This is week #4 of the Bud Light Friday Summer Concert Series at NC Music Factory. Friday LIVE! at the Factory is Charlotte's largest weekend kickoff party! Tickets include admission to The Saloon, OSSO, Wet Willies, Small Bar, Label, Saddle Up Saloon, VGBG Beer Hall and Garden and Matties Diner. A portion of the proceeds from Friday Live! will benefit Amped for a Cure. Friday LIVE! is presented by Charlotte Center City Partners, Bud Light, Hendrick MINI, Clear Channel Radio, Creative Loafing, Red Bull, DFV Wines, Primo Cards and Kinky Liqueur.
This week its Fuel with The Hot Gates
Fuel has nothing to prove. The band has sold over 3.5 million albums in the U.S. and scored a trio of top 5 singles, “Shimmer,” “Innocent” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands”), the latter of which remained at 1 for 12 weeks. In addition, Fuel have sold out tours all over the world, headlining venues and opening for bands including Aerosmith, Kid Rock, Creed and 3 Doors Down. Fuel are primed to pick up where they left off with their latest release, Angels And Devils, with new band members in tow to help add to an already formidable list of achievements.
Since they burst onto the scene with their 1998 full-length debut Sunburn, Fuel has been a staple on rock radio regardless of the ebb and flow of ephemeral musical trends. After the massive success of “Shimmer,” Fuel released 2000’s Something Like Human, which featured the hit singles “Innocent” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” and achieved double platinum status. After 3 years filled with touring, Fuel released 2003’s Natural Selection, which featured the hit “Falls On Me.” The steady schedule of hit songs and sold out tours was interrupted in 2004 when the band and singer Brett Scallions decided to amicably part ways.
For rock bands, lineup changes can be healthy, providing new options, renewed enthusiasm and a new aesthetic. But even in the best circumstances, they can also be difficult, resulting in growing pains and frequently, a learning curve that must be navigated to continue to move forward. “There’s been a lot of turmoil within the band over the past few years and a lot of that is reflected in these songs,” says guitarist and chief songwriter Carl Bell. “When change happens it brings out the best and the worst in people, and I’d like to think that for us it was mostly the best.”
