It’s a Hometown Show! – Knox Hamilton
Article and Photos by Katy Bloodwell
Friday evening people lined up in the heat wearing Knox Hamilton shirts outside of The Rev Room in Little Rock, Arkansas waiting eagerly for Arkansas based bands/artists; Tyler Sellers, Joseph Tilley, and the headliner, Knox Hamilton, to rock their socks off.
The Opening Acts
Once the doors opened, friends, family, and fans began to filter into the venue, there to enjoy a night of good company and great music.
The first two acts – Tyler Sellers and Joseph Tilley, are two incredibly talented young men, both from Conway, Arkansas. Starting the show out, Tyler played his most recent release, Goodbye Highschool, along with several other well-loved songs and even a few unreleased gems.
Joseph Tilley
Up next was Joseph Tilley who took the stage alongside his best friend William Crockett on keys and Michael Manley on percussion. Playing songs such as Wish I Didn’t, Rather Love You, and Empty Space, Joseph had everyone in our Feelings.
Both sets filled the room with happiness and energy and watching their interactions with both the audience and each other; you are always bound to have a great time at a show with them. Especially that night, in their home state, these guys were are continually dancing and having a blast with their buds. The overall joy was contagious and spread through the venue like wildfire.
Knox Hamilton Takes the Stage
After the two fantastic performances that just took place, the crowd’s energy rose exponentially at cue for the Knox boys. The members of Knox Hamilton strolled out onstage dressed up in “Dad Suits” aka full-on plaid blazers and trousers. These are the same getups as the ones they wore for their promo of Cool, the newest of the Knox jams released the same day as the show, 6/21. They opened their set with Washed Up Together, and the energy kept rolling with 17 more of their rad tunes. The setlist included playingCoolfor the first time live, Drew’s awesome guitar shredding, Boots picking up an acoustic guitar and sharing an unreleased song they call Moon Dust,as well as spotlighting his wonderful wife, Sarah, in the crowd during the ballad Boots had written about her called The Heights.
A Hidden Gem
At one point in the night, there was a moment between songs when frontman Boots began randomly playing some chords as he prepared for the next song. Boots whirled around when he heard a voice sing some of the lyrics. The riff he was playing was from Ameritown, a song initially set to be released in 2013 on The Great Hall EP alongside their hit song Work It Out. The band, however, ended up archiving almost all of the other songs, including Ameritown, and just releasing Work It Out as a single.
Boots’ face lit up with disbelief and excitement as he stared down at the small group of fans who had begun singing the few lines. He stopped and addressed the crowd asking, “Who here has heard a little song called Ameritown??” As hands shot up all through the venue, including my own, the guys beamed in awe of the response. Boots followed it up with, “Dang, we should have put it on the setlist! However, none of us have played that song in a long while.” Even stating that this was something special, only in Little Rock would that ever happen. The beauty of a hometown show.
A Beautiful Night
The Rev Room was full of people singing and dancing all night; friends, family members, and spouses cheered and watched in admiration and support of their loved ones. This was Knox show number 11 for me, and it was absolute magic, all of their shows are, they are some of the kindest people I have ever met, but this one was something different. All three groups of guys were incredible, the excitement and energy in the crowd throughout the night, the fact that so many family members were able to be there, I was even able to bring my younger sister along with me to experience the adventure that is Knox. Seeing all of the faces in the crowd, I knew it was special for everyone else too.
I could write a book about all of these guys and how amazing they are as musicians and people, but how about instead you go check them out for yourself? Remember these names because they are going to go far: The next shows for Joseph Tilley and Tyler Sellers are yet to be announced, but I suggest keeping an eye on them. Knox Hamilton will be playing a show in Chicago on Thursday 6/27 at Schubas, but do not currently have any other tour dates announced.
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Check out our full photo recap of the show below!
