SHEPPARD
Sheppard, The Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA. 6/12/24.
Crowded inside the upstairs bar-venue at Milkboy Philly, an anxious crowd, revved up by the lead off pop punk band, Kids That Fly, roars to applause as the members of platinum hit Australian pop superstar band, Sheppard, take the stage. The group, composed of George, Amy, and Emma Sheppard, all wear bright smiles across their warm faces, as they embrace the Philly crowd and prepare for an intimate show, for the deep fans, in an intimate venue, humbly sitting above the bustling restaurant below.
While waiting for the show to start, I chatted with some of the fans, hearing their stories and how they came to love Sheppard. One woman recalled taking the day off work to come in from Lancaster. I overheard a mother, proudly resting her hands on the tops of her son's shoulders, stating this was his first show, and a birthday present, as they had just celebrated his 8th birthday the day before.
You could tell there was a lot of love and connection in the audience, I surveyed the crowd and saw men and women of all ages, friends, couples, families, joined together to watch the show. Sheppard fed off that energy and regaled the audience with backstories. For instance, how the new hit single from their upcoming album, Zora, is about the struggle COVID-19 put on families, and how magical it was to finally be reunited with family members.
After hearing the mother's story about her son's birthday, I tapped the band's drummer and roadie on the shoulders and gave them the scoop, just in case. Sure enough, partway through the set, the band announced Everet's birthday and led the crowd in song as everyone sang happy birthday to the little fan.
The band stopped by Philly for one of the five shows they scheduled as part of a short American Tour, called "Geronimo," just like their platinum 2014 single, and most notable song. Pick up their new album, Zora, June 21st, 2024.
Shot and Written by Jesse Buggey.
