I had the absolute pleasure of hanging out at The Throne Theatre in Wilmington, NC and catching 10 Years with Finger Eleven and Evan Stone. A neat little back story about my relationship with 10 Years is that ironically, 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing them for the first time at 99.5 the X in New Bern, NC. They were invited into the studio to play a small acoustic performance and an intimate meet and greet with selected fans. Back then, when they were in their infancy they were absolutely impressive on the acoustic side of the music spectrum. I am absolutely ecstatic to say that not a single thing has changed since then. Evan Stone opened up the show, I wasn’t very familiar with Evan Stone but it was interesting to see a solo act up there with an electric key board and have the crowd full of energy. Probably one of my absolute favorite things about his performance was his likability and connection with the crowd. Even though he didn’t have the advantage that Finger Eleven and 10 Years had with familiarity of music, he had not a problem creating an electric atmosphere. Finger Eleven was a true treat. A mixture of old favorites including “One Thing” and “Paralyzer”. Speaking of “Paralyzer”, during the band’s performance of this particular song, they decided to throw quite the curve ball to the audience. Right smack in the middle of the song they transitioned into Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. The audience went crazy. To see the audience already so engaged in singing along to “Paralyzer” there was little to no hesitation for them to go right into “Brick in the Wall” and sing right along just as loud and proud. It created a feeling of comradery amongst strangers. When 10 Years took the stage, it was probably the most intriguing part of the evening. The stage was set almost like the interior of a home. Couches and chairs spread across the stage. These aspects turned a normal on stage performance into a homey and fan connected evening. Every single song was a sing-a-long. Jesse was on point with every single note. Being the third night of the tour, it really seemed like they had been doing this kind of tour forever. They threw in a nice little surprise by doing a cover of Gary Jules’ “Mad World”. Jesse and the guys absolutely paid a perfect tribute to such a classic song. When they introduced “Wasteland”, Jesse had given a back story about how much the song meant to the guys and how it translates into an acoustic song. Being their most performed song, both acoustically and with a full band, it was like listening to the radio, until once again, the entire venue turned into a sing-a-long. The acoustic tour featuring 10 Years, Finger Eleven and Evan Stone continues through the end of August. If you have the opportunity to head out to one of their shows it is an absolute treat and a night you will not forget.
