By Jordan Brown
Contributing Writer
On Saturday March 28th, the historic Palace theater in the Gallatin square presented what they were calling the BIG NIGHT ON THE PLANET! Big Night on the Planet was a music concert that featured a wonderful array of bands consisting of Paradise Daze, The Rusty Nails, and Better Kenney. The show started off with a bang when one of Tennessee’s very best Reggae bands known as Paradise Daze engaged the audience with an explosive opening act. Once their brilliantly composed act was finished, the following band The Rusty Nails were quickly ushered in to take the audience down an entirely different musical genre journey. The Rusty Nails are an experienced bluesy southern rock band that continues to bring high energy playing wherever they go, and they especially brought to the Palace with their signature style. The Rusty Nails ended strong, and the audience was soon introduced to the final performing act that is the incredibly unique up and coming alternative rock band Better Kenney. They ended the showoff right with their outstanding musicianship and their audience intriguing lead singer Kenney himself that opened their act with a historic overview of Gallatin.
Paradise Daze is one of the most notable Reggae bands in the state, and they bring plenty of fun energy and creative ideas to the table when it comes to their songs. They blended aspects of rock into their signature reggae style with their heavy guitar, drums, and especially the bass guitar. The bass player was constantly engaging with the audience and trying to hype them up throughout their whole set. I personally found that to be a really refreshing dynamic as usually bass players are not the ones at the front of the stage interacting musically with the audience. On the other hand, the drummer was reciprocating the same energy with his heavy hitting drums that increased the energy in the room significantly, and the guitar player/lead singer was always captivating with his mix of intricate chord placements, awesome guitar solos and stylish vocals. I found their natural blend with each other to be really inspiring and musically moving. You could really feel the music coursing throughout the whole theater, and everybody was getting a taste of that classic reggae feel. Overall, Paradise Daze gave everything you’d want out of a reggae band and more. With their loud and heavy energy and their masterful skills they brought one heck of a performance.
The next band to take the glorious Palace stage was The Rusty Nails! The Rusty Nails pulled off a brilliant middle act with their bluesy rock style that got everybody in the crowd moving. Their performance was so impactful because of how highly experienced the band is at their craft. The front man of the band Ken McMahan was spot on with his exceptional vocal abilities and guitar work that really brings that rockin’ blues feel to their songs. For me, personally I love this type of approach to a band. A lead singer that leads the crowd in either an upbeat high energy rock song or a beautifully constructed ballad that gets the audience in there feels and anxiously anticipating the next slow blues guitar solo. The origins of genres like rock are deeply rooted in the influence of blues music, and The Rusty Nails do a phenomenal job of blending the two genres in a way that they complement each other perfectly.
The final act to seize the stage and capture the crowd’s attention was the one and only band Better Kenney! Personally, I have never seen any other group like Better Kenney in my entire life. This alternative rock band brings such a new and unique band dynamic that to my surprise worked incredibly well and was consistently entertaining. They’re a band with so much character, and they brought what was perhaps the most high energy set of the night and that’s all thanks to their outstanding musicianship and the comical embellishments that are so brilliantly added by their lead singer Kenney. From their song about the history of Gallatin to their most popular hit song “BBQ Water” they kept the audience awake and in stitches. It’s also worth noting that when Kenney wasn’t singing, he passed the spotlight over to his fellow band members to showcase their musical talents through some of their wonderfully crafted instrumentals. The bass and drums were perfectly on par with each other and were showing a lot of enthusiasm throughout the whole performance and were a huge driving force behind the band’s sound. Layered over that, the guitar/saxophone player took the musical lead and played beautifully throughout the whole show. Through his complex leads on both the guitar and saxophone, he contributed a lot to the band’s tone. Overall, Better Kenney was a fantastic musical experience that I’ll never forget.
To conclude my overview, Big Night on the Planet was an awesome concert! Going out and supporting these local bands is something I have no regrets doing! Paradise Daze, The Rusty Nails, and Better Kenney were all expertly talented bands that put on an amazing show for a packed crowd in the beautiful Palace theater. I highly recommend that you go out and support local bands and listen to their music any time you get the chance because you never know what an awesome experience you might have.
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