Posted by For personal and scheduling reasons, I was unable to attend all but Sunday’s line up for this year’s Great South Bay Music Festival. But what a line up Sunday had in store! Its always a great time catching Adam and the Metal Hawks, led by Adam Ezegelian, whom you may recall sang on American Idol a few years back! They’re always so full of energy, unfortunately they were billed on one of the smaller stages but perhaps in the near future theyll be headlining a bigger stage! From there, I hit the main stage where Brandon “Taz” Niederauer was scheduled to play right after Adam and the Metal Hawks finished. He’s also full of energy and as a 19 year old, he’s really coming into his own, including endorsing D’Angelico guitars where he proudly played his new red wine prototype. One thought that occurred to me, even before he sang “I Would Die 4 U”, the Prince cover, was that he reminded me of, not just Prince, but also Lenny Kravitz and of course Jimi Hendrix, as I already knew he’d be playing a few of his songs, and does so well!
From there, on came Duane Betts, who not only emulates his father proudly but also carries his father’s legacy. In addition, he also carries the great southern rock torch that he, his father and The Allmann Brothers are known for, which was greatly applauded as he finished his set with The Allmann’s – Blue Sky.
One thing I have to admit though that I dont like about Festivals is that when you have great bands like Duane Betts, Jason Bonham and Gov’t Mule, is that you dont get to witness a full set! Duane Betts only played 9 songs as did Jason Bonham! But I also have to question, isnt Jason Bonham technically a tribute band? I hate to use the term “riding the coat-tails” but isnt that what Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening doing? Dont get me wrong, I love Led Zeppelin just as much as the next guy. Not only that but with Jimmy Sakurai perfectly mimicking Jimmy Page including his dragon outfit in larger venues, its almost like seeing the real thing! Well, lets not get carried away. But the fact remains the same, if my dad was one of the most profound drummers of the 70’s and I could carry his name as well as Jason does, I guess Id do the same thing.
Capping the night was an even bigger tribute!
Gov’t Mule has been highly applauded for their renditions of Pink Floyd tunes. So much so, they have been touring under the moniker of Dark Side of the Mule, performing a 90 minute set of their own music then ending the night with another 90 minute set of Pink Floyd songs! Of course any Pink Floyd tribute wouldnt be complete without the circular screen and over-the-top theatrical lighting that weve all come to know Pink Floyd for. Unfortunately, this was a festival setting and we werent privileged to get the full set; we only got perhaps a 2 hr set as Sunday night town curfew rules were in effect!
As I headed back to my vehicle after a full day of shooting with a mild headache from heat exhaustion and perhaps a bit of dehydration, I couldnt have asked for a better day of shooting! Every band came out and gave it their all and I would hope to think that they left feeling appreciated as I certainly did!
I would personally like to thank the Great South Bay Music Fest committee for the opportunity to shoot this performance and I can only hope I get the honor and privilege to shoot again in the future!
Here are a few highlights from Sunday’s festivities.
Long Island Sounds 