Traveling Back In Time With Guardians Of The Jukebox In Charlotte

Band Brings An Action-Packed 80s Party To Amos’ Southend

One of the best things about music is that it has a special power to transport us back in time, to a certain place or moment in our past. Just hearing a song can bring back cherished memories because music really is the soundtrack of our lives. For most of us, the bands and music of our younger years will always hold a bit of magic, a spark that makes us remember old friends, our first kiss, and all the fun times with friends. As a child of the 80s, anything from that decade puts a smile on my face and I instantly feel like I’m a teenager again without a care in the world, dreaming of what the future might bring. Last Saturday night, I got to relive all of those memories of my youth as well as make some new memories with a nostalgia-filled evening of the best of 80s music with Guardians Of The Jukebox.

Guardians Of The Jukebox is the premier 80s experience. They are the real deal, bringing all those feelings and memories to life through the music we hold so dear. So what was so great about the 80s? Well, the 80s brought us iconic movies like Footloose and Flashdance and classic TV shows like Cheers and The Dukes of Hazzard. It was also one of the last decades where teens were unencumbered by the rapid technological pace of later years. Our days were filled with rollerskating and skateboarding, hanging out at the mall, and taking in all the fantastic music from hair metal to classic rock to pop tunes that stand the test of time. So needless to say, I was more than excited to see and hear what Guardians Of The Jukebox was all about.

Southend Charlotte was packed with St. Patrick’s Day parade-goers and people getting an early start to the pub crawl. But little did they know, that the real action and the best party was about to go down at Amos’ Southend. I found myself rockin’ down to South Tryon Avenue (ok, South Tryon is technically a street, but for those that got the 80s reference, give me a little editorial leeway here) for the party of the year.

The stage was set with a backdrop of TV monitors and the mic stands were adorned with a front lighting panel. There was no opening act so we were about to be rocked for two and a half hours straight and everyone was pumped up for the occasion. Guardians is made up of five world-class musicians led by rock guitarist extraordinaire, Rich Ward who you may know from Fozzy and Stuck Mojo. The lovely Seersha provides a female vocal punch as well as keys with Sean Delson on bass, Doug Busbee on vocals as well as keys at times, and the young gun, Grant Brooks on drums. Just before the band took the stage, the monitors flashed It’s Show Time and we were off!

Things got going quickly with “Maniac” as clips of the Flashdance movie played on the monitors. This was not just music but really an 80s experience with movie and television clips as well as MTV videos playing throughout the set on the monitors to enhance the mood. Rich was playing an 80s-style headless guitar and Seersha would pull out a keytar at different times during the evening. Grant’s bass drum was also made up to look like a Simmons electronic drum from back then. It truly was a trip back in time and the crowd was loving every second of it.

Next, we were rocking down “Electric Avenue,” (hence my earlier reference) and “Working For the Weekend.” The band sounded phenomenal. This wasn’t just an 80s cover band, but a group of super-talented musicians putting their own twist and spin on beloved 80s classics. Doug is not only an exceptional vocalist but also a great showman and combined with Rich, who always puts everything into his performances, it was nothing but non-stop fun. The two hammed it up all night, pretending to kick each other, leaning back to back, crouching down and posing, and jumping all over the stage.

The whole evening was an 80s party of epic proportions. We all enjoyed a sing-along to “Living On A Prayer” and we even got our 80s dance on as Rich took over on vocals for Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.” I was busy taking photos but honestly couldn’t wait to put the camera down and join in on all the fun. Seersha’s vocals were amazing, soaring over the venue giving us all “Sweet Dreams’ and captivating us with “Like a Prayer.” Young drummer Grant Brooks wasn’t even born until the 90s but that didn’t stop him from driving the pace all night along with the slinky basslines of Sean Delson.

We were all kicking up our heels and doing our best Irish jig imitations for “Come On Eileen” before Rich took it down a notch to “bless the rains down in Africa.” Rich would keep the party going by sharing stories of skateboarding at a park down the road and his own childhood memories in Charlotte. He even took a moment to thank John, the owner of Amos’, for all his support over the years, urging us all to support these smaller venues that keep music alive.

The show even had short, commercial breaks with quintessential 80s commercial jingles playing like the Dr. Pepper song and Big Red gum to which we all seemed to know the words to still.

The set would close with two huge 80s hits as the Dirty Dancing began to “Time of My Life” before Guardians Of The Jukebox had us all believing with a little Journey. Of course, we couldn’t end the show without just one more song and what else could be more appropriate than “Jukebox Hero?” Guardians rocked the house one final time with the powerhouse rock anthem as Rich lit up Amos’ with his sizzling guitar work.

At the end of it all, Rich told us all to remember that we deserve to have fun and I can’t think of a better way to do that than hitting up a Guardians Of The Jukebox show. This show was an 80s musical party that you won’t want to miss. They truly are not only Guardians Of The Jukebox, but also guardians of days gone by, keeping those memories alive through the music of the era for all of us to relive and enjoy.

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.