Is there any greater feeling in the world than leaning up against the rail of a stage to watch a musician put on one hell of a show? With more and more people getting vaccinated, we are (finally) starting to see concerts return. The crew at Riverfront Live have been working hard behind the curtains to bring more shows safely back to the Queen City and are already filling their calendars with some rocking shows.

Last Friday, Samantha Fish made her second stop in Cincinnati since the pandemic began. It has been less than a year since she last blew the roof off Riverfront Live and the fans were eager to welcome her back. Samantha came across the stage like a complete rock star with her black studded jacket and big black high heeled boots that would put Gene Simmons to shame. Adding to this look were a large pair of lighting bolt earrings and black vinyl pants giving her an almost Catwoman look. Starting the evening off hard with “Bitch on the Run,” her guitar skills are nothing short of extraordinary. Seeing her fingers move so effortlessly up and down the fretboard is just amazing to catch live. The crowd was loving every moment of this intro as you could see smiles on people’s faces despite the fact that they were wearing masks. Samantha Fish kept the momentum going with plenty of swagger as she launched into the title track of her most recent album, “Kill or be Kind.”

For this tour, Samantha Fish has been performing as a three piece with bass player Ron Johnson and drummer Carl Boudreaux. This gives the band a harder and more guitar driven sound than most people are used to hearing her perform from previous shows. While Fish may be the center of attention musically, the band is really tight with a great rhythm section. Johnson and Boudreaux did get a moment to shine while Fish left the stage momentarily. After her break, it was the band’s turn to take five and Fish played a few solo acoustic songs. She even took a few requests from the crowd and made one fan’s day by wishing him a happy birthday.

Towards the end of the performance, Fish brought out one of her famous cigar box guitars much to the delight of the crowd as she launched with a fury into “Miles to Go,” and “Bulletproof.” Samantha Fish knows how to own a stage and her guitar solos are always exciting, edgy and full of energy. Her vocals are just as incredible as her guitar skills with plenty of blues, attitude and sultriness to spare. Here’s to hoping that she keeps coming back!