Born Ruffians @ Beachland Ballroom (5/12/2022)
The last time I saw Born Ruffians in Cleveland was 2016 at the Grog Shop. At the time they were touring for their beloved album RUFF. I was newer to listening to Born Ruffians at the time, but really enjoyed the show. Fast forward five and a half years, RUFF remains one of my favorite albums, and Uncle, Duke, & The Chief is a must listen Summer album for me. In those 5+ years since I last saw them, Born Ruffians have released four full albums. The aforementioned Uncle Duke, and the trio of Juice, Squeeze, and Pulp. In fact, this tour was supposed to have taken place originally in 2020 supporting the release of Juice. But like so many tours, it took over a full two years for this tour to finally come to fruition.
The show began with Born Ruffians lead singer, Luke Lalonde, opening things up with an acoustic set of his own solo music and covers. Unfortunately the opener for the tour had to drop some shows because of a Covid outbreak within the band, but luckily Luke had plenty of his solo tunes to fill the space. At one point during the show he remarked "this is the first time I've ever opened for my own band". It was such a unique experience, being able to enjoy Luke's solo projects along side Born Ruffians, an experience appreciated throughout the other long time fans in the crowd.
After Luke's solo set, Born Ruffians took the stage to play for a packed-in crowd at Beachland Ballroom Tavern. After a quick mishap with a broken kick pedal, they blazed through hits, new songs, classics, and a few never released songs. The energy flowed around high kicking full band, quieter more intimate tunes, and back again. Towards the end of the show, all bets were off and the band's sound technician came in and played the drums for a song, allowing the drummer Steve Hamelin to go out into the crowd while he sang along with Luke. After, he remarked, "It's good to know I'm the second best drummer on this tour".
Overall the show was great, it gave something for everyone. Those that have discovered Born Ruffians through their last three albums, fans from the RUFF era (like myself), and those that have been with the band since their inception in 2004. I had a wonderful time, and definitely hope it's not another 5 years until I see them again.
Photos and words by Shelly Duncan