Eli Young Band & Big Sky Country Rock the Plaza

The second time is a charm. Eli Young Band played to a packed Empire State Plaza on Wednesday night under perfect summer conditions. It is no secret that this summer has been awful from a weather standpoint. The weather on Wednesday night could not have been better. A nice breeze blew through the plaza as fans celebrated free live music once again. EYB was supposed to play this show last summer, but Mother Nature had other plans. Viral videos from last year show hurricane-like winds and rain pummeling the Plaza with porta potties and garbage cans getting blown over.

Hailing from Denton, Texas, Eli Young Band have been churning out hits since their major label debut was released in 2007. Many fans aren’t aware that Eli Young isn’t one person. The band consists of Mike Eli on lead vocals and guitars, James Young on lead guitar, Jon Jones on bass, and Chris Thompson on drums. They have a large local fanbase. Their last area appearance was a sold-out performance at Rivers Casino in Schenectady in February of 2020, weeks before the world shut down. They previously graced the stage at the last WGNA Country Fest at SPAC in 2019 with Old Dominion.
The show was one of the final stops on EYB’s “Break Up In A Bar Tour.” The 22-city trek started in Alabama in May. The band opened the show with the song “Break Up In A Bar” from 2022’s Love Talking LP. They played twenty songs, dipping back to their early independent release Level from 2005 for tracks “Highways and Broken Hearts” and “Small Town Kid.” They pulled songs from all of their major label releases as well. Radio hits “Love Ain’t,” “Drunk Last Night,” and “Crazy Girl” had thousands in attendance singing along. The audience was most vocal during the Grammy-nominated “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” The anthemic chorus echoed through the Plaza as the band dropped out and led the crowd in an acapella run-through toward the end of the song. They then segued directly into the Tom Petty classic “Learning To Fly.” The two songs mesh perfectly. A surprise cover of the Walk The Earth hit “Shut Up and Dance” closed out the set in style. Jones’ slinky bassline had the Albany faithful dancing right up until the last note.

Local Country music favorites Big Sky Country opened the show with a tight 60-minute set. Led by newlyweds Ashley (Lead Vocals) and Brad Gardner (rhythm guitar), BSC is a band full of pros. Recent addition Chris Dukes provides lead and backing vocals and guitars. His strong tenor hits all the right notes. Lead guitarist Mike Lemme has been splitting his time between BSC and playing with local phenom David J who just signed his first major label record deal with Sony. Pedal steel player Rikk Anderson is a veteran of many local country acts, and he provides an invaluable sound. There is nothing quite like the sound of the pedal steel. The band is rounded out by the stellar rhythm section of Eric Baumes on bass and Kyle Phillips on drums. Phillips has also played with David J and recently joined BSC, replacing long-time drummer Alex Fuller. This band is as tight of a unit as you’ll see anywhere.

The Capital District has so much free live music. Between the Empire Plaza Concert series and Alive at 5 there are still a ton of great free shows upcoming. Get out and enjoy some free live entertainment!

Photo Gallery by Vin Giordano