Off in the distance, the thunder rolls and the lightning strikes, but no love was growing cold as hard rockers Royal Bliss with special guests The Black Moods and Zach Thomas rocked the Chrome Horse Saloon outdoor stage in Cedar Rapids, Iowa recently.
Concertgoers and the owners of the Chrome Horse Saloon weren’t exactly sure if the show was going to happen, however, it did happen in spite of threats of severe weather activity. The cool thing about this venue is every food item on the menu is biker themed and the outdoor stage is definitely accommodating for a concert, and the atmosphere made a person feel like you got invited to this really cool exclusive block party. Plus, they were doing raffles for a local charity to help a child battling cancer and they were selling raffle tickets to giveaway a 2021 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Zach Thomas was the first to take the stage.
Luke Thomas brought his solo country singer/songwriter act to the stage. Luke is out of Center Point, Iowa by way of Australia and he mostly played some cover songs to warm up the crowd. Zach toured with his friends in October Rage and his touring would eventually bring him to the States and he calls the greatest state in the Union Iowa home. (I’m a bit biased) Zach played covers such as “Good Riddance(Time of Your Life)” by Green Day, “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash and a rather comical cover of “Land Down Under” by Men At Work. It wasn’t comical in his performance but the fact that he talked about his stereotypes of being Australian and playing a song by a famous Aussie band to fit that stereotype. You could hear a few members of the audience singing along. Luke did a meet and greet after his set which was a nice touch. Fans can check out his cover of “Tequila” by Dan & Shay below.
The Black Moods were next to take the stage. The first thing that I noticed is they were having dinner with people amongst the crowd. This immediately shows me that they’re engaging with their fanbase and they’re committed to connecting with their audience. It’s definitely a grassroots movement that The Black Moods have going on. They primarily played cuts off of their 2020 critically acclaimed album entitled “Sunshine” and during their set, you immediately see how freaking talented the boys in The Black Moods are. Chico Diaz is so sleek behind the kit, Jordan Hoffman grooves the audience into submission on bass and Josh Kennedy wails on vocals and makes his guitar talk. While everyone was seated for Luke Thomas, The Black Moods immediately invited people to the dance floor and there was very little separation between the audience and the stage and I think that’s the way The Black Moods like it. It’s plain to see why they were personally selected by The Dead Daisies to be direct support for them, it’s just straight up rock and roll. Nothing fancy, no frills, and they’re loud and proud. Fans can check out their music video for “Home” below:
Utah’s own Royal Bliss came on to the stage to close out the evening. If you’re into songs that are about whiskey, fast women and living life, then this band is for you. Royal Bliss just has this raw energy about them. They come swinging straight out of the gate and hit you hard with their riffs, rhythm section and pure raw energy. They hit you immediately with “Hard/Loud”, which is certainly the theme of the Chrome Horse Saloon and the band alike. Songs such as “Medication”, “Pain” and “Devil with Angel Eyes” showed another side of Royal Bliss and that was a side that is vulnerable about talking about addiction, mental health and broken relationships. You tell tell that their songs and their messages hit close to home for their audience. It’s plain to see why Royal Bliss are road warriors, they deliver live! Fans can check out the song “Fire Within” below:
Royal Bliss, along with Through Fire and Zero Theorem will be providing support for Fozzy on the “Save The World Tour”. Check out the tour dates below:
Saturday, September 4th- Apollo A.C. in Belvidere, Illinois
Sunday, September 5th- EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Monday, September 6th- 1175 Sports Park & Eatery in Kansasville, Wisconsin
Thursday, September 9th- Capitol Room @ HMAC in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Saturday, September 11th- Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland
Sunday, September 12th- Jergel’s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Monday, September 13th- Iron Works in Buffalo, New York
Thursday, September 16th- Eclectic Room in Angola, Indiana
Friday. September 17th- Elevation @ The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Saturday, September 18th- Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan
Sunday, September 19th- The Winchester in Cleveland, Ohio
Monday, September 27th- Hi Fi in Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday. September 28th- The Blue Note in Harrison, Ohio
Thursday. September 30th- Basement East in Nashville, Tennessee
Friday, October 1st- Action Building in Canton, Georgia
Sunday, October 3rd- Underground in Charlotte, North Carolina
Monday, October 4th- Main Course in Columbia, South Carolina
Thursday, October 7th- Capone’s in Johnson City, Tennessee
Friday, October 8th- Victory North in Savannah, Georgia
For tickets and further information on any of the shows listed above, click here.
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