Diary of an Ardent Fan

The Mandalorian And Grogu, the latest Star Wars movie, was released on May 22, 2026.

I saw it the next day.

If you are a fan of the series on Disney +, The Mandalorian, then there is no reason why you should not enjoy this movie.

I know people are picky with spoilers, so if you don’t want to know anything else until you see the movie, then do not read on.

This movie continues the adventures of The Mandalorian and Grogu. This time, Mando has been assigned a mission to rescue the son of Jabba The Hut, Rotta, from a prison.

Turns out Rotta has been fighting, literally, to win his freedom. However, he does not know that the promoter (also someone Mando is looking for, how little does he know at first) he is being forced to work for, also has a plan to make sure Rotta does not survive his last scheduled fight.

There is more than this, but I’ll just say again: If you like The Mandalorian series, then you will like this movie.

Mando and Grogu are great together. It’s awesome to see Sigourney Weaver in the Star Wars universe now, the character of Rada is really good, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, I loved this and was moved at times by some of the emotional stuff that happens.

The franchise is in great hands with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

Check out this movie and watch the series if you haven’t. It’s on Disney + and you can buy it all on Blu-Ray (I still love physical media.).

When I initially found out about this concert, I was interested, but was not going to go because the lead singer of most of the songs by The Marshall Tucker Band, Doug Gray, had been sitting out on the live shows for several months, due to health reasons.

Now, the band still rocks, but I wanted to see Doug.

And as awesome as George Thorogood & The Destroyers are, I had already seen them, so I was content.

Nevertheless, I was interested in the concert bill, especially for The Marshall Tucker Band, because they are one of my remaining bucket list bands to see.

Well, once I found out Doug Gray was back on the road with The Marshall Tucker Band, then I immediately bought a ticket.

When I told a fellow fan I was going to this show, they told me that the day of the show is Doug’s birthday.

So, even more reason to go!!

It was a fun show, which I knew it would be.

The Marshall Tucker Band started and played roughly an hour set.

Some fans have complained about Doug’s vocal ability for the past few years, but I think he’s fine. He has been a fantastic for decades, and if he’s lost some range? So what?

He turned 78 on this day, he’s a Vietnam veteran (Army sergeant), he’s been in the band for 56 years (the sole original member still in the band), he had triple bypass surgery last year (that’s why he was off the road), and he’s out on the road again doing several shows giving everything he has. Give him a break people. I dare you to do better.

Anyway, I thought Doug and the guys rocked.

One of the things I love about The Marshall Tucker Band is the variety in sound they have. They play rock, country, blues, gospel, jazz, funk, you name it, and it’s all done at a high level.

All the musicians in the band are great.

Along with Doug, they include guitarists Chris Hicks (who also sings lead on some of the songs and has been in the band over 30 years) and Chris Anderson, bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, drummer Leroy Wilson (Air Force veteran), and keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Marcus James Henderson.

Even though it was only roughly an hour, I’m so glad I got to see The Marshall Tucker Band. Happy Birthday Doug for this day and many more birthdays to come!! Thank you for the music and for your service.

Next up was George Thorogood & The Destroyers.

Vocalist/guitarist George Thorogood and his band (guitarist Jim Suhler, bassist Bill Blough, saxophonist Buddy Leach, and drummer Jeff Simon) have been rocking for decades, consistently delivering on their brand of rock and roll, blues, and boogie woogie.

I doubt they have ever had a bad show.

Their show is beyond tight and again consistent.

In short: They Rock!!

This was another great show and if this was the last time I saw either act, then it was a great one.

I say this because after August of 2026, I do not intend to go to as many concerts anymore.

I am beyond broke and costs (tickets, gas, travel) are becoming way too high.

Never say never (I’ve been saying I’m going to slow down or stop for 11 or 12 years as of this typing), but I intend to slow down after of August of 2026. We’ll see.

Until then, I have more shows to see and hopefully people to meet.

Rock on everyone.

P.S. Along with the many pictures and videos I took, I also took some screen grabs of four posts from The Marshall Tucker Band and George Thorogood & The Destroyers respective Facebook pages, showing when Doug was back, announcing his birthday, a message from Doug after the show, and a message from George after the show. Hopefully, that’s OK. If not, I’ll take them off. I wanted to post them here because they are related to this show.

Anyway, I loved this show and I hope for anyone who reads this enjoys my thoughts on it. And if you were there too, I hope you also had as much fun as I did.

Thank you.

The Marshall Tucker Band Set List:

Running Like The Wind
Heard It In A Love Song
This Ol’ Cowboy
Searching For A Rainbow
Cattle Drive
Fire On The Mountain
See You Later I’m Gone (snippet)
24 Hours At A Time
Can’t You See

George Thorogood & The Destroyers Set List:

Rock Party
Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley cover)
Mama Talk To Your Daughter (J.B. Lenoir cover)
I Drink Alone
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (Amos Milburn cover)
Cocaine Blues (traditional cover, dedicated to Johnny Cash, who also did this song)
Peter Gunn Theme
Gear Jammer
Get A Hair-Cut (Don’t Panic cover)
Madison Blues (Elmore James cover)
Bad To The Bone
Gloria (Them cover)
Move It On Over (Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys cover)
Encore: Born To Be Bad