2024 was a year of lost opportunities for us. Usually, when that happens to people, it’s because there were “heavy” things on their minds, and that was the case for us.
After the heavy started dissipating, we had a few concerts on our radar that we wanted to attend. One was the Collective Soul concert in January, and the other was seeing Fuel, a band with roots in Central PA (my home area!!).
As we cooked dinner together one night in late December and discussed whether we should secure tickets to those two concerts, I said, “Just buy the damn tickets” … more as a joke than anything else. Any guess what became our theme for 2025?
Concert #2: Fuel
While the venue for Fuel wasn’t great (I prefer stadium seating instead of all one-level), the band, led by Brett Scallions, was in-cred-i-ble!! They can still play their hearts out and interact with the crowd from the time they hit the stage. They had a technical issue with Brett’s microphone not working for their first song, Bittersweet, so we got a do-over!
Brett’s singing of their song, “Innocent,” nearly had me in tears (so good!), and we sang all of their hits—Sunburn, Bad Day, Last Time, and more—as loud as our not-so-in-tune voices would go! I remember hearing these songs on 105.7 The X during my commute to work every day. It filled my soul to hear one of my favorite bands play live!
Concert #3: Theory of a Deadman
Shortly after we secured tickets to see Collective Soul and Fuel, we had another opportunity to see Theory of a Deadman at the iconic Moore Theatre. And we jumped on it!
Although the venue had undergone restoration since the ’90s when Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam filled the auditorium with their music, it still had that “grunge” to it, especially on the entrance level where the decor and lighting were kept dark and brooding—something my flannel-wearing self totally appreciated.
Two artists, Mick Blankenship and Ayron Jones, were the opening acts for the Theory concert. Ayron Jones, we’d come to learn, is a Seattle native, and you could feel the interesting blend of rock, grunge, and soul that must have strongly influenced his musical style. He had many fans in the auditorium, and he gave a heartfelt thank you to the audience as his wife and kids joined him on stage at the close of his set.
Cincinnati native Mick Blankenship is a true rocker! Like Ayron, we’d not heard of him before, but his ability to tell a story quickly endeared us to him. He spoke of his time as a cop, his struggles with PTSD, and his love of music. He noted that this was his first tour and was able to make a name for himself through social media (primarily TikTok) and the support of his fans (and yes, we bought a t-shirt to support him!)
Before I move on, I have to point this out. See those rolled-up carpets and covered-up stuff on stage near the drummer? Those things drove me nuts! I kept asking, “Why is the stage so messy? You’d think they’d clear the stage of the junk.” I’m no Monica Geller when it comes to clean, but I was so fixated on the sh!t in the corner that, at times, it nearly distracted me away from the music.
Turns out, there was a logical answer … it was Theory’s junk!
Theory of a Deadman’s stage looked like a basement from the ’70s, with a burnt orange carpet, a bar in the corner, and a console TV. And man, was I glad to see there was a reason the stage was junked up for the opening acts!
Before the band members descended the “basement stairs,” Jason and I took in the nostalgia of our childhood: pea-green chairs paired with a faux-leather ottoman, framing that wasn’t finished, open-back stairs, and even a lava lamp. And see that the side table beside guitarist Dave Brenner? My parents and his grandparents both had one just like it!
Tyler Connolly (lead singer) shared that for each concert, they give $1 per ticket to a charity (they’ve supported many different ones over the years). Our concert supported a veteran’s organization, and they brought three vets to the stage to participate in a few songs. While Jason is not about calling attention to his time in the Army, I whooped it up when they acknowledged our veterans!
I’m still walking around with a hangover from these two unforgettable experiences. We have a few more concerts lined up (and a few more we are still considering). Stay tuned… (pun intended)
What’s your Fun Thing you are making a priority in 2025?
