FMU hosted hit ‘90s band The Wallflowers on Oct. 5 in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) located in downtown Florence.
The Wallflowers, led by singer Jakob Dylan, son of famous musician and singer Bob Dylan, has been creating unique rock music and performing shows since the early 1990s. The latest stop in their tour was here in Florence, SC.
The evening began with opener David Rosales. Rosales took the mainstage barefoot and performed a handful of Americana-style songs, going off the bat for most of his setlist.
Rosales’ performance included a number of his songs such as “Good to Be Alive,” “Turn it Around” and an unreleased song due to come out later in the month called “The Ballad of Rose.”
Soon after, The Wallflowers took the stage, performing familiar favorites and some newer songs for the audience. Songs on the setlist included hits such as “The Passenger,” “6th Avenue Heartbreak” and their iconic 1996 hit “One Headlight.” The Wallflowers concluded their concert with a short encore performance of songs.
After the concert, audience members and fans alike congregated outside of the PAC mainstage to purchase merchandise from The Wallflowers and Rosales, as well as to interact with each other and connect with other fans of the artists. While the audience consisted mostly of old fans of the band, the performance also gained the band plenty of new fans.
Not only did The Wallflowers gain new fans, but up-and-coming musician David Rosales did as well. Rosales even interacted with fans after the show, taking photographs and signing merchandise.
“Playing here, I didn’t know what to expect because the outside looks so different from the inside,” Rosales said. “But it is one of the best stages I’ve played. It was huge and it was intimate and it was warm and I didn’t want to get off stage.”
Planning for the concert began at the start of the year as the PAC’s current season is based on diversifying the music performed.
“When we put together our spotlight series we tried to be diverse and hit different groups of audiences that would come and enjoy themselves,” Bud Simmons, director of the PAC, said. “The most important thing for us is the audience goes away feeling good, they enjoyed themselves, and we hope they come back for future events.”
A big band for Florence, The Wallflowers has won multiple awards and has recorded numerous albums catering to fans of ‘90s rock music.
“That’s the hardest part is trying to figure out what kind of artist is going to do well here,” Simmons said. “This was a band that was really pop in the ‘90s and they’ve sustained that.”
The long-anticipated concert was a success, with about 700 individuals in attendance.
“It all went really well,” Simmons said. “It was a smooth concert.”
The Wallflowers and David Rosales can be found on Instagram @wallflowersband and @davidrosalesmusic, respectively. More information about future events at the PAC can be found on their website.