Blue October, HOTS, Ashleigh Stone, Panic, Stubb’s, May 16, 2015 -

Photos by Jason Bollenbacher and Dave Rackley

AUSTIN – A sold-out Stubb’s welcomed bands and fans Saturday night in Austin, Texas. The crowd was mellow and the venue, Waller Creek Amphitheater, was filled to capacity. Just before the sun began to set, Harvard of the South(HOTS) took the stage as the warm up band for the evening. The melodies wafted through the densely humid atmosphere. The bass lines and solid drumming caught the crowd, and soon the fans were waving arms, hands held high, and dancing to the beat. The appreciative crowd applauded the vocal musings of front-man Justin Furstenfeld.

For a majority of the crowd who were die hard Blue October fans, Harvard of the South was almost the cherry on top. They are a four-piece rock band comprised of Justin Furstenfeld(BO), Steve Schiltz(Hurricane Belles), Jeremy Furstenfeld(BO) and Matt Noveskey(BO). The group released its first recordings and played its first live concerts in 2014, however they have long been in collaboration between Longwave, Hurricane Bells singer/guitarist Steve Schiltz and Blue October as far back as 2011.

Panic, a Morrissey and Smiths tribute band, took the stage for the second set. The band’s musicality and vocalizations by front-man, Josh Venable, were admirable. The set transported the crowd to the 80s, complete with flower waving. It was like the Moz, himself, was on stage. The crowd was a bit too mellow to appreciate the accuracy of the performances.

As a special guest of Blue October, Ashleigh Stone performed a solo, single-song set. Her strong pure voice and keyboard arrangement were hauntingly beautiful. The crowd was mesmerized by the performance as always.

Blue October took the stage and treated the crowd of nearly 2,300 to an emotional roller coaster of tender love songs, melancholic ballads and rousing rock. Justin puts his heart and soul into each performance. He playfully threw water into the crowd and promised to drip sweat on anyone coming in too close; everyone tried. There were fans of all ages – kids, twenty-something’s, thirty-something’s, forty-something’s, and those approaching seventy. All were hoping to cash-in on the experience at hand. Between songs, Justin shared his appreciation for all the fans support especially over the last three years as he has struggled with many demons. With tears in his eyes, he expressed a heart-felt thanks for helping him survive what he called his darkest times. The crowd responded to the sincerity; the band responded with more music. The energy from the crowd could have lasted all night.

This performance was the last show of the band’s Spring Fear Tour, however, no need to worry; Justin will be heading out solo for an Open Book tour starting on June 10 in New Orleans.