» Old Dominion – No Bad Vibes

American country/country pop band Old Dominion made a stop at Rogers Place on Thursday, March 2^nd, 2023, in support of their “No Bad Vibes” tour. Well, they were correct. I could not see any bad vibes inside the venue. (This was my first arena shoot since moving to Edmonton, and I was very excited!) As I walked onto the floor/photographers’ pit, I noticed the sea of denim, cowboy boots, and hats. Edmonton came prepared for what was about to occur!

Sadly I missed the opening acts; Frank Ray, Steven Lee Olsen, and Shawn Austin (Fun fact: Shawn Austin is signed to Canadian country artist Dallas Smith’s record label SteelHead Music) … but I could tell they whipped the crowd into a frenzy as they had the place buzzing well before Old Dominion took the stage. The stage was in a T shape which allowed the audience to have a more intimate experience and for us photographers to get much tighter and up-close photos.

Exactly at 9:15 pm, Old Dominion walked on stage. This sold-out crowd went wild. I have been to arena shows before, but this was on another level. The energy had everyone vibrating, dancing, singing, and cheering. Known for their songs “Break Up with Him”, “I Was on a Boat That Day”, “No Hard Feelings” and “One Man Band”, the Nashville five-piece pulled out all the stops. They interacted with the crowd incredibly well and I could see smiles on the faces of everyone around me. As I walked around in the pit, I could see quite a few signs held up by fans that said, “It’s my 18^th birthday today!” in the hopes they would get noticed by the band. Later they allowed a fan on stage to play “Nowhere Fast”, and they have never done such a thing before. I like it when bands make someone’s night and give them an experience, they will never forget.

As someone who has never photographed a show at Rogers Place before, I have to say Old Dominion has set the bar. Their energy, level of playing skills (incredibly talented musicians), the lighting, the sound… it was the complete package. They know their audiences and what songs to play to have everyone leaving on a high. Coincidentally, it had me leaving on a high as well. Old Dominion consists of Matthew Ramsey (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Trevor Rosen (rhythm guitar and keyboards), Whit Sellers (drums), Geoff Sprung (bass guitar), and Brad Tursi (lead guitar). To follow the good vibes and see where Old Dominion is next, check out www.weareolddominion.com.

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