The 6th annual Shadow Ridge Music Festival was a smashing success!
I love this time of year. The air is finally turning a bit cooler, the Huskers are back in action, and The Shadow Ridge Music Festival is here to kick off the weekend! With excellent weather and a plethora of food choices the vibes this year were immaculate. Thousands of fans came out to enjoy the evening at the scenic Shadow Ridge Country Club. With an awesome line-up of 90s alternative hit makers I knew the music would be killer. In addition to all the great music the hosts Jake and Elise from 89.7 The River had lots of fun games to keep the crowd entertained between the band sets.
The first band up was the Nadas from neighboring Des Moines. I was familiar with the Nadas name as they've played Omaha many times over the years dating back to the Ranch Bowl days, but this was my first time catching them live. They did an awesome job kicking things off with their country-tinged folk rock. The lead singer joked that they felt like they were playing a precession as many fans were still making their way into the venue and walking towards the stage. I saw several fans in the crowd singing along to all their favorites. I really enjoyed the set and look forward to seeing them again down the road.
Between the Nadas and the Freddy Jones Band Jake from The River did some trivia with the crowd. He had some Big Head Todd and O.A.R. questions and fans could win a custom Shadow Ridge festival drink koozie. One of the questions asked what legendary arena did O.A.R. sell out in 2016. The answer was Madison Square Garden! That had me a bit floored. I knew O.A.R had a pretty decent following but that's huge. It got me looking forward to their headlining set even more.
After the trivia it was time for the Freddy Jones Band. I'll be honest I had never heard of these guys but they sounded great. Their songs reminded me a bit of R.E.M. which makes sense coming up in the 90s alternative scene. My friend and fellow photographer Dean told me to look out for the last song in their set "Daydream". Sure enough as they played through "Daydream" from front to back I could see people singing their hearts out and taking out their phone to get a recording. It was a fun little bop so I could see why it was the closer, good stuff!
Between Freddy and Big Head Todd I made my way through the crowd to capture all the great food that was available including Dante's pizza, Javi's Tacos, and more! As I made my way back to the stage I talked with Jordan and Nicole. They love going to shows and even hit The Iowa Is For Lovers fest a couple weeks ago. Jordan said she had done some merch designs for O.A.R. and they were selling it at the festival, how rad!
Tasty Foods!
Jake and Elise had another game cooked up to keep the crowd amped during the break, this time they brought some fans on stage to play a giant beer pong game. The huge ball was thrown into cups and the fans had the option to drink a High Noon seltzer or throw it out to the crowd. The guys playing chose to throw out all the drinks and the crowd went wild trying to grab a can. It was really funny and a great way to pass the time.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters were the first of the two headliners for the evening and they burned the stage down with their bluesy guitar riffage. Lead singer Todd said they have been a band for almost 40 years now, incredible. They are still out there rocking hard and the audience ate it up. There were tons of fans rocking Big Head Todd merch and it was cool to see all the shirts from past tours and the passionate following they've built. Todd and the Monsters played a lot of originals but they also worked in a few covers including Marvin Gaye, Boston, and Looking Glass. My favorite part was the closer, which suprisingly was also a cover. As they ripped through "Highway Star" by Deep Purple I watched in awe at Todd's shredding. I can see why they've had such staying power in the alternative scene. They are some talented dudes! Make sure to check out Big Head Todd and The Monster's vast discography wherever you stream music.
Before the headliner O.A.R. Jake and Elise were back one more time to introduce the band and throw out some shirts with the help of the Shadow Ridge staff. Who doesn't love a free shirt? They also threw out a bunch of beach balls which security promptly took away, boo!! But before they took them I snagged this awesome pic of a kid in an O.A.R shirt playing with one.
Finally it was time for the closers O.A.R.! This was my first time seeing O.A.R. live but I was familiar with a song or two that got played on 89.7 The River. Boy was I shocked when they played hit after hit and I was like "Oh yea, I know this song". It's crazy how bands can have this massive following but still fly under the radar. I was definitley the outlier though because the crowd was very loud singing all the words and dancing along.
Before playing "This Town" O.A.R. lead singer Marc said the song was written about Omaha. "We've played Omaha so many times over the years and this song was written about Omaha. When we play it here it means a little bit more". The crowd went absolutely crazy for this one and sang even louder. Apparently there was a tie-in for the College World Series and the band shot a video in Omaha for the song. Feel free to drop a comment if you have more details about this.
For a solid hour O.A.R. lit up the Shadow Ridge stage with their reggae and alternative hits. As the crisp fall air whisped across the crowd we were serenaded by the island vibes as if we were letting go of that last bit of summer. All around fans danced in celebration reveling in the good times. The Shadow Ridge Music Festival once again proved to be one amazing party!
It was an incredible time getting to capture all the fun of Shadow Ridge year 6 and I can't wait to be back for year 7! Thanks to all the staff for their great hospitality and photo access.
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O.A.R.
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