August 7, 2009 – After a freak hail storm left thousands of campers, bikes, and cars damaged, the fans in Sturgis at the Buffalo Chip who trampled through mud and water for a night of rock could be classified as true die-hards. It was not to be your ordinary Buckcherry concert, but then again very few of the concerts held during the week at the Buffalo Chip could have been classified as “ordinary”. No more than a half hour into the band’s set, vocalist Josh Todd had to leave the stage due to what was later described as a throat infection. It was an odd spectacle since the singer appeared to be getting along just fine until that point.

Nonetheless, his bandmates carried on through an interesting mix of cover songs as guitarist Keith Nelson stepped up to fill the lead vocalist spot. “Highway to Hell” and “Sweet Home Alabama” were among the choices for the impromptu jam that left a mix of disappointment and confusion among the crowd.

Before all went haywire, Buckcherry lived up to their reputation as a wild party band as Josh Todd pumped up the crowd with his wild antics and Keith Nelson jammed away with fierce licks on his guitar. Last year the band completed over 40 dates on the Crue Fest tour, and it now is known that KISS will feature Buckcherry as the opening act on their upcoming fall/winter tour. As long as vocal problems do not persist, it’s clear that the energy required for the task of being a KISS opener is there – and then some.