State Radio and John Butler Trio
Simon Estes Amphitheater, June 9
Fans turned out in droves on a warm, summer night, as the John Butler Trio shook the ground at the Simon Estes Auditorium. The Australian folk/jam rocker played songs spanning four different albums, but highlighted his newest, “April Uprising,” more than his previous work. State Radio opened the show with their brand of reggae/rock/punk tunes. The crowd seemed to enjoy the songs, but their sound reminded me of Sublime’s iconic musical mixture. Frontman Chad Urmston, who looked like Shaggy from “Scooby Doo,” kept the crowd entertained with his stories of visiting Gray’s Lake and drinking Templeton Rye (he liked the whiskey so much he was sporting a distillery T-shirt). The band’s best songs, “Knights of Bostonia” and “C.I.A.,” came at the end of their set and left fans hungry for more. As the sky darkened, John Butler and his fellow band members, Nicky Bomba (drums) and Byron Luiters (bass), took the stage to thunderous applause. The audience went crazy as they kicked off their set with a bang, rolling through “Used to Get High” followed by “Daniella.” Butler, who shredded everything with strings, appeared to play a different guitar on every song and offered some nice banjo picking. I’m not a huge fan of Butler’s newest album, but hearing older tunes like “Treat Yo Mama,” “Zebra,” “Better Than” and “Oceans” reminded me why I’ve been a fan. Ending the show with “Funky Tonight” was icing on the cake. CV — Jared Curtis
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John Butler Trio at Simon Estes Amphitheater Photo by Jared Curtis |
Pyscho Circus at Chill on the Hill Photo by Shane Goodman |
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North of Grand at People’s Court Photo by Darren Tromblay |
State Radio at Simon Estes Amphitheater Photo by Jared Curtis |
