic tempo, is a follow-up to 1998’s “Chris & Kevin’s Excellent Adventure.” Going into the bonus disc, “A Night At The Improv,” I really enjoyed John Petrucci’s melancholic-sounding work on “Solid Resolution Theory,” as well as on the closer, “Ya Mon.” This was the band’s first studio album since 1999, so hopefully between now and when (if) volume 4 comes out, there won’t be a 20-year gap.

Oh, and the progressive metal version of “Rhapsody In Blue” was pretty sick, too.

May: Alfie Templeman – Forever Isn’t Long Enough

This British kid is somebody I was only turned onto a year or two ago, when my friend Jebb collaborated with him. Forever Isn’t Long Enough talks about how Alfie is entering adulthood, experiencing heartbreak, and on the title track, suffering from paranoia and low self-esteem—the latter of which is something I have long struggled with. Much of it is synth-based, so while guitar work is limited, the songs are catchy, and I feel that they would be well-received if played on the radio.

What I love about Alfie is that generally, he writes his own material on his own. While he did have a little bit of help on this one, the songwriting credits didn’t take up an entire page—unlike on many mainstream pop albums today. I’d really like to catch this guy live at some point.

June: Danny Elfman – Big Mess

June didn’t exactly start on a great note. My grandmother passed away on May 26, and her funeral on May 30 fucked me up pretty badly. But something that took my mind off of it for awhile was the fact that one of my favorite film composers had finally returned to rock music after a few decades away from it.

Danny Elfman—who has composed the soundtrack to at least one movie you’ve at bare minimum heard of, established what feels like a career retrospective on Big Mess. Disc 1 is more progressive sounding, and is more dedicated to his soundtracks, with its orchestral instrumentation, and Nightmare Before Christmas-style backing vocals. Disc 2 takes on something a bit heavier than Oingo Boingo, and sounds very similar to alternative rock of today. That’s what enthralls me about Elfman—even as he approaches his 70s, he keeps up with the times in a fashion that is in no way, shape, or form pathetic. 

It sucks that it took a global pandemic for him to release new material, but man, does it feel good to have new Danny Elfman music.

July: The Wallflowers – Exit Wounds

For my 20th birthday, Jakob Dylan gave me—and the world, the first Wallflowers album since 2012. Like much of the band’s work before it, Exit Wounds gives off Americana vibes, and includes a few tracks worth of help from Shelby Lynne. While her gospel-esque backing vocals on “Move The River” were definitely necessary, “Who’s That Man Walking ‘Round My Garden” is the one that stands out to me the most. It starts off sounding like it’ll be an alternative rock-turned Byrds song. Instead, it tells the story of a guy who works his ass off, and yet, there’s something suspicious lingering in his mind—or, his garden. Jakob said to see it however you want, but to know that the garden is figurative. Is it mental health issues? A woman (or man)? Gee, I wonder where Jakob learned the ability to intersperse figures of speech as such into his music.

I think of Jakob as a very similar figure to Arlo Guthrie. The elephant in the room is that he’s the son of an American songwriting treasure—both of ‘em are. But, like their fathers before them, both of the guys’ lyrics and individual musicianship is just as acclaimed without mentioning their relationships to Woody and Bob.

August: Meet Me @ The Altar – Model Citizen EP

Okay, not quite an album—and another work I listened to a little bit later, but I couldn’t write this list out without mentioning Meet Me @ The Altar. I caught these guys at 97x NBT in December, opening for Glass Animals and Twenty One Pilots, and I just loved everything about them. The stage presence, the music, and not to mention the fact that they’re currently Florida-based. 

“Feel A Thing” opened the EP with the sounds of various ‘80s arcade sounds, which guitars would go onto imitate perfectly. “Now Or Never” is about having a hard time leaving the past behind—in this case, romantically. That’s another thing that should be addressed more in music: How hard it is to move forward sometimes. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s next for this all-female band—which met through YouTube videos a few years ago. They’ve got a spring gig in Tampa coming up, and I’m hoping to do a profile of sorts on them. Guess we’ll see where we are, come March.

September: Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham

The former Fleetwood Mac guitarist has had my stomach in a hell of a knot in recent years. He had heart surgery in 2019, which temporarily took his singing voice away. I began to think that he’d never tour again, there was no chance of reconciliation with Stevie Nicks (well…anyway), and that he would retire shortly.

