If you watched any of the Stanley Cup Final on television, you may have seen a band performing inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
One of the band members is originally from Tamms and now lives in Anna.
Steve Hornbeak's band has performed at Nashville Predators games for most of the team's 18-year history. He lived in Nashville for many years and says the town became crazy about hockey.
"All the sports announcers and media, everybody, was saying they have never seen a city participate in any sporting event, whether it's football, baseball, no matter what the sport is, that they've ever been involved in. It was absolutely insane. I think it kind of put Nashville on the map for a lot of people who have now seen it on national TV and the crowds in the streets."
Hornbeak says playing in front of sports fans is different from those of a traditional concert crowd.
"Sometimes you can do a big show, even though they're loving it, in a big building, it can sound a little bit like a golf clap. You get the applause and the appreciation of 'Oh, I love that song.' But, something about the sporting event, especially the Stanley Cup, from the moment they hit the ice in the warm-ups it was just this loud roar the rest of the night...almost to the point where it was hard to hear yourself."
Hornbeak also played at this year's Super Bowl and jokes he's now hoping to perform at a World Series.
Hornbeak travels to Nashville frequently with his band Sixwire and also has two southern Illinois-based bands, Beak & Co. and the Main Street Players. He also mentors aspiring artists in the region.
