On February 13, at The Abilene Auditorium in Abilene, Texas, The Big Country had a taste of 80’s night. Acts for the evening were Paralandra, Lynch Mob, and 80’s guitar sensation herself Lita Ford. I arrived at the venue early alongside many other fans to prepare for the nostalgic night ahead, singing old school 80’s hits from artists like Def Leppard, Dokken, and many other great groups, before the show even began.
Covering my first event at the Abilene Auditorium, the only drawback was the limited space to work with, having the front row seats just a foot in front of a heightened stage with no photo pit. This, of course, made it challenging to capture photos and I didn’t want to obstruct the view for fans. Aside from that, the staff was very open and friendly, showing support and open arms to rock fans in the Big Country.
To start off the 80’s night we had the Hard Rock band residing from Springfield, Missouri, Paralandra. The group consists of Casandra Carson (Vocals/Guitarist), Paul Carson (Guitarist), Slyer Rikard (Bassist), and Dakota Watson (Drums). The band had a lot of energized charisma on stage and played their hearts out to the fullest extent, especially Casandra Carson (Vocals/Guitarist).
Many rock fans from the Big Country were introduced to the band for the first time the night of their performance, but welcomed the Missouri hard rockers with open arms, enjoying a joyful night of spirited jams. Paralandra played some of their highly-streamed tracks, but the ones that caught the crowd’s attention and, of course, mine were “Dirty Love” and “Cant Quench The Fire”.
While the Missouri group has a tremendous way to go, Paralandra know how to get the crowd prepped up and can hang in the big leagues of Rock music.
PHOTOS: Adrian Rasmussen
PARALANDRA | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK
Next to take the stage was California-based rock band Lynch Mob. I will say that this group was definitely a band of interest for me. I grew up listening to Dokken, for which Lynch Mob’s George Lynch (guitarist) was also the guitarist for the band, and he sometimes tours with the ensemble for reunion performances. Hearing tracks like “Wicked Sensation” and, of course, Dokken’s “Into the Fire” had ’80s fans on their toes, making the performance really feel like a true blast from the past. The amount of high charisma from Lynch Mob made it easy to for the crowd to get energized and primed them perfectly for Lita Ford.
PHOTOS: Adrian Rasmussen
LYNCH MOB | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK
To close out the night of rock & roll, guitarist goddess Lita Ford took the stage, sending all the fans from the Big Country wild. One of the most admirable things about Lita Ford as an artist is her unwavering dedication to her fans—she always gives 110% for her performance. No matter how many times she’s played, she brings fresh energy to the stage, which is one thing that fans truly adore.
She’s accompanied on stage by Howie Simon (Guitarist), Marten Andersson (Bass), and Bobby Rock (Drums). The night was truly special for the Big Country’s 80’s rock fans as they got to hear iconic hits of hers like “Shot of Poison,” Lita and Ozzy Osbourne’s hit “Close My Eyes Forever,” and her grand finale “Kiss Me Deadly.”
It’s always such a huge pleasure getting more rock artists to explore venues in the Big Country and the community goes all out. Lita Ford exceeded all expectations, transporting fans back to 1988 when her self-tilted album was released. Lita Ford holds a special place in the hearts of Abilene’s rock fans, and she’ll always be welcomed back with open arms. I would recommend checking her live performance, you’re in for a treat of amazing classic rock and a fun time.
PHOTOS: Shay Roberts
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