Luckily, I was very wrong. His self-titled album—his first since 2011’s Seeds We Sow, apparently started out as a series of voice memos on his phone, and he went from there. Lindsey clearly has so many riffs left in him, whether it’s a frenetic solo on an electric, during “On The Wrong Side,” or just all-around excellent shredding on “Blue Light.” And for an album composed and performed all by himself, there really isn’t a dull moment on it. Not to mention his gorgeous cover of “Time” by the Pozo-Seco Singers making it on there. I initially thought that it was a Lindsey original, and was pretty bummed when I found out that it wasn’t.

I’m so lucky to have finally caught him live on the tour promoting this album. His voice felt a little bit strained, but it was undoubtedly still the same Lindsey we’ve known and loved for the last nearly 50 years.

October: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga – Love For Sale

This was easily the most strenuous month of the year for me. I spent an entire week and a half covering for my boss at work, while also having to cover five different shows for the paper that week alone. But this album came out at the beginning of the month, and it quickly became my gay-guy-Friday-night-drive soundtrack.

They’re saying that Love For Sale—entirely comprised of Cole Porter tunes, is gonna be Tony Bennett’s last album, now that the world knows that he’s been living with Alzheimer’s for the last five or so years. Him and Gaga have been good friends for a few years now, and even with Tony’s memory problems, it shows. Opening track “It’s De-Lovely” really lets Gaga show off the Vaudeville side of her already acrobatic vocal cords, and Bennett’s entrance into that song just melted my heart, especially knowing that this was the beginning of the end for him. Tony’s vocals on the heartbreaking title track were pretty solid, as well—and it actually made the song a tad less devastating.

Honestly, my only regret in life is not going to see Tony live when I had many, MANY chances to do so. But it’s good to know at the very least that his voice—and stage presence, remained strong until his final shows at Radio City Music Hall earlier this year, celebrating his 95th. A film crew actually filmed parts of the shows for a CBS special, and I can’t recommend it enough. 

November: ABBA – Voyage

This November, we were met with a barrage of new music from highly-anticipated artists. I mean, on Nov. 19 alone, Adele, Brian Wilson, and Sting all dropped new material. But for this list, I felt obligated to select ABBA’s first new release in 40 years, knowing that there are people who have died that never got to see a brand-new album from them unfold.

Voyage is very slow and delicate, yet more musically diverse and complex than ABBA’s previous, more disco-oriented work. Opening track “I Still Have Faith In You” is the epitome of what most of the album sounds like—a bit slower, emotional, and orchestral. There are some faster-paced, upbeat tunes on the ten-track masterpiece, though. “When You Danced With Me” is, melodically speaking, a Scottish-sounding piece, and “No Doubt About It” sounds the most like something Bjorn and Benny would have composed back in the band’s heyday.

Let this sink in: You are alive, and ABBA is making new music. Even if it’s not all disco-based, THEY’RE BACK!

December: Green Day – BBC Sessions (Live)

I finally saw the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer at the end of July, and though I liked Green Day beforehand, the show really turned me onto just how brilliant they really are. Billie Joe Armstrong controlled the crowd as if he were Freddie Mercury, and it was honestly easy to forget that each member of the core trio will be celebrating their respective 50th birthdays next year.

BBC Sessions (Live) is a healthy mix of everything between Dookie and Warning, and it feels like an evolutionary project that shows how far Green Day has come—in terms of performing (Dookie is one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, and I’ll fight you on that). I mean, you go from the guys playing “Basket Case” exactly the way it was recorded in 1993, to “Minority” having a trumpet solo midway through. These days, both songs include “hey-oh’s” and much more yelling, but it still goes to show that by the time Green Day does take its final bow, the band will go down as hands-down one of the greatest live bands to have ever walked the earth. 

By the way, hats off to them for including “Walking Contradiction” in this collection, which has only been played live a handful of times.

“We just want to take now to thank 97x” was probably the most spoken phrase of the weekend, from almost every band and artist who took the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre stages.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of when an oldies station was switched over to the beloved alternative rock station that first gave us once-smaller names Blink-182, Twenty One Pilots (stylized “twenty one pilots), and a pre-The Black Parade My Chemical Romance. Alternative rock has been—altered a great deal since that fateful day in 2000, and from there, 97x’s annual Next Big Thing (known among its primarily youthful listeners as “NBT”) has moved to bigger venues, booked hundreds of international and local acts, and brought in thousands of fans.

