Gallery: The Hails in Gainesville
The Hails returned to their roots to celebrate the legendary High Dive in Gainesville, Florida, headlining the venue’s final performance on May 19. The night could be best described as bittersweet and nostalgic, as The Hails have many a time expressed their love and gratitude toward the venue for helping them get their start on stage as University of Florida students years ago.
Despite the disheartening news of High Dive’s closure, The Hails made sure to keep the energy up all night long with songs like “Sugar,” “Sippin’ On The Daylight,” and “Stay,” among many of their other hits that the wall-to-wall audience knew word for word and danced along to for the entirety of the set.
The day-long celebration began earlier in the afternoon with performances from local acts Buboy, Bli & The Miles, Apex, Quail Hollow, Rohna and MADWOMAN, with The Hails closing out as the last act to ever grace the High Dive stage.
It’s plain to see the passion The Hails carry for their craft, and as someone who has seen them perform live now countless times, they continue to raise the bar with each and every set. Guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player Franco Solari told the audience that every time the band plays “Younger,” no matter where they are, he can close his eyes and imagine himself right back at High Dive. And now every time I listen, I will be transported right back to this night as well.
A relationship between an artist and their stomping grounds is one that can never be tarnished, no matter what happens to the physical space itself, and this is incredibly apparent through the influence High Dive has had on not only The Hails’ career over the years, but the entire Gainesville music scene. While we are sad to see High Dive go, there is truly no better way to send off the legendary venue than with an equally legendary performance from The Hails — a band that holds so much love in their heart for the place that has loved them right back all these years.
THE HAILS IN GAINESVILLE AT HIGH DIVE
