
The show opened with a bang, as Michael Miley pounded out the drum intro to "Back in the Woods", and the entire room erupted as the rest of the band kicked in. The Sons then kicked our asses with a raucous "Sugar on the Bone", older favorites "Pressure and Time" and "Electric Man", and a sultry version of "Too Bad" before pumping the brakes a little bit for the most emotional part of the evening.
As we recovered from that moment, with Scott Holiday wielding a double-neck guitar and Buchanan on an acoustic, the band powered through an awe-inspiring version of "Feral Roots", and by the time Miley hit the drum fill at the end of the song, we were all just looking at each other in disbelief. The band coasted flawlessly through fan favorites like "Torture" and "Open My Eyes" to the delight of their fanatical followers, but the best part of the show was saved for the end.
The band let loose on the show-closing "Keep on Swinging", and I noticed a big smile on bassist Dave Beste's face, as he knew they had just delivered a legendary performance to start the tour. This band is killing it at every show right now, and you have no idea how good they are until you see them live. There are still a few dates on the North American tour that aren't sold out, and this is a band worth travelling for. This band will no doubt be playing bigger venues on the next run, so go see them now!