A Flock of Seagulls flies into The Caverns in Tennessee

This past Friday night, I had the absolute pleasure of heading to one of the coolest music venues in the country. I’m talking, of course, about The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee. The Caverns is a unique venue in that it is essentially a cave, converted into an amazing music space. When I arrived, the staff was probably the nicest and coolest I’ve ever experienced at any venue. They gave me a personal escort from the parking lot into the venue and basically made me feel like a rock star.

Speaking of, I would be shooting one of my all-time favorite bands, A Flock of Seagulls.

To begin the night of music, we had Strange Love, which is apparently the number one Depeche Mode tribute band in the world. They performed a lengthy set of near-perfect Depeche Mode songs. I’m not typically into cover bands or tribute acts, but this one was on a whole other level. They played pretty much all of my favorite songs, from “Just Can’t Get Enough” to “Personal Jesus”. The crowd was going absolutely nuts, too. I’ve never seen Depeche Mode, unfortunately, but if they ever tour through the United States again, I hope I can make the trek to wherever they perform.

A Flock of Seagulls kicked off their set with their classic song, “Modern Love Is Automatic”. They sounded just as if they were still in the 80s. Not that I would know personally, but considering how many shows I have been to in my life, I couldn’t imagine the sound being any more perfect. I know not all of the original members are still in the band, but lead singer Mike Score is — and that’s all that really matters to me.

He is as cool as a frontman can be.

I simply couldn’t get over how flawless the band’s set was. At one point, they played my favorite “Space Age Love Song” and it was, quite honestly, the greatest live music moment I’ve ever had; it was transcendent, just clicking with every part of my being. I felt the energy move through my entire body and couldn’t get over how perfect it sounded in that venue.

The night ended with their classic “I Ran (So Far Away)”, but while I was shooting the band, I noticed they had two encore songs prepared. Unfortunately, people started leaving the place before they could. So, if anyone else is planning on seeing this band, do not leave after “I Ran”! Stick around for a couple more songs — it’s worth it! What a 10 out of 10 night. I highly recommend this show.

Photography by Derek Jones

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