On the heels of The Nashville Scene shining light on Karl Dean’s effort to transform Nashville into a rock city, it only seems fitting that Dream Row gather a trio of bands noted for their rock persuasion at the Hard Rock Café for a showcase of local heavy music. In contrast to the cave-like atmosphere of many venues that often play host to performances in this vein, the Hard Rock provided an atmosphere both clean and inviting complete with a comfy open-air view of the streets below.

Kris Bell opened the proceedings, immediately setting the tone for the night with his aggressive rifts and expansive solos. A calm man offstage, Bell has all the right moves onstage, commanding the audience’s attention and rewarding his onlookers with vocal anthems and solos which move to the fore, yet coalesce ever so well with the whole of the song. Not defined by volume, Bell also displayed his ability to slow down the pace with a ballad or two. A combination of contemporary rock and Southern twang, Bell reinforced his credentials as a genuine rock talent.

As the first act came to a close, the crowd continued to rise both in number and ardor. Seemingly sensing the moment, Snow Black Sunday stormed the stage with their brand of hook-laden rock. Lead singer Stephanie Moyer crooned over undeniably catchy guitar play and tight drumming as the band’s melodious sound ignited spontaneous dancing throughout the crowd. As the performance reached a crescendo, Moyer suddenly appeared garbed in a wedding dress complete with a batch of flowers ready finish out the set to the delight of the audience. As Snow Black Sunday left the stage, I wondered with anticipation how Lunge would answer the standard set by the first two performances.

Despite the inevitable thinning of the crowd as the night wore on, the final act was certainly worth the wait. Lunge took the stage to chorus of cheers from their intense following which lead singer Eric Coons continually referred to as “the Lunge Army.” Featuring gargantuan rifts supplemented with belting vocals and moody keyboard play, Lunge more than matched their adoring fans’ enthusiasm. Lunge’s rendition of Tears for Fears’ “Shout” epitomized their relentless performance which ended with the Lunge Army pleading for more, even as Hard Rock shut the party down.

Reviewers often bemoan the lack of bodies at a particular show, contrasting the talent on display with the lack of audience; luckily, this was not the case Friday night. The somewhat small upstairs of the Hard Rock was well populated with onlookers for this exhibition of rock. Both the performances and the sound quality were exceptional, providing a fantastic platform for Dream Row to rock over Broadway.

Dream Row would like to give a special thanks to Nashvillerock.net for their promotion of the show. Also Deon Russell for the great photos.