Dr. Rock's Music Adventures: Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio 5/27/16

I have been fortunate to see Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls previously -- at Shaky Knees Festival 2015 (Atlanta, Georgia). I was very much looking forward to seeing the band again. And when I found out that Two Cow Garage was an opener, I was even more excited.

VENUE: I have lost track of how many shows I have seen at the Newport Music Hall -- a lot! A great venue for a sweat show!

MERCH: All three bands had a good selection of music, t-shirts, etc for sale. And Derek Zanetti and a member of Two Cow Garage were behind the merch table meeting fans after the show.

OPENER: I love the name Homeless Gospel Choir. And when a single performer comes on stage to start the show, you wonder where is the rest of the choir. Derek Zanetti then broke into one after another punk-folk song. He time and again said "This is a protest song". And he was right. I really like the material. A welcome addition to the night!

SECOND OPENER: Two Cow Garage are an awesome punk/alternative country/rock band from Columbus, Ohio. I saw them at a show in Franklinton a couple summers ago at an arts festival. There set was filled with energetic, catchy songs with an edge. The songs are terrific and the crowd was really energized by the set. Love this band!

HEADLINER: Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls recently released a new album, Positive Songs for Negative People, and the band is touring to support it. A stop in Columbus, Ohio was welcomed by the energetic crowd in attendance. The band played new material, old favorites, and an interesting cover song: Frank told guitarist Ben Lloyd that the hall was America's Oldest Continuously Operating Rock Club. Frank and the band then paid tribute to a band that played here years ago by covering "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead.

I appreciate that Frank Turner opening encourages his fans to all be on their best "play nice together" behavior while dancing, singing along, and enjoying themselves. His words about respecting the women in the audience are much appreciated by me -- thanks Frank and band!

The show was terrific with the band energetically (the whole show was filled with rock 'n' roll energy) performing the material, interacting with the audience, and genuinely enjoying themselves. As you can see by the photo below, Frank Turner crowd-surfed into the audience and back. Great performance.

As the crowd headed out and the security folks were getting restless, Ben Lloyd handed a fan a setlist. I was standing just behind the barrier in front of Tarrant Anderson's spot on stage. When he came back out to pack up equipment, I politely asked for his setlist and he handed it to me! Yeh! Thanks Tarrant!!

Overall, a very enjoyable show with all three sets being excellent.