Photos and Review by Chris Besaw
Despite the frigid weather and icy roads, fans packed into the Vine Showroom at del Lago Resort & Casino to warm up and rock out with the Gin Blossoms this past Friday evening.
“Your favorite band from Tempe, AZ,” the Gin Blossoms, stopped by the Vine Showroom on their current tour and put on a killer performance for the near capacity crowd. With no opening act on this date, lead singer Robin Wilson and band wasted no time getting right down to business leading off with “Competition Smile” off their 1996 album Congratulations I’m Sorry, following right up with the high energy hit, “Follow You Down.” A great way to set the tone for what was in store for the evening.
I have seen the band live several times and am always amazed at how Robin Wilson puts himself out there, connecting with fans, getting them up and dancing and singing along. “After all it’s a party, come on up if you want to,” to which the fans on the floor obliged. Not only was the crowd having a good time, but you could tell the band members were having a great night as well. From guitarist and backing vocals Jesse Valenzuela’s ear to ear grin, Scott Johnson’s dancing around while not missing a beat on guitars, everyone was in a great mood.
The band played a nice mix of their catalog including “Until I Fall Away.” Robin paused to tell the fans that the song was written when he was in a sad place in his life, and it went on to help them sell millions of records. He quipped, “suddenly, I wasn’t so sad anymore.” Some other notable moments from the evening included a tease of the classic Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water,” leading into mega-hit “Til I Hear it from you.” After a nearly seventy-minute set, the band left the fans with a two song encore that included Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away,” and the Johnny Cash classic, “ Folsom Prison Blues.” Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun and the Gin Blossoms sounded fantastic. Check them out on some of their other stops on this tour if you get a chance to and please check out my photos from the evening below.
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