Remedy Takes 1st at the Fred

Remedy had the pleasure of performing at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City, GA as part of an ‘Open Mic Night’ contest held by venue. The band was selected from a pool of about 40 applicants to come and compete in a battle of the bands type format, with the winner being awarded the opportunity to return to the stage as the opening act for one of the headliners in the Fred’s summer concert series lineup.

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Gates opened around 6:30 and family, friends, and fans of the 17 scheduled performers poured into the amphitheater on what turned out to be a very pleasant May evening. Despite a rainy forecast, the only thunder heard was from the stage, where guitars, drums and amps ripped through the night air and from the crowd, who roared in support of their favorite performers. Each band was given twelve minutes to play, while solo performers were allotted six minutes to make an impression on three judges who sat stage right observing every note and guitar lick throughout the mini sets. Most bands were able to squeeze in about three songs and benefited greatly from the Fred’s outstanding acoustics and professional sound engineers that were on hand to assist with technical requirements.

Remedy performed sixteenth on a list of seventeen total acts, performing to a crowd that had perhaps grown a bit restless in waiting for the contest to finish so that a winner could be announced. Whatever reservations we had about their remaining enthusiasm quickly melted away however, after our opening tune, Hard to Handle by the Black Crowes, set the tone for our three song set by getting the audience on their feet and singing along with the familiar lyrics of the tune. Our second offering, Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn, showcased Tim’s incredible guitar skills and kept the venue buzzing as Jon led us into our third and last song of the set, Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers Band.

It was a bit hard to see the crowd while under the stage lights but we’re told we were given a standing ovation after the set and heard a tremendous amount of applause as we exited the stage. With only one act remaining we didn’t have very long to hear the result of evening’s contest.

The judges narrowed down the field from seventeen acts to only three, calling each of the finalists up on stage for the final announcement…

3rd Place – Paige McCauley

2nd Place – Krysta Nick and Gopher Broke

1st Place - Remedy

As second place was announced, a roar went up from the crowd and we quickly turned toward each other to celebrate the moment.

Having entered the competition with no expectation of being selected to perform, let alone win, it was quite a shock at the end of the evening walking out of the amphitheater as the group selected to perform at the summer concert series. We couldn’t have been more thrilled with the result and had an incredible time playing on the Fred’s stage under the lights and stars for a fantastic audience that made us feel welcome and appreciated.

Many thanks to the Fred, Nancy Price (the event organizer), and all of our friends and family who came out to support us. It was an incredible moment for us, made better only by the joy of being able to share it with all of you.

See you back at the Fred this summer when we open for the “World Class Rockers,” featuring an all-star line-up of members from Steppenwolf, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and Toto on July 10th, 2009!