PAT BENATAR AND NEIL GIRALDO LIGHT UP CHARLESTON WITH ROCK ROYALTY ENERGY — THE VINDYS IMPRESS AS OPENERS

Opening the night was a “new-to-me” rock/blues/soul outfit from Youngstown, OH: The Vindys. Led by Jackie Popovic, they delivered a high-energy six-song set culled from across their catalog. Popovic’s dynamic, powerful voice was the undeniable centerpiece—charming, commanding, and deeply engaging. That said, she’s backed by a top-tier group of musicians: drummer Owens Davis, bassist Brenden Burke, keyboardist Nathan Anthony, and guitarists John Anthony and Rick Deak, the latter of whom lit up the closing number, “Chasin’,” with soaring guitar solos—punctuated by a killer snippet of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”