After a crazy time in the Greenville, South Carolina area with Hurricane Helene coming through, it was nice to have a really fun diversion with a Fozzy show in town. On a beautiful Thursday evening, as I made my way to the Radio Room for the show, I pulled in the parking lot and saw the tour bus so I knew I was in the right place. This was my first show at the Radio Room and I will say that the staff were great and helpful I had a talk with the owner who was very nice and wanted to verify who I was shooting the show for. During the show, the security staff were making sure I was getting what I needed which was very nice. Overall, it was a great experience at the Radio Room and I look forward to future shows at this venue.
The nice thing about this show was that I didn’t have any restrictions for taking pictures so I was able to really explore both opening bands but I was also able to shoot the entire Fozzy show with the freedom to wind in and out of the crowd. I was always conscious of the people that were there to enjoy the show but most were so nice as to offer a spot for me to shoot from in front of them. Those nice people allowed me to get some really great shots that you can see here. And, a special shout out to the couple who let me hang with them at a high-top table in between bands. A fun conversation and a place to look through images on my camera to make sure all is going well.
I will say that I had never heard of the two opening bands prior to shooting this show. But, that is one thing that I do enjoy and that is getting to know new bands and then researching and sharing their music. The first band was Clozure from Alabama. Clozure consists of Michael Cordle (Lead Guitar) 2012, Nikollaj Lleshi (Lead Vocals) 2023, Matthew Russell (Rhythm Guitars) 2019, Michael McCann (Drums) 2020, Zack Taylor (Bass) 2023. The band delivered a very energetic show but also a very “real” show as well. What I mean by that is that vocalist, Nikollaj was very engaging with the audience and she certainly sang from the heart. The band was very up-front with the crowd and the response to each song was enthusiastically strong. Solid stage presence and solid songs made for a great first-time experience with a band that I didn’t know. I encourage you all to check this band out and give them a listen and go see them if you can. You won’t be disappointed.
Clozure Band:
Michael Cordle – Lead Guitar
Nikollaj Lleshi – Lead Vocals
Matthew Russell – Rhythm Guitars
Michael McCann – Drums
Zack Taylor – Bass
The next band-up was The Nocturnal Affair. Again, I hadn’t heard of them but what a great surprise they were for me. This Las Vegas-based band had great energy on stage and some serious hair made for some serious images! A surprise that really got me was when they performed a cover of the Depeche Mode song, “It’s No Good”. I have never heard a band cover that song and it is my favorite Depeche Mode tune! I’ve always wanted to do a cover of that in a heavy fashion and The Nocturnal Affair did it! Very cool! Their set started off with a drum solo which got everyone going. I knew then that it was going to be a fun band to photograph. They definitely rocked out and put on a great show. Any great stage performance leads to better images. I think that the gallery below shows what a solid live act The Nocturnal Affair is.
The Nocturnal Affair Band:
Brendan Shane – Vocals
Andy Ingraham – Guitar
Dru Lappin – Guitar
Michael James – Lead Guitar
Kyle Cunningham – Drums
Kellen Kroll – Bass
On May 6, 2022, I wrote an album review for Fozzy’s new album, Boombox. You can check it out here. After that, I was all set up to photograph Fozzy in Louisville, Kentucky but the show was cancelled due to Chris Jerico being injured during a wrestling match. I was so bummed about that and had hoped to have the opportunity to photograph Fozzy again. I’m so glad I got this opportunity to photograph them at the Radio Room in Greenville, South Carolina. When Fozzy took the stage I immediately noticed that this band is all about FUN! Each member of the band was obviously having the best time from the first song to the last song. Chris Jerico has a larger-than-life stage presence and he completely commands the stage. His interaction with the crowd and me as a photographer was just fantastic. Then there is Rich Ward who is the ring leader behind the scenes and such an amazing guitar player. His stage presence provided more images to edit than I really needed. He has a keen eye for photographers and that correlates to images with the “face time” that the audience really likes. He was having a great time messing with people in the front row which was really fun to see. PJ Farely on bass makes me smile since I was living in New Jersey and playing in another band there at the same time he was playing with Trixter. He is a great fit for Fozzy and I did notice his backing vocals were spot on as well. Billy Grey and Rich Ward had a blistering dueling guitar solo towards the end of the show that really showed the talent of both of these guitarists. With this being the 25th Anniversary Tour for Fozzy, I can see how this band has made it for so many years. They simply enjoy what they do and they enjoy performing for their fans. Isn’t that the most important part of playing live? I sure feel that it is! Don’t miss this show!
Fozzy band members:
Chris Jericho – Lead Vocals
Rich Ward – Guitar, Vocals
Billy Grey – Guitar
PJ Farley – Bass
Grant Brooks – Drums
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Follow Clozure Online:
Follow The Nocturnal Affair Online:
Scott Diussa is a photographer, guitarist, bassist, videographer and audio engineer based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Scott has been photographing concerts since 1994 and has a degree in commercial photography. You can follow Scott on Instagram at @sdiussa. www.scottdiussa.com
