Was it the line-up of four bands or the grand re-opening after a one-month hiatus during the aftermath of the Great Flood of 2010? Probably a little of both. In any case, the Wildhorse was packed tonight with happy patrons to see headliners Puddle of Mudd, along with Saliva, Adelita’s Way, and Shaman’s Harvest. The floor was shoulder to shoulder with fans who didn’t dare give up their hard-earned space for the four-plus hour spectacular. I thought of it as perhaps a mass realization that a favorite Nashville venue, maybe taken for granted, could have been out of commission for much longer. And that would have left a big entertainment hole in Music City.

I arrived in time to catch the end of Adelita’s Way’s set. Not being familiar with them I couldn’t tell you what tunes they were playing, but I can tell you they were rocking. The act that opened up the festivities for the evening, Shaman’s Harvest, well, sorry to say I missed them completely. But I have it on good authority (an eye (and ear) witness) that they got the crowd going. I can certainly vouch for the fact the crowd seemed to be in a really good mood by the time I got there.

Next up were Tennessee (Memphis) natives Saliva, who were clearly pleased to be in the house. These guys really made the photography pit an adventure. Lead vocalist Josey Scott likes to pick up the mic stand and move around with it, and the legs kept swinging precariously close to us working people. But hey, he was into it, and that never hurts the music. Guitarist Jonathan Montoya was also a pleasure to be up close and personal with. I suppose, in an attempt to live up to the band’s name, he repeatedly loads up with water between songs. Trouble is he doesn’t swallow but projects it into the crowd. So we photographers got a few sprinkles, but luckily for us he was very skilled, so most of it made it well into the audience behind us. Ah, the rewards of getting there early, waiting on line, and being squished like a sardine during the show. The die-hard Saliva fans got their money’s worth tonight. Oh yeah, the music was pretty good too.

The band is rounded out by Wayne Swinny on lead guitar, Dave Novotny on bass, and Paul Crosby on drums and percussion. All were nice and tight and the set was rocking. Their most recognizable song (to me), “Always”, was also the highlight of the set. Another favorite was “