Beyond the Pit: A Fan's Perspective - Concert Review - Sully Erna's Avalon Solo Tour 6.18.2011

As a very long time fan of Sully's music, I was wild with anticipation to see the Avalon tour showcasing Sully's other side. Living in Phoenix, I had not expected to see this show until this fall sometime, but luckily the planets aligned to allow me to see the show much sooner than I originally expected. Seeing that the last show of the first leg of the tour was due to end on June 18th at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire, I was able to extend my vacation in Boston to attend the show.

VIP tickets in hand, walking in to the venue I knew I was in for a very special night. Not only was I about to experience an amazing show, but I was also about to meet Sully for the second time... First time was two years ago with my best friend in Las Vegas for Cruefest (August 1st, 2010).

That first meeting with Sully was one of the few moments in my life I was actually starstruck, meeting my idol. It was definitely a moment I never wanted to forget.... and so I inked his autograph the next day in remembrance of that special moment.

As all of us VIP fans lined up to meet Sully, out he comes with me being first in line for him to see. I showed him the tattoo I got two years before and this is what he said: "Holy shit!..... Wow!...." He was legitimately surprised with my permanent show of loyalty on my forearm to say the least! And I was blown away by his reaction and sincerity. And that was just the beginning of the night!

Now seated and lights dimming for the Avalon experience to begin, the stage was beautifully set for all eight musicians to perform with a video screen as a backdrop. One by one each musician came on stage with a very warm and hearty welcome of applause from the audience, many of them hailing from New Hampshire. The group started right in with the title track "Avalon", a very rousing rendition that beautifully set the tone for the night. Sully & company flowed seamlessly from song to song with video accompaniment to enhance the experience. My personal favorite moment of the night was when Sully sang "My Light", a song dedicated to his daughter, Skylar. A song that always manages to bring tears to my eyes was even more glorious this night with heartfelt images of Sully with his daughter throughout her youth. Anyone can truly feel the immense love he has for his daughter with this song.

Sully & company performed every song on the Avalon album with a couple extra songs thrown in for good measure: Godsmack's "Serenity", "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac and "Hey Jude", the latter being a song Sully likes to make an example of at his acoustic shows to show the power of music in all of us.

Lisa Guyer, whom resides in Londonderry, NH received loud applause and crowd reaction throughout the night with her incredible voice and hypnotic dancing. A beauty in vision and sound, it's no wonder she is a favorite to the locals. As Sully said himself, "Lisa is my musical soul mate".

Overall, the Avalon show was a true musical and sensory experience that feels like a personal gift from Sully to each listener. If you haven't heard the album yet, don't walk, run and get it now so you can truly understand how incredibly gifted he really is.