This year, in honor of the 20th anniversary we couldn’t celebrate in 2020, 97x decided to make this festival their biggest one yet. Southern California-based rock quartet Weezer, family trio AJR (brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met), and rap-rock chameleons Twenty One Pilots, all served as headliners across both Friday and Saturday nights. Some local acts got in the game as well, even scoring much support and enthusiasm that some locals still strive for.

It all began Friday night around 5:45, when Tampa’s own Summer Hoop—formerly of SickHot, launched into her short, yet exuberant setlist, while leaning on her backing band for all instrumentation. She would both saunter around stage Alanis Morissette-style, and fall to her knees on “Dagger,” which just had its music video release. Her commentary included how humbled she felt to be playing at the festival she would regularly attend as a teenager. “I get my face on a t-shirt!” She joked.

Meet Me @ The Altar, an all-female band brought together by YouTube videos, came next, and the energy levels onstage from all five band members were that of The Who. Téa Campbell’s guitar moves and jumps strongly resembled a young Pete Townshend. Georgia-hailed lead singer Edith Johnson, with her neon green dreadlocks, made sure to promote the excellency of the diversity shown before the crowd, while also promoting Model Citizen—the band’s new EP from Fueled By Ramen. “My biggest fear is falling on stage, but I almost did,” she admitted, after finishing up “Brighter Days (Are Before Us).”

Glass Animals—best known for its song “Heat Waves” making it big on TikTok, made fans feel as if they were in the 80s with its usage of the big screens. During “Tangerine,” a very poorly played game of Pac-Man was displayed, and most of the graphics throughout their set were 8-bit, or Matrix-esque effects. Lead singer Dave Bayley threw a plastic pineapple into the pit during the reminiscent “Pork Soda,” and it only took one musical note for every person in the venue to recognize “Gooey.” Considering the fact that this show might not have happened at all, due to a 2018 biking accident that nearly killed drummer Joe Seaward, these Indie guys from England were more than just a good warmup for what was to come.

At 9:30, as promised, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun—aka twenty one pilots, entered from stage left, over the intro music to their hit, “Stressed Out.” Truthfully, if that was the only TOP song you knew, there still would not be an ounce of disappointment in you by the end of the guys’ set. Being the headliners, the duo and—for the first time ever, their four-piece repertoire managed to fly right through their standard, Takeover Tour show, in its entirety. Tyler and Josh both engaged in jumping off of a wooden classroom piano, hanging out in the crowd, and obviously, numerous costume changes. Tyler being up front, his changes were a bit more noticeable. A black, sequin-dusted trench coat with sherpa came out on “The Outside.” Later, a white polo with slightly oversized white glasses were donned while Tyler sat behind the classroom piano during “Mulberry Street” (and into a cover of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” likely for the parents), and for the patter-cut, “Car Radio,” Tyler and Josh both threw on their black ski masks—which Tyler took off while standing on a risen platform in the crowd.

Normally, twenty one pilots takes much larger stages when they stop here—mainly sticking to Tampa’s Amalie Arena. So though the capacity is about the same at both venues, there was a sense of extra intimacy during the band’s all-covers, campfire jam sequence. The six gathered around a literal campfire, and jammed to an acoustic medley of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” The Temptations’ “My Girl” (with the title line being replaced with “Josh Dun”), and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ “Home,” trumpet solo and all. Those weren’t even the only covers of the night. Trumpeter Jesse Blum opened the fearful “Jumpsuit” with the Halo theme song, and before jumping into the band’s COVID-inspired “Level of Concern,” War’s “Low Rider” caused a few eyebrows to raise, on the parents’ end.

Day 2 dawned in, and at 10:20, fans met back up, sipping Liquid Death and reminiscing about the night before. Due to it now being Saturday, more acts were on the bill, and therefore required the second, smaller Achieva Credit Union Stage. Achieva was a major sponsor of the festival, having handed out free wooden sunglasses, koozies, and foam light sticks for fans to wave around both nights.

