Don Barnes, Barry Dunaway, Jerry Riggs, Bobby Capps and drummer Gary Moffatt had the Darke County Fair audience on their feet most of the evening.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
Fair King Jayden Hicks talked to WTUE’s Bman before shooting t-shirts into the audience.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
Don Barnes and Jerry Riggs are shown getting some frett work in during the show.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — After a very succesful Sunday night concert with Riley Green and Laine Hardy, the Darke County Fair Board followed it up with another great concert on Wednesday evening. For the first time since the fair started hosting concerts, the Great Darke County Fair had two concerts during fair week. The mid-week concert featured legendary southern rockers, 38 Special.
The band set the tone for the night when they came out to one of their all-time greatest hits, Rockin’ Into the Night. Fans on the track and in the Grandstand were immediately on their feet to hear 38 Special co-founder Don Barnes kick-off the high-energy show.
Barnes may have been the only original member on stage, but he wasn’t the only southern rock legend in Greenville that night. Jerry Riggs showcased his lead guitar expertise throughout the night, including performing some of the songs his band, Riggs, performed on the 1981 animated cult classic Heavy Metal. Bobby Capps on lead vocals and keyboards has been with 38 Special since 1988. Gary “Madman” Moffatt is the third longest tenured member of the band. He has been drumming with group since 1997. Barry Dunaway has been playing bass and providing backing vocals with 38 Special since 2011.
Although the first half of the show had the audience singing along with songs like Back Where You Belong, Second Chance and Teacher Teacher, it was the second half of the show that got the audience on their feet.
As the sun went down and Riggs took the stage with his guitar solo on Guitars from Hell, the show took on a different dynamic. The hits kept coming with Fantasy Girl, Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight and the 1982 #1 hit Caught Up in You.
The band wasn’t done and encore was necessary. The band still hadn’t played their most popular song. Released in 1981, Hold on Loosely is probably the most recognized 38 Special song. It reached #3 on the Billboard charts, but has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows. It was also the 13th song/video played when MTV debuted in 1981.
As soon as the familiar guitar riff began, the crowd erupted with a huge a cheer. Hands were in the air and the audience was almost as loud as the band singing, “You see it all around you – good loving gone bad…”
After an hour and 40 minutes on stage, 38 Special ended the evening with the Creedence Clearwater classic Travelin’ Band.
Over 3,000 people were in attendance for the Wednesday evening concert.
To reach Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
