There is one simple reason that you should never skip the opening band at a show, even when you’ve never heard of them: because WASHBOARDS.

And what I mean by this is that you may be missing out on the coolest, most unexpected thing you’ve ever heard.

In this case, it was a Zydeco band opening for Sammy Hagar.

Would I have ever expected a Zydeco band to open for Sammy Hagar?  No.  Would you?  Unless you are privy to some secret I’m not aware of, my guess for that is also no.

Andre Thierry is a killer Zydeco Band based out of none other than neighboring San Francisco and I can promise you I’ll make sure to keep them on my radar from here on out.  It was such a treat to get a taste of New Orleans before I photographed Sammy Hagar.  I spent half the three allotted songs in the photo pit dancing instead of taking photos.

FYI Austin Texas, they’ll be playing at the Blue Moon Bar and Grill on August 29th.