Tennessee Jet and Dwight Yoakam
Sunday, August 22, 2021
The Rialto Square Theatre
102 N Chicago Street
Joliet, Illinois, 60432
After 533 days of no live music acts or performance, the Rialto Theater reopened for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic this past Sunday. A highly energised large crowd of patient country fans anxiously anticipated Tennessee Jet and Dwight Yoakam to perform. A nearly sold-out performance had theater management and fans excited for the concert season to begin. The venue and those in attendance were welcomed with a remarkable performance.
This was the first concert that I was given the opportunity to photograph. Concert photography is something that I have been long interested in. I was (so) happy to finally be given this opportunity. Yes, I was definitely excited and nervous. And, yes, I was anxious at the start of the concert because I have never photographed any event with this type of lighting before. The uncertainty was there, but i focused on making quality images. So, I made over 1,000 photographs, yes, over a thousand! Documenting live performances couples an understanding of rhythm with ones ability to anticipate key moments in the performances. Dwight Yoakam and company provided many opportunities. I feel most fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph this iconic country music musician.
The opening act for Dwight Yoakam was an up-and-coming artist named Tennessee Jet from Oklahoma. Their music has an older country sound with a mix of bluegrass, rock, and blues. T.J. McFarland, the lead, has a voice that I feel is needed more in today’s country music genre to help bring back some of the older style country music. There was a sense of nostalgia in watching these young musicians churn out a healthy energy of tunes that primed the audience for the headliner.
Dwight Yoakam, the headline performer, and opened his show by singing “Keep on the Sunny Side,” which is a cover from The Carter Family. He had his fans engaged and singing along throughout his performance. He closed out his set with one of his most well-known songs, “Fast as You.” This evening was a first for many, first event for the Rialto since the beginning of the pandemic, and the first concert where I was given a press pass to photograph the performance as a professional, not just a fan using her phone camera. I will forever cherish this experience and I can’t wait to see what other events I will get to cover in the future!
Photography and review by Jaclyn Duske
For additional information, please visit:
The Rialto Square Theater – https://rialtosquare.com/
Dwight Yoakam – https://www.dwightyoakam.com/
Tennessee Jet – https://tennesseejet.com/
Jaclyn Duske studies design and photography at the University of St. Francis. Jaclyn has had a passion for country music since childhood. In addition to her studies, she regularly takes on outreach and volunteer opportunities and spends her down time with her pets!