Once Nightbreakers finished its heavy, ass-shakin’, early morning set, Phoenix-based singer-songwriter Upsahl took the stage at 11:10, with nothing but her voice, a white bass, and a black, Gretsch electric. Most of the music that backed her up was pre-recorded, including much of the guitar work, but whenever she did shred out a few chords on “Lunatic,” or slap that bass on “People I Don’t Like,” she would shake the ground anyway. “Thanks for getting up at like, 10 a.m on a fuckin’ Saturday to listen to some music.” she acknowledged.

Daisy The Great took the stage three separate times on Saturday, the first time being for a full, electric set, half-comprised of songs that have not yet publicly materialized. Creative forces Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker stood up front and harmonized on “Glitter,” which just dropped the day before, and at one point, even led a full-band dance break, mid-song. Walker picked up a gorgeous teal Les Paul on “Cry In The Mirror,” and while they didn’t play their crossover with AJR, “Record Player,” the band did dust off one of its earliest tunes, “The Record Player Song,” which was basically the AJR crossover in a premature phase.

Girlfriends—made up of rapper Travis Mills and Goldfinger drummer Nick Gross, have only been a band for a bit over a year, but from their opening of the regretful “Jessica” to their jealousy-filled closer of “California,” the duo was clearly having the time of its life. “I wanna fuck my dad—oh, shit, my microphone’s still on,” Mills joked at the very end of “The First Time.” Also presented was the guys’ collaboration with blink-182’s Travis Barker, “Where Were You,” which was actually co-written by fans who sent in letters regarding their mental struggles in life. Undoubtedly, that had to have hit close to home for a number of fans who have struggled with depression and anxiety over the years.

As a confetti-filled beach ball went flying across the crowd, the ever flamboyant Mod Sun, in a blue, “I Heart RS” sweater, and his (all shirtless) band, became the last act to hit the Achieva Credit Union Stage. Opening with “Karma” and the thankful “Betterman,” Mod really drank in the fact that the stage’s crowd had grown a great deal from the morning performers. And yet, the current crowd was chickenshit compared to what was to come. During “Painkiller,” he requested a mosh pit circle to form, and for all fragile people to step aside. “If you see anyone on the fucking ground, pick ‘em up!” Mod demanded, now shirtless. He also made the crowd pinky-promise early on that if he put on a hell of a show, they’d come back to see Mod during his next show in Tampa—whenever that will be. I don’t think anybody is going to break that promise—even if my camera and I bounced around like a pinball in that mosh pit segment.

Once Mod Sun closed his set with his new collaboration with girlfriend Avril Lavigne, “Flames,” the stage was shut down, and it was time for the crowd to make their way towards the main stage that countless names have graced over the years.

Girl In Red, fronted by Norwegian queer icon Marie Ulven Ringheim, kicked off the anticipation for what was to come. The six-piece band played “Girls” early on—one of the songs that makes Ulven popular in the LGBTQ community. “I’ll Die Anyway” took a darker turn, but was still well-received anyway. “The song is about death and dying but—I think that’s enough for tonight…today,” she admitted. The confetti beach balls from before made their way over to the main stage and into the pit, which Ulven made sure to acknowledge. “I almost forgot the lyrics because these are very fun to look at!” she admitted after “We Fell In Love In October.” After “Did You Come,” off of this year’s If I Could Make It Go Quiet, she acknowledged the utter insanity of having her own guitar picks. “That’s what the rock stars do,” she said. And don’t worry, she closed with “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend.”

After Daisy The Great played a brief acoustic set on a side stage, which featured “Glitter,” the amphitheater began to fill even more—for an act that had been hyped by almost all of the artists on both stages. Yungblud, in his first Tampa appearance, dashed out in a Cramps t-shirt, pink high-socks, and a miniskirt. Puckering his lips and running like Jagger, and swaying his hips like Elvis, the British musician ripped through “I Love You, Will You Marry Me” with a guitar strapped on—mainly as a prop. He did play some chords throughout, but while his impeccable backing band took on their jobs, Yungblud expressed his hyper energy. While finishing “Weird!,” he jumped onto Michael Rennie’s drum kit, and then right off again. At one point, he even snagged one of the videographers’ cameras to set down in front of his microphone. Yungblud described one of his newest, “mars,” as “so fucking important to me,” later covering Machine Gun Kelly’s “I Think I’m OKAY,” and closing with “Machine Gun (Fuck The NRA.)” Except he changed the chant up a little bit. “Everybody nice and pissed off?” He asked at the end, before getting the crowd to chant “fuck COVID” repeatedly.

