Reno, Nevada (January 31st, 2025) – I was absolutely elated when Clint Black announced his 2025 “Killin’ Time – The 35th Anniversary” tour dates and I saw that Reno, Nevada was on the list. If you’ll indulge me for a moment or two, I’ll explain why. With the release of his “Killin’ Time” album in 1989, and throughout the entire 1990’s there was nobody bigger to me than Clint Black. I was always sure to purchase each subsequent album he released on THE day it came out. After slapping down my hard earned cash and exiting the store, I’d carefully remove the plastic wrapper. I was always cognizant not to damage the pristine plastic jewel case that contained the booklet. Once the disc was carefully opened, I’d slip it into the Quadraphonic Blaupunkt CD player in my truck. “A Good Run of Bad Luck” or “Untanglin’ My Mind” coursing through the 12 inch woofers until I reached my destination. Once I got home, I would read every single lyric to each of the songs. I’d also be sure to learn who wrote which songs. More often than not, those songs were written by Clint Black and Hayden Nicholas (who continues to play guitar for and tour with Clint).

Okay, back to the show…… Clint kicked off the night with “The Shoes You’re Wearing” off of his 1998 platinum “Nothin’ But The Taillights.” With the crowd warmed up and his band on fire, they blazed through “Summer’s Comin’” and “State Of Mind“. That’s two number one hits and one that was in the top two in just the first three songs of the set. After a cordial greeting and a joke or two, Clint took us all back to Ernies Icehouse and performed the triple platinum “Killin’ Time” album in it’s entirety. With his ultimate professional stage presence and strong vocals, I found myself thinking of how great he sounds on each and every song. Black was sure to play hits from many of his other albums as well once the “Killin’ Time” portion of the show was complete. By my count, a total of at least ten number one songs were performed. I strongly recommend that if you have the opportunity to catch a Clint Black show, jump on that chance. I say all this just to say, sometimes, maybe once in a great while, you get to photograph one of your heroes. On a cold night in January of 2025, while he performed his debut album to a crowd of delighted fans, I was blessed with the opportunity to do just that.