Hard rock band Paralandra, who toured recently with Yngwie Malmsteen, made a stop in Lexington, KY to perform at Manchester Music Hall.
The band is comprised of four insanely talented musicians, with singer/guitarist Casandra Carson and father Paul Carson shredding on their guitars and bassist Sawyer Rikard shredding on his bass throughout the set. Rounding out the band was Nick Gray, killing it on the drums this evening!
There were several moments during their set when Paul and Sawyer would stand at the edge of the stage to showcase their guitar and bass talents, much to the delight of the audience! The band was very interactive with the crowd, as well as with each other, making sure to acknowledge them frequently and keep them engaged throughout the set. Singer Casandra Carson is a dynamic front woman and wowed the audience with her powerful vocals and talent on the guitar, chatting a bit with the crowd between songs, thanking them for coming out and saying what an honor it was for the band to be touring with one of their idols, Yngwie Malmsteen. Performing a nice variety of songs from their 2 EPs, they had the crowd dancing and having a great time. I have no doubt they made plenty of new fans this evening!
Next up was New York heavy metal trio Sunlord. Their sound alternated throughout the set between heavy metal and a more thrash metal sound, with their Motorhead influence shining through on several songs. Singer Alfonso Ferrazza, drummer Jeff Almeyda and bassist Bobby Dead kept the crowd engaged with a fun, high-energy and tight set. Lighting that alternated between red, green and white/yellow set the mood during their set, which alternated between somber and moody to upbeat.
Paralandra and Sunlord put on great performances that got the crowd excited and ready for Malmsteen! Although I was not able to photograph Malmsteen this evening, he put on a stellar set and solidified his reputation as a guitar idol that is revered and respected by many in the guitar community! With a stack of guitar amps and cabinets that covered the entire back wall at the back of the stage, Malmsteen turned the volume up the 20 when he hit the stage and kept the crowd cheering from his first song until his last! It was a really fun evening that left many in attendance buzzing as they headed to the march table and filed out of the venue.
Photos of Paralandra and Sunlord:
