Highly Suspect at the Capitol Theatre -- September 26.
Saturday, September 26, 7 p.m.
Capitol Theatre, 330 West Third Street, Davenport IA
An exhilarating evening of rock and rap is promised on September 26 when Davenport's Capitol Theatre hosts a co-headlining concert with Highly Suspect and Yelawolf, the former having earned raves for their most recent recording As Above, So Below, the latter responsible for the platinum-selling "Till Its Gone."
Highly Suspect, as stated at AllMusic.com, "formed in Cape Cod in 2009 around the talents of Johnny Stevens (guitar, vocals, synths) and twin siblings Ryan (drums, vocals) and Rich Meyer (bass, vocals). After working regionally as a cover band, they relocated to Brooklyn and began recording original material, resulting in a pair of EPs, First Offense (2009) and The Gang Lion (2010). They continued to establish themselves with one more EP, The Worst Humans, in 2012, before heading into the studio with producer Joel Hamilton (Black Keys, Elvis Costello) to record their debut long-player. The resulting Mister Asylum, which featured the fiery single 'Lydia,' was released on 300 Entertainment in 2015. Their debut received critical praise and two unexpected Grammy nominations, leading to an extensive supporting tour.
"Off the road by early 2016, they immediately returned to the studio to record a second full-length, The Boy Who Died Wolf, which saw release in November of that year. The album's lead single, 'My Name Is Human,' topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and earned Highly Suspect another Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. As early as November 2018, they began teasing information about their next album, which they later revealed would be called MCID. In 2019, two occasional touring members – Mark Schwartz (a.k.a. Shadow Tricks) and Matt Kofos, their former drum tech – joined Highly Suspect full-time, augmenting their sound by switching between guitar and keyboards. A pair of singles, 'Upperdrugs' and '16,' were released in August of that year, with the eclectic, hip-hop-infused MCID and featured guest spots from Young Thug, Gojira, Tee Grizzley, and Nothing But Thieves' Conor Mason, arriving in November 2019. Three years later, Highly Suspect released The Midnight Demon Club, a kinetic and life-affirming set that combined hip-hop beats and cinematic soundscapes with blazing metal. As Above, So Below was issued in 2024 and featured the crunchy, freewheeling singles 'Summertime Voodoo' and 'The Blue-Eyed Devil.'”
Born Michael Wayne Atha in Gadsden, Alabama, in 1979, Yelawolf, as stated at AllMusic.com, "made his full-length album debut with the independent release Creekwater (2005). He subsequently made the jump to Sony BMG for the release of a promotional single 'Kickin'' (2007). Disillusioned with life on a major label, he returned to the underground rap scene. Newly inspired, he worked to build an audience for himself via MySpace and mixtapes. In 2010, an appearance on Bizarre's album Friday Night at St Andrews became an early sign that the rapper was aligning himself with Eminem's Shady label and its family of artists. His signing to the label was announced in 2011, and by the end of the year his official debut, Radioactive, had landed. Guest shots came from Eminem, Kid Rock, Lil Jon, and Gangsta Boo, while names like Diplo, Jim Jonsin, and the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League handled production.
"A year later, he partnered with blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for the rap-rock EP Psycho White. A 2013 tour with Hopsin previewed his album Love Story, but with Shady celebrating its 15th anniversary and Yelawolf going on tour with DJ Paul, it took until 2015 for the record to see release. The album featured production by Eminem and a guest appearance by the rapper on 'Best Friend.' In addition to touring, Yelawolf followed Love Story with the release of a series of singles. Reuniting with Travis Barker, 'Out of Control' was the first to arrive, followed by 'Daylight,' 'Shadows,' and 'Row Your Boat.' In 2017, he issued the single 'Punk' featuring Barker and rapper Juicy J. That track would feature on the rapper's third major-label release, Trial by Fire, which arrived in late 2017. Also appearing on the album were Joshua Hedley, Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Bones Owens, and Wynonna Judd.
"After hinting at its release for some time, Yelawolf revealed that Trunk Muzik III – a sequel to his two previous Trunk Muzik mixtapes – would serve as his fifth proper album as well as his final release for the Shady Records imprint. Featuring guest appearances by Machine Gun Kelly, Rittz, and many others, Trunk Muzik III was released in March 2019. Later that year, he issued his sixth studio effort, Ghetto Cowboy, via his own independent label, Slumerican. In 2021, Yelawolf went through a period of extreme output, releasing five new projects between February and April of that year. This creative rush began with Yelawolf Blacksheep, a collaborative mixtape with rapper Caskey, and continued with Turquoise Tornado (made with Riff Raff), the Slumafia EP (with DJ Paul), the Mile Zero mixtape (with DJ Muggs), and finally his seventh studio album Mud Mouth. In 2022, he kept his collaborative streak going with the release of Sometimes Y, a country-rock album made with Shooter Jennings. In 2024, he returned with solo effort War Story, a collection of rap, pop, and country tunes that included contributions from Jelly Roll, Killer Mike, Presley Vaughn, and others. The following year, Yelawolf joined forces with Ohio-based singer/songwriter J. Michael Phillips on their duo album Whiskey & Roses. The album leaned more toward heartfelt Americana and homeland balladry, with dashes of rap swagger dusted throughout."
Highly Suspect and Yelawolf perform their co-headlining engagement in Davenport on September 26 with an additional set by Passengers Unknown, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $60-124, and more information and tickets are available by visiting FirstFleetConcerts.com/first-fleet-vanues/capitol-theatre.
