Rocking Reno

“I know Reno,” said musician Brad Wilson. “They rock, and they rock hard.”

Wilson is excited about his upcoming performance at Rollin' On the River because he loves the audiences in Reno.

“The crowd in the Reno-Sparks area—this includes Carson City and a little bit of Tahoe, and we'll throw Fernley and Fallon in there, too—the crowd is very outgoing,” Wilson said. “It's not a shy crowd. Everyone likes to get loud and have a good time. And you know, that's what I'm looking forward to and this is what we experienced last time. … They get loud. They have a lot of fun.”

Wilson prefers crowds like these because he loves interacting with his audience when performing, and Reno does it well. Wilson has performed in the Reno area a few times, including Rollin' On the River a few years ago. He especially enjoys the Wingfield Park location for performing.

“Gosh, to be out under the stars with the Truckee River running right along there, and I remember last time we were playing there, the kids were wading in the Truckee and enjoying the water there, and people were just kinda stretched out,” Wilson said.

He said there's a different atmosphere to outdoor concerts that he prefers to indoor concerts as both the performer and the audience member.

“We play a lot of casinos, so it is nice to be outside in the summertime,” Wilson said. “And I know it's going to be a beautiful night in the Reno-Sparks area, and so being outside where people can bring a blanket or a chair and they can stretch out, maybe bring family, all ages. … I enjoy going inside the concerts, but it's actually more relaxing and casual to be outside in a park on a beautiful summer night. To me, that's the ideal situation to enjoy music with friends and family.”

Wilson is also excited to come to Reno because he grew up nearby in Fernley, so in addition to being a great concert in general, he will get to visit with some family who live in the surrounding areas.

He's also excited to play his European top 30 hit “Blues Magic” during the performance. The concert will include mostly original songs but will also have some covers from the great blues musicians as a kind of tribute to the genre. “Blues Magic” is the third single on Wilson's album Hands on the Wheel.

Wilson is a solo artist, but his band has been with him for a long time—since about the mid '90s. It consists of Tumbleweed Mooney on the harmonica, Amrik Sandhu on the drums, Kirk Nelson on boogie woogie piano and Brian Beal on bass. For this particular concert, John Dees will be filling in for Beal.

They play blues rock with Wilson on guitar and vocals and Wilson explained their sound as having a great deal of “high octane guitar playing,” which he said is a draw for audiences.

“I would say a lot of people buy a ticket or go to see the guitar played like Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck,” Wilson said. “As much as a lot of people do like the songs, they also go to see me play the guitar.”

Wilson is currently on tour with his band and album Hands On the Wheel. This album has 14 songs written by Wilson and is doing well in Europe—with two singles in the top 20 in addition to “Blues Magic” in the top 30—and the United States.

“Our U.S. hit is a song called 'The Ballad of John Lee,' which is in rotation on a lot of radio shows in the United States, but it's a solid hit on B.B. King's Bluesville on Sirius XM playing daily,” Wilson said. “We're getting a great response, and we're thrilled to be playing on such a big XM radio show.”

Wilson added that his album is a great one for listening in the car while driving.

Wilson will play on July 18, 5:30-8 p.m. at Wingfield Park. For more information, visit bradwilsonlive.com.