Bakotopia

Impatient fans, friends, and family awaited the opening of the Starz Theater on Chester Ave. in Bakersfield, Ca. A line that extended from the illuminated Theater sign reading FROM THE BEGINNING, around to the side where cars filled up parking spaces. As Randy Simons and wife Carly prepared a table for receiving concert tickets, street lights shone on the crowd while they talked amongst themselves. Security stood guard at the entrance.

Once inside the dimmed theater, lights of purple and aqua danced over cream clothed tables lined with lanterns and black napkins, matching the theme of the album cover. A random slide with photos of the band was presented on a screen overhanging the stage. The Photography of Ty Meyer, along with a few photos by Mystrish were displayed as the band prepared for their opening song, Love Me. However, technical difficulties aloud for an acoustic rendition of Beautiful Teardrop by Jon Ranger who played soothingly in honor of his wife. When the Program called for Captivate, Ranger introduced Nick Forcillo who would play along side Ranger, Simons, Jones, and Cutshall (John Anthony) for the remainder of the show.

The audience was wowed with the performance of From The Beginning. They swayed to the music, waved their arms, whistled and whooped. Not to mention the light hearted laughter during the mid song humor of Ranger’s mentions at his Hottie wife. There had also been Simons’ dare to sing solo, Jones’ fan based screams at Ranger’s mention of his sexiness (that he hoped later would not get him into trouble with his wife), and Cutshall’s random thanks to out of town guests, those from the ‘Dale, and those who took the very long 10 minute drive to get to the theater.

The evening ended with the melody entitled, Pray. From The Beginning once again thanked everyone for making it to the show. Guests began to leave the theater and the band played sounds familiar to their church. From the beginning to the end, the night did leave a lasting impression of good music and people. Now, on to the next the concert!