Bands of the Blackout Tour ~ Oklahoma City, OK

The Blackout Tour was so incredible it can not be properly justified in one review. Brantley Gilbert, Canaan Smith, and Michael Ray are all talented in their own right, but they each share the stage with some phenomenal musicians. Sometimes during a concert one member of the band or another may catch your eye. This could be due to a killer guitar solo or a beautiful melody on the keys. All three bands totally blew me away that night in Oklahoma City.

Photo Credit: @Little_Bridgie @auntie6127

When Michael Ray took the stage, he was accompanied by a guitarist, a bassist, a utility player, and his long time drummer. This was my first time seeing Ray perform with a full band and it was magnificent. Sitting at the side of the stage my view of the bands was pretty great. The guitarist was  Lucas Chamberlain and the only word that comes to mind is outstanding and the bass player of this talented foursome is Jonathan Sepulveda. I had a friend tell me once that there was just something special about bass players and Sepulveda proves it. The utility player of Ray's band is Kurt Ozan. A utility player is the band member who plays multiple instruments. Ozan was on the opposite side of the stage, but I did catch him playing both the pedal steel guitar and the electric guitar. Given his skill level on those two instruments, I am curious as to what else he can play. Rounding out this talented band was Andrew Beselica on the Drums. 

Photo Credit @little_Bridgie @auntie6127

Canaan Smith also has an incredible four man band sharing the stage with him. This band with its two guitarist, bassist, and drummer are one of my favorites to watch live. Each band member seems to have a passion for playing that almost rivals Smith's. As guitarist Kenny Fuller plays, you can see the pure joy emanating from him. One can't help smiling while watching him get lost in the music. Background vocalist Stephen Whitfield was one of the reasons I started paying closer attention to bands during live shows. He's got some pretty serious skills on the guitar and is quite proficient at the mandolin as well. The bassist for Smith's band is extremely talented and his name is Luke Berridge. The rhythm keeper of the band is none other than the drummer Tucker Wilson. Much like every other member of the band he is brilliant and extremely fun to watch.

Photo Credit @shanherrold @auntie6127

The Georgia native Brantley Gilbert took the stage with his five man band and the already high energy level soared through the roof. The variety of instruments Gilbert's band played that night was unbelievable. The utility player in the band is BJ Golden and as my friend put it he was mesmerizing. The band leader Jess Franklin skillfully plays both the guitar and the keyboard. While the amazingly talented Noah Henson rocks out in impressive style on his rhythm guitar. The bass quota for this band was beautifully covered with a stellar performance on both the bass guitar and bass cello by Stephen Lewis and last, but certainly not least, rounding out the band is drummer Ben Sims. The range of instruments these five talented men bring to the table is just plain phenomenal. The show in Oklahoma City was incredible and I have to once again suggest catching one of the remaining stops. My review of everything is here.