Bastille is anything but a stranger to 97x, having played both NBT in 2018, and Backyard BBQ in 2014. So after fellow NBT veteran—and guest co-host, Andrew McMahon, introduced the band, and it opened with “Distorted Light Beam,” the feeling was more about nostalgia, rather than “wow, these guys are pretty good!” That didn’t mean that there was nothing new for Bastille to show, though. “We tried to use the pandemic to make some new music,” lead singer Dan Smith announced before going into the band’s frustrating “What You Gonna Do???” When Smith wasn’t running around the stage and on top of monitors and amps, he was centerstage on secondary synthesizers, like when he previewed Bastille’s next album, Give Me The Future with “No Bad Days.” Those light sticks that Achieva handed out lit up in green, red, and blue quickly, and so many would airdrum along with the rest of Bastille’s set—especially during the youthful “Quarter Past Midnight,” and the unmistakable radio hit “Pompeii.”

All Time Low was next, and its set was a bit shakier than expected. Lead singer Alex Gaskarth was recovering from a head cold (not COVID) that messed up his voice, so for much of the set, he leaned on whatever fans knew certain lyrics in All Time Low’s catalog. “Lost in Stereo” saw cassette tapes flash by on the big screen, and “Weightless” opened with a “free Britney” from Alex. This wasn’t the band’s first time in Tampa this year, though—it played for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first game of the season in October.

AJR wasted zero time in providing the most unique set of the 20th NBT. Brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met all maniacally ran out onstage together, and opened with “Bummerland,” followed by “3 O’Clock Things,” the latter of which featured a solo from trumpeter Arnetta Johnson. Lead singer Jack Met made his way to a tablet, and remixed “I Got No Strings” from Disney’s Pinocchio—something he’s only done onstage a handful of times. But if you know anything about AJR, you know that they’re not unfamiliar to using other people’s recordings for instrumentation purposes. The horn section at the end of Paul Simon’s “My Little Town” was thrown into “Way Less Sad,” and of course, SpongeBob Squarepants’ “I’m ready” made up the song that put the clan on the map—which shares a title with the sample, and evidently, was left out of the set.

Ryan Met, over on keyboards and at one point, a ukulele, got the most applause—much to Jack’s dismay. “When we first came out, I don’t know if I’ve ever been hit with more marijuana smoke,” Ryan pointed out. (you wouldn’t believe how many cops were there) AJR also made sure to do a mini-advertisement for its upcoming show on their OK Orchestra tour this spring—at the same exact venue. While it was sure to be longer, it wouldn’t be as unique as Saturday night. The brothers welcomed Kelley and Mina of Daisy The Great onstage, for their third and final slot on a stage that day–to finally give the crowd “Record Player,” a hit from the late summer. Following the mini collaboration, AJR fulfilled the obligation of performing “100 Bad Days,” caused light sticks to beat along on “Bang!,” and even began “Burn The House Down” with a live mini-documentary on how the brothers lay down their music.

A little while after their finale of “Weak” came the headliner, which was also no stranger to Tampa, but had never done NBT before. Weezer, featuring rock’s biggest dork, Rivers Cuomo, took the stage at 9:30 to a transposed recording of Van Halen’s “Jump,” just to launch into “Hero,” off of the band’s latest album, Van Weezer. The California boys finished the U.S. leg of the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy in September, and Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium was not on the tour itinerary. So, for the folks who didn’t drive to Miami or Jacksonville over the summer, Weezer’s setlist remained almost identical to what it was on the Hella Mega Tour.

“Beverly Hills” was a huge hit, especially considering the line “Take my picture by the pool/‘Cause I’m the next big thing.” Having done a ton of covers in the last few years, it was only natural for Weezer to recently give its take on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for a tribute album—the former of which made it onto the setlist. And I don’t think any of the diehards in the house will forget the nice surprise that was Pinkerton’s “Pink Triangle.” Although, the band missed an insane chance with AJR sitting backstage: The two groups collaborated on a new version of Weezer’s “All My Favorite Songs” earlier this year, so a live version together was inevitable, right? While it allegedly said it would happen on Weezer’s setlists, no Met brothers were in sight during the orchestra-based lament.

Closing out the set—and the 20th NBT, was “Say It Ain’t So,” and then “Buddy Holly,” the last and first songs that Weezer played during their last time at the old Gary, back in 2018.

