It was the night the spotlight went out in Pensacola. But The Independents lit up the stage at Chizuko right after it went dark.

It all started with The Spillers followed by Pensacola’s longest running punk band Earl’s Killer Squirrel. But just as the trio completed their final checks, a fuse blew. The power was knocked out onstage. As soon as they fixed the problem, EKS proceeded with a tight set of rock.

The Independents closed the night. As they started, frontman Evil Presley told the fans to come closer. Towering over everyone and looking directly into the spotlight focused onstage, Presley turned it off, stood in the darkness and told the crowd to get even closer.

And just as Presley and guitarist Willy B. have done every year of their 25-year history, The Independents gave a night to remember. Everyone got a chance to be part of the show. They even pulled a crazy photographer onstage to sing Danzig’s “Mother”.

Who needs a spotlight? Not The Independents. They give it away every night.

– Michael L. Hulin-Smith