The Outlaws/Blackhawk, Fort Pierre, SD

A blend of 70s country rock and 90s country pop hit Fort Pierre, South Dakota on July 30, 2015 at the Bad River Music Series. The Outlaws and Blackhawk made fans of both genres happy.

I remembered The Outlaws mainly for a rendition of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Green Grass and High Tides." I vaguely knew there was some connection with members of The Outlaws forming Blackhawk later. I was completely unprepared however to see The Outlaws do their show, take a rest while a few things were rearranged on the stage, and then have the exact same group of guys come back as Blackhawk. I'm pretty sure there were a lot of people in the audience who had no idea. I don't think I've ever seen a similar concert occurrence unless I've been blissfully unaware that perhaps Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon are actually the same guys or something like that.

I enjoyed The Outlaws performance. They are obviously well-seasoned musicians. Talking with founding drummer Monte Yoho backstage, I learned that some form of the band has been playing together since the late 1960s. Members have come and gone, died and been replaced, etc. This lineup sounds great with the triple-guitar attack the band has always been know for.

The crowd seemed to be more Blackhawk fans from what I could tell, so they were excited to see this version of the two-in-one group.

Learn more about The Outlaws at www.outlawsmusic.com and Blackhawk at www.blackhawklive.com.

Blackhawk, Watertown, SD

Peforming second on the bill for the Redlin Art Center Summer Celebration on August 7, 2010 was Blackhawk.

Returning to the band shortly before the show was Blackhawk veteran keyboard player Dave Robbins.

Blackhawk, Mitchell, SD

Just came across a couple more interesting shots from this concert at Mitchell's "World's Only Corn Palace." Blackhawk played the Corn Palace Festival in August 1997. You'll find my original post about this concert here.

So here's what it looks like from the light control board, which is interesting the first time you see it. When you realize stage shows are designed to be seen from the audience side, the backstage view isn't always that cool.




If you really like seeing the little details of an artist's gear or what happens and gets said between songs, backstage is fun. Unfortunately, I've found sometimes it ruins the illusion and I would have much rather seen a show the way it was designed instead of how the crew does.

Blackhawk, Mitchell, SD

Here is Blackhawk at the Corn Palace Festival in Mitchell, South Dakota in August 1997.

I remember watching the entire concert from this vantage point, but not much else about this show. Apparently they didn't make much of an impression on me.