Friday night, the Randy Rogers Band will be rolling into College Station with special guest William Beckmann to play a full band show at Hurricane Harry’s.
The Randy Rogers Band are best known for their high energy passion that is expressed in every album they release. In the coming months, they will hit the road in February with Miranda Lambert for a couple of dates on her Wildcard tour. Until then, the “Kiss Me in the Dark” singer and his band will be bringing true Texas red dirt country music and songs from their most recent release “Hellbent” to cities like Denver, Colorado and College Station. Tickets are available online leading up to the show and at the door for $15.
Upon their arrival in Aggieland, the band has already made plans as to where they will be going for their pre-show fill-up.
“We’ve kind of got this tradition that we like to do every time we’re in College Station,” front man Randy Rogers said. “We step off the bus and head over to the Dixie Chicken.”
It has been several months since Rogers and his band have made the trip down to College Station to perform on the old wooden stage of Hurricane Harry’s, and Rogers said he has missed the feel of such an intimate venue.
“I mean we play amphitheaters and things like that, so to be able to come back to College Station and Hurricane Harry’s and be that close to a crowd is just really great,” Rogers said. “I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Though he has been away, Rogers said he has felt the Aggie Spirit at each one of the band’s stops.
“The thing about College Station is that no matter what it is, Aggies are always loyal and they always show up,” Rogers said. “Like next month, we’ll be in Washington D.C. and there will be a whole group of Aggies there. It doesn’t matter where we are, whether that be Chicago or Colorado, Aggies always show up.”
As a result of signing with Rogers’ management company, Big Blind Management, Friday night won’t be the first time Beckmann gets to share the stage with the man who has taken him under his wing.
“I’ve opened up a lot of shows for Randy, and getting to play to that larger audience and to be able to get my name out there has been really cool,” Beckmann said. “So he’s helped me out quite a bit and I’ll love him forever for that.”
A Del Rio native, this will be Beckmann’s first time at the famed bar and dancehall, and he said he is ready for all he has heard about the rowdy College Station crowds.
“I’ve played at a couple of smaller places in College Station like the back porch of the Dixie Chicken, but I’ve never actually played Hurricane Harry’s,” Beckmann said. “I’ve actually heard about just how rowdy College Station can be, so I’m definitely excited to see it for myself.”
When playing a show, Beckmann’s main goal is to not only leave an impression on the crowd, but also to be as inclusive as possible. He claims growing up close to the border has been a massive influence on how he structures his shows.
“I’ve got a couple of things I throw into every show, but the one thing I always do is that I throw in a Spanish song into the set,” Beckmann said. “Growing up so close to the border has made me want to include as many people in the crowd as I can so that they leave with a good feeling, and hopefully I can make a lasting impression that will keep them coming back.”
As the show nears and the week rolls on, Beckmann said Rogers has one saying that will always stick with him no matter where he’s playing.
“Something I always hear him say is ‘Be excellent and be gone,’ which is something I had never really heard before,” Beckmann said. “He just means go out there, don’t be nervous, do your thing, be good and move on. Leave an impression on people.”