Local acts shine on WWF stage alongside national acts

Hays locals enjoyed the annual Wild West Festival over the holiday weekend. Kansas acts DoC and the Sunset Sinners joined fellow openers Joshua Ray Walker and Kameron Marlow on the Frontier Park stage alongside national acts Lonestar, Hairball and Lainey Wilson.

Sunset Sinners didn’t let the potential for poor weather stop them from playing to their loyal following on Thursday.

Lead singer for the Sunset Sinners, Tony Bowell, sings to the crowd on June 30th.

“We are all Kansas guys that love music and the music that we play. I know we aren’t that big, but being at another event in Kansas is special for our group,” lead vocalist Tony Bowell said. “Opening for a talented group like Lonestar gives you an appreciation for the guys that have been doing it year in and year out.”

The Sunset Sinners will be back in Hays on November 11th at the Fox theater.

With the weather threatening due to lighting within the area, WWF chair Sandi Maier and Lonestar’s tour manager Toby Scott pushed the concert’s start time back, but after the stage crew prepared for rain, Lonestar was ready to perform at Wild West Fest.

Lonestar, a multi-award-winning country band who dominated the charts in the late 1990s and early 2000s, played favorite hits that many country fans know to this day and the group attracted a large turnout. Scott told TMN Lonestar was happy to be in Hays and play the show.

A fan in the pit earns a pick from Lonestar’s Dean Sams.
A young fan watches Lonestar play at the Wild West Fest.
Wild West Fest Fans react to Lonestar on stage
Wild West Fest Fans are waiting for Lonestar to walk onto the stage.

PFriday night saw DoC open for Hairball on the WWF stage. DoC is a local group that started when five high school students initially formed the band; however, DoC is now made up of founding members Chad Stoecklein and Jeremy Schumacher. Originally calling themselves Descendants of Cain, the band started going by DoC and needed to come up with another meaning for the band’s name.

“One day, I started talking to Chad about possible names, and he came up with [Duo of Chaos]. I thought that was perfect for us as we always never have a calm show when we go out and play, and we play different types of music, so I just thought it fit us very well,” Schumacher said.

For DoC, playing the WWF stage meant a lot, especially being able to play in front of friends and family.

“It was a great experience for us to play out in front of our friends and families, but usually at bars or weddings where they see us performing. So being out here at the Wild West Fest has been a big opportunity for us,” Stoecklein said. “With this being our first Wild West Festival, it was pretty sweet to play in front of a larger Hays crowd, and people get to know more about us as a band.”

DoC lead singer Chad Stoecklein plays his guitar.
DoC drummer Jeremy Schumacher is playing the drums at Wild West Fest.
Mark and Kim Kronewitter dance while DoC plays at the Wild West Fest.
DoC drummer Jeremy Schumacher’s wife, Sharron, showed her support after DoC finished their performance.

DoC was aslo grateful to open for Hairball – a band known for its portrayals of rock and roll legends Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, and more.

“Being the cover band for a band like Hairball is fantastic for us; we grew up listening to this music and wanting to make this type of music that they play earlier in our careers. It was just a special moment for us to get to meet some of the members of Hairball and just talk about music and our careers.” Schumacher said.

After DoC left the stage, it was Hairball’s turn to rock the WWF crowd, and rock the stage they did. Members of Hairball blitzed the stage as pyro stunt fireworks shot up in the air catching everyone off guard. It quickly turned into an adrenaline rush for everyone in attendance.

Once everyone got settled in and understood the pace at which Hairball was playing, the crowd appeared to love Hairball and what they brought to Wild West Fest as they gave a nostalgic feel to everyone that was or has been old enough to listen to or watch these famous artists live at another concert.

As the night continued, the band kept the pace, bringing hit after hit song and never letting down the crowd. As if it was time for Hairball to call it a night, the crowd came together in unison to chant “Encore!”

Hairball drummer Billy Thommes came out and started to play the drums, and the crowd roared in excitement as they knew what song was going to be next. Thunderstruck was the crowd, as well as the song they played.

Hairball opened up with the portrayal of the band “KISS” at the Wild West Fest.
Dave Moody waves as confetti fall from the sky Saturday night
Billy Thommes plays the drums while pyrotechnics are displayed at the show.
A young rocker enjoys the show from the pit at Wild West Fest.
Hairball’s Happy gets excited during the performance on Saturday night.

The final day of the Wild West Festival was an ode to country music, with opening acts Joshua Ray Walker and Kameron Marlow playing before headliner Lainey Wilson. Marlowe is notorious for participating in The Voice season 15, where country music icon Blake Shelton chose to coach him.

His fans could be seen all over the pit as they sang every word to his songs. They also sang along to other songs that country fans know and love.

“It means the world to me and my guys, we have been in the same band since we have been kids,” Marlowe said. “We did grow apart as life happened, but once we started playing together again it felt like we were a family again and so it helps that we have great fans that love us.”

Joshua Ray Walker sings into the microphone on Sunday night’s opener.
Kameron Marlowe cheersing fans as he is singing.

Marlowe felt right at home with the Hays crowd as he repeatedly stated, “you guys are my type of people” during his performance.

“This is kinda like being home for me, moving to downtown Nashville was the worst thing for me coming from Kannapolis, North Carolina. I am just excited to get out and be in places like this because it reminds me of home,” he said.

The final act of the evening was Lainey Wilson, who fed off the energy of the crowd with her own passion and performance.