Review: Willy Cobb / Stephen Wilson Jr. / The Cadillac Three

Rock City (May 14^th 2024)

Reviewer/Photographer: Dan Mann

I was really looking forward to seeing The Cadillac Three once again, coupled with two support acts, it looked to be an entertaining evening.

First up to bat was Willy Cobb, a guy I wasn’t familiar with, whose bio told me that he was an alt singer/songwriter from Nashville. Now alt isn’t generally my genre of choice, however I was intrigued to see what his style was.

Taking over on drums was C3’s Neil Mason, along with Willy’s bassist, whose name escapes me, unfortunately. Willy sported an intriguing look with ’60s psychedelia-inspired eye makeup beneath his sunglasses and succeeded in captivating a full house at Rock City with a notably brief set. Honestly, Willy’s musical style isn’t to my taste, but he deserves credit for winning over the audience so quickly.

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Second act of the night was Stephen Wilson Jr., someone else I wasn’t familiar with. Stephen is another singer/songwriter, this time hailing from rural Southern Indiana.

His about section of his website lists him as being indie rock, grunge and country, quite the combination. Again I was somewhat at odds with the crowd in Stephen’s set not being my thing, but the crowd certainly enjoyed his short set.

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Moving on to the main event! I had only experienced The Cadillac Three live once before, and that too was at a bustling Rock City. The audience was notably varied compared to the usual concerts I attend, encompassing a broad spectrum of ages and, I presume, musical preferences.

Sadly it was someone’s ‘bright’ (oh the irony) idea to have two Fogger machines running full tilt throughout the set. Maybe they were trying to recreate a 1950’s London smog? That, combined with what felt like WW2 search lights shining from the stage, made photographing a tad tricky shall we say.

As per on my last experience with The Cadillac Three, I found myself completely captivated. It was a high-energy rock ‘n’ roll performance with a southern/hillbilly flair! The atmosphere was electric, the audience was determined to have a blast, and this vibrant energy was reciprocated by the band.

If you’ve never seen The Cadillac Three live, or sat on the fence regarding their albums, grab the opportunity if it appears to go see them. Trust me, you’ll have one hell of a night!

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