Richardson Stadium was host to thousands of fans this weekend for The Glorious Sons’ show, titled “Our Little Piece of Work.”
On Saturday, Sept. 21, 14,000 patrons flooded the outdoor venue for the band’s homecoming show, and the stadium’s first-ever public concert.
The band’s music could be heard across the city as they played their first hometown show since selling out the Leon’s Centre last year. The musicians received a noise bylaw exemption for the night.
Brother Elsey opened for the slowly-assembling crowds at 6:15 p.m., with massive screens on either side of the stage for the fans in the back.
The five-piece band—three of whom are brothers—had audience members cheering along to their hits, and raising their cups every time they mentioned Kingston. Though based in Detroit, frontman Brady Stablein shouted to the crowd, “This feels like home; you guys feel like home.”
The sun was setting by the time the second opener, Matt Mays, took to the stage. At this point, the general admission floor area was covered in beer as thousands more listeners continued to fill the venue.
Mays’ powerful vocals and long, epic guitar solos had fans cheering throughout his performance. Drenched in sweat, whipping his hair, and even breaking a guitar string by the end of his set, Mays gave the fans a quintessential rock show, and they loved every minute of it.
The Glorious Sons finally took to the stage 45 minutes later.
After hours of anticipation and with the stadium now packed, the sea of fans cheered consistently throughout the band’s set. Closer to the stage, audience members threw around beach balls and frisbees.
Lead singer Brett Emmons brought an unmatched energy to the stage, running around barefoot and jumping on his bandmates. The crowd went wild as he tossed his long hair and screamed into the mic, often holding it up to amplify fans singing along.
A unifying moment of the night came mid-set, as the entire stadium lit up and thousands sang acapella from the band’s hit song, “Everything Is Alright.”
Guitarist Chris Koster also took a solo turn onstage to sing a cover of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield.”
There were notably less phones in the air than most rock show these days, with some concertgoers holding their children up instead. A few of the younger audience members fell asleep on their parents’ backs as the rock show thundered on around them.
From the top of the bleachers, the crowd on the floor looked like a massive wave, with hands in the air and fans on each other’s shoulders. The audience members seemed to know every lyric.
A few drones flew overhead throughout the night to capture the momentum of the event from above.
This show marked The Glorious Sons’ last hurrah before they take a break to relax prior to heading back on tour again.
One thing is certain: no matter where they travel next, Kingston can’t wait to have them back.
Tags
Concert, richardson stadium, The Glorious Sons
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