(WSVN) - It’s every rock band’s dream to go from playing small clubs to plugging in on an arena stage. One local group recently got the gig of a lifetime — they opened for Bon Jovi at the BB&T Center on Sunday night.
Deco caught up with Yardij — that’s their name — for all the deets of their big night.
How does a band go from this…
Deja Elyze: “Our name is Yardij and we’re so happy to be here tonight.”
…To opening for Bon Jovi in front of 20,000 fans?
Yardij got the gig at the BB&T Center the old-fashioned way — they submitted a video and won Bon Jovi’s “Opening Act” contest.
Alex Athanasaw: “Like 60 or 70 bands did, they submitted music videos, performance videos, anything that would showcase your band.”
They may only have been on the bill one night — but Jon and the boys treated them like royalty.
Deja Elyze: “They did such a great job at like making sure we felt, you know, like comfortable and that like, we were there for a good reason and stuff like that.”
The band got to have a personal moment with Jon right before he hit the stage.
Nick Fernandez: “And we were standing right there in front of the walkway before he’s about to perform and he goes up to us, and he cleans his hands, and shakes all of our hands and takes a picture with us.”
Yardij places their sound firmly in the alternative rock category.
They’re big fans of the power of the jam.
Nick Fernandez: “That’s how most of our songs are made. We just sit there and the groove is made and all of a sudden there’s a song.”
The Cooper City quintet believes the South Florida rock community is worthy of your attention.
Deja Elyze: “There’s some pretty solid bands out here, you know. I think it’s so overlooked.”
The band wouldn’t mind seeing more clubs open up that cater to live music, but they’ll play wherever they can.
Jordan Solomon: “Sometimes they’re just pop-up places you wouldn’t even expect, but you just have to know about it or like word of mouth. It’s not something you can find online.”
Deja Elyze: “I think right now we’re just so focused on bringing the community together and overall just making good music.”
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