Brew Thru Summer Series-Gin Blossoms & Spin Doctors
By Kip Tabb –
Lead singer Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms performing at Roanoke Island Festival Park.
The Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors and Scars on 45 . . . perfect weather, a beautiful setting . . . it doesn’t get any better than this.
Phil Foreman of the Brew Thru has a dream of bringing great music to the Outer Banks and last night at Roanoke Island Festival Park, that dream had to get a huge boost.
With daytime temperatures struggling to get past 80 and a breeze off the sound the stage was set for a great evening of music.
Scars on 45 led off the show and they did not disappoint. A British band, their sound was tight, musicianship excellent and they had fun—which got the crowd ready for the rest of the show.
Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, showing jumping on stage.
There is a difference in the performance of experienced groups and a band that is still finding its legs, and the Spin Doctors, around since the early 1990s, still bring amazing energy, great musicianship and a fantastic show to the stage.
With lead singer,, doing leg kicks that defy description, jumping around the stage and still hitting his notes and carrying the tune, the Spin Doctors are what a great rock n’ roll show is all about.
Packed away in all that sound and showmanship, though, is some great music—sounds that hit the airwaves 20 years ago and we’re still singing today . . . Jimmy Olsen’s Blues (Pocket Full of Kryptonite), Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong and Two Princes.
Still played with the distinctive guitar licks of Eric Schenkman and Aaron Comess’ tight, driving drum style, this is a group that has lost none of its punch over the years.
The Gin Blossoms finished the night out and it would be tough to top their act. Fun to watch with lead singer Robin Wilson jumping on top of the stage monitors, a good portion of the audience crowding the stage and a great sound, it was a very nice way to play into the night.
Like the Spin Doctors, the Gin Blossoms have recorded a number of hits over the years, including Hey Jealousy, Allison Road, and Found Out About You. But what keeps the group in the forefront of the music scene is they are continuing to create and record music, and the new songs they have written are clearly different yet still retain the band’s unique sound.
This was the last Brew Thru Summer Series Concert of the year. Hopefully, it will continue next year. The music and the setting have consistently been excellent, and these are very family friendly events—a perfect way to emphasize what the Outer Banks is all about.
