NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
What a night of constant searing guitar solos and good old rock and roll!! Are we talking about Eric Clapton? Led Zeppelin? Lynyrd Skynyrd? Nope! It was Larkin Poe who played an electric show at Asbury Hall/Babeville in Buffalo last night and wowed my socks off!
The Nashville-based sister duo (Rebecca Lovell on lead vocals and electric guitar and Megan Lovell on background vocals and slide guitar) released their fourth studio album “Self Made Man” last year during the pandemic and their Monster Energy Outbreak tour stopped in western New York where I was lucky enough to catch their show (helping hand to Twenty6 Productions for the nudge). For a relatively young band, the crowd unexpectedly skewed towards an older set. I was very surprised as many of the attendees skipped the GA floor and went up to the balcony where there was seating.
Asbury Hall happens to be one of the only venues that requires patrons to be either fully vaccinated or have a negative covid test within 48 hrs AND requires that they be masked during the show. As long as it keeps live music going and bands/crew from having to cancel their tours, I’m all in!
Opening for Larkin Poe was Tyler Bryant (from Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown and coincidentally husband of Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell). He was supposed to join the tour later but stepped in when a member of The Collection came down with covid and the band had to cancel for the week. Nice to have a kick ass guitarist/singer in the family! Bryant was another eye-opener for me as his music and guitar playing were both top notch. After his incredible set, I’ll have to go back and go through his discography as should you.
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As Larkin Poe took the stage, a voice came over the sound system talking about a woman breaking expectations and learning guitar. This was the perfect preamble to the opening song “She’s a Self Made Man”. What a great anthem for women in these times! The energy generated by these exceptional musicians was 110% from the start and throughout their set. Rebecca Lovell was a fan favorite with her extraordinary voice and guitar playing but it was when Megan stepped forward for her solos on slide guitar that I was floored. Wow!! That all I have to say about that.
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The last song of the main set, a medley of “Wanted Woman” and “AC/DC” was incredible and, I think, should have been the encore finale. That being said, you couldn’t really complain about the set at all. It included songs from all points of their career. Tyler Bryant joined the band onstage for the encore and sent us off as happy campers. Last night’s performance showed everyone exactly how polished and confident Larkin Poe’s stage presence is and why you should catch them at one of their remaining tour stops!