To start the night off, Columbus, Ohio based 3 piece rock outfit Twenty-Second Dimension took the stage. The band came with energy and melodic rock vibes as fans gathered near the stage to rock out to this local favorite. They had a special treat up their sleeves on this night, as the trio performed their take on “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters. The song got the crowd up and moving and singing along. They really did an epic job covering this song.

Next up was This Day Forever, also another rock trio hailing from Columbus, OH. Keeping the momentum going, the band brought strong rock lyrics and vocals. You could tell they were another local favorite as well.

The next band in the lineup was KrashKarma. This was our second time seeing the dynamic duo in about 3 weeks time! If you’ve never seen KrashKarma, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how just 2 talented musicians can simply BRING IT to stage. They bring it LOUD. They bring it ENERGIZED. They bring it FUN.  Ralf Dietel leads with vocals and guitar and Niki Skistmas supports on vocals and absolutely rips it on the drum kit!  Their stage presence and performance is petal to the metal from the first riff. A favorite moment for me during this particular show was how Ralf spoke about being German. He attended a Metallica show as a child, prior to Cliff Burton being tragically killed in a bus accident. The pair then proceeded to play Metallica’s “Damage, Inc.”, which they absolutely crushed! Ralf and Niki are definitely fan favorites. We watched them float around the venue, checking out the supporting bands, chatting with fans and taking photos, always with smiles on their faces. That was pretty cool to see!

To close out the night, the much anticipated Tantric took the stage! We began listening to Tantric in the early 2000’s and were pretty excited to be seeing them live for the first time ever. Since the bands formation in 1999, many changes have taken place. Hugo Ferreira still leads the band with his mesmerizing vocals, 20+ years later. It’s those vocals that lured us in so many years ago. In addition to those amazing vocals are Jaron Gulino on bass/backing vocals, Sebastian LaBar on lead guitar/ rhythm guitars/backing vocals and Jon Loree on drums. I was truly surprised how LOUD and ENERGETIC this group of 4 was! They are the epitome of what a hard rock band should be. You can bang your head, dance, sing along and just have a rockin’ good time.

Of course they played hit tracks “Breakdown”, “Astounded” and “Down and Out” which the crowd belted out, not missing a beat. Hugo, Jaron, Sebastian and Jon seem to have an amazing band chemistry which is evident when you watch them on stage. They are another one of those bands that seem very down to earth, mingling prior to the show and chatting with fans. Jaron hooked us up with covering the show and he introduced himself and thanked me for coming while I was capturing one of the supporting acts. I thought that was a thoughtful gesture. All in all, Tantric is just one hell of a hard rock band that has so much talent. If they come near you-check them out!