Candlebox @ Hard Rock Live

Biloxi, MS

Words: Scott Keller

Portraits: Canonblue Lalley

Candlebox delivered a career spanning rock show on their Biloxi tour stop, along with a few surprises.

Sporting a t-shirt that simply read "Has Been," outspoken frontman Kevin Martin sipped on a whiskey and invited the crowd to join the band on a musical journey from 1993 to 2016, which was when Candlebox's most recent album Disappearing in Airports dropped.

"It's my favorite record," Martin told us about Disappearing in Airports  in an interview prior to the show. "If we could I'd play every song on the new record. I'd like to do that, but that's not the case. We generally put two or three from the new album into the set."

They did pepper in some of the newer material along with some of their longer established hits, such as the single "Vexatious," which was preceded by some friendly jabbing at some of the audience members who seemed to be viewing the concert through the smartphones they were holding up. The new material was well received, and "Vexatious" and "Supernova" made for great, energetic live jams.

The mood of the show ebbed and flowed from hard rocking attitude to reminiscent storytelling, as Martin would strap on an acoustic guitar and chat with the crowd as he did on their recent acoustic tour. In one particularly fun moment, the band welcomed The Voice finalist Terry McDermott to the stage to sing some Paul McCartney and Rolling Stones covers with them.

Candlebox pulled out the big guns late in the show, namely their hits "You" and "Far Behind," which had the entire audience singing loudly as the venue was illuminated with effect lighting and ushered in the peak moments of the evening.

Not willing to let the show finish on a soft note, they kicked things back up for the finale with "The Bridge" from Disappearing In Airports as Martin left the stage and appeared in a spotlight on the second level of the venue. "It's a long way down... a long way down" he belted out fittingly as he moved along at the edge of the balcony, surrounded by excited fans trying to grab a handshake or high five as he passed. It was a nice wrap to an all around fun show, especially for a "has been."

We hope to catch Candlebox again on the coast soon!

Hard Rock Live consistently delivers a great concert experience: powerful sound, great production and stage view, and a comfortable yet exciting setting to get loud in.

For more info visit hrhcbiloxi.com

For more Candlebox, visit candleboxrocks.com

Share your experience with us at @coastobserverlive

Coast Observer's May 2018 feature on Candlebox is online at http://console.virtualpaper.com/gulfcoastobserver/observer_may_2018_digital/#12/