Rival Sons – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – April 25th 2019

Rival Sons w/ special guests The Sheepdogs @ First Avenue 4/25/19

It seems like many bands like Rival Sons have had a long slow climb to stardom.  It seems like its final starting to click for them which is great.  I have had the chance to see them several times and have never been disappointed. They are musically spot on and very much needed in the current musical climate.  They are the in between metal and pop with really no radio home. They are neither just refreshing straight ahead rock music.

They are currently on tour to support their new album “Feral Roots”.  They are the kind of band you hope to discover when you go to a festival. To see them in a smaller venue like First Avenue is a real treat. They opened up with “Back In The Woods” which is a great opener in my opinion. They played a real mix of their catalog including “Pressure And Time”, Feral Roots”, “Jordan”, “Do Your Worst” and “Keep On Swinging”.

The real surprise for me was the added bonus of the opening band The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon. I thought they were new but it turns out they have been around since 2006 with 6 albums to their credit.  Yet another reason why streaming music leads to missing bands.  I miss the old days when your buddy would bring over a new record they bought to listen to.  At least that’s how I was exposed to new music. I usually expect the openers to suck, but not last night.

They are a very talented band that you should check out if given the opportunity.  The easiest way to give you a feel for them is if you took elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Poco, The Allman Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 4 On The Floor and mashed them together like Play Doh it would sound like The Sheepdogs.

Review and photos Tommy Sommers