Now that live music is pretty much back (as long as the Omicron variant fucks off very soon), who knows what next year’s NBT will have in store? My Chemical Romance hasn’t played here in years, and they’re doing their U.S. reunion tour next fall. Perhaps Green Day will do two appearances in Tampa next year.

In the meantime, let’s just suffer from post-concert depression together, by keeping on 97x all day. Or until the commercials begin, anyway.

It’s only Tuesday, and it’s already been an awful week for music fans. On Saturday, Don Everly—half of the Everly Brothers passed away, aged 83. And today, around noon, the news broke that Charlie Watts, who drummed for The Rolling Stones for almost 60 years, had died in a London hospital, only weeks after he announced his absence from the Stones’ impending “No Filter” tour.

Despite numerous lineup tweaks—from when Ronnie Wood permanently took on the duties that Brian Jones once did, to when Bill Wyman retired in 1993, The Rolling Stones always felt like the same band. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts (and even Ronnie) were always there, and solid as ever as they aged. Despite Wyman’s absence in recent years, the four of them together still felt very authentic. Going to see them live wasn’t some depressing reiteration of the band, featuring a Jagger-approved frontman, and some bloke that used to open for Keef—and then maaaaybe Ronnie Wood onstage.

Which begs the question: With the heartbeat now gone, what’s next for The Rolling Stones?

This question has been asked far too many times in recent years about far too many musical futures. Tom Petty’s death in 2017 led to the breakup of The Heartbreakers, and when Eddie Van Halen died last year, so did all hopes for Sammy Hagar’s “kitchen sink” tour idea. But a quintessential band member’s death does not always mean that the end is nigh. 

Stone Temple Pilots lost Scott Weiland back in 2015, and yet last week, the band—now fronted by The X-Factor contestant Jeff Gutt, announced a co-headlining tour with Bush, set for this fall. And June marked 10 years since Clarence Clemons—right-hand man to Bruce Springsteen, and saxophonist for the Boss’ E-Street Band, passed into the next world. His nephew, Jake came in and took his place, and the mighty brotherhood of a band released Letter To You last year, which is E-Street’s first album together since 2012’s Wrecking Ball.  With all due respect to every name mentioned, Charlie and the Stones were undoubtedly far more tight with each other. I mean, when you’ve constantly been playing with the same band since before The Beatles scored a no. 1 hit in the UK (his first gig as a Rolling Stone was in January 1963. “From Me To You” released in April of that year.), it’s inevitable. 

A new studio album has seemingly been on the horizon—with presumptuously the first single, “Living In A Ghost Town” having released last April. So, while it’s unlikely that there will be anymore new music beyond this new album-in-progress, the remaining Stones may decide to put this album out, and then call it quits. In April 2019, the Cranberries released their final project with lead singer Dolores O’Riordan, In The End—over a year after her death, and the surviving members broke up immediately after. In the eyes of the rock gods, the original bassist retiring is a far less serious situation than their original drummer dying. For right now, Bill Wyman can come back whenever he wants. But when you’re rapidly approaching your 80s, it’s hard to carry on as a trio.

If you didn’t hear, Watts underwent a procedure that was serious enough for him to pull out of this fall’s rescheduled second US leg of the Stones’ “No Filter” tour, so he could heal up. Nobody, including the drum legend, wanted to postpone the tour for a second time, knowing what everybody has been through since last March. So, solely because of longtime Rolling Stones acquaintance Steve Jordan having already taken Charlie’s position on this tour, the surviving members will probably get through the 13-date, US run, and then quit large scale tours under the current Rolling Stones moniker. Perhaps Mick, Keith, and Ronnie will take on a different name, similarly to how Bob Weir and Mickey Hart put Dead And Company together. It’s impossible to imagine Mick Jagger giving up music cold turkey, so surely, something related to the last 60 years will take up a good chunk of the rest of his life.

I’ve truly felt empty ever since hearing the news via The Rolling Stones’ Instagram account. Generally, it’s hard to mourn a rock legend who made it to 80 years old—even if it was merely two-and-a-half months ago. But behind that iconic jazzy drum kit, there was still so much more for Charlie to do. One more tour. One more album. That’s what they all push for as the clock ticks.

Alas somewhere, Charlie Watts must be fronting a hell of a drum quartet with Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and Buddy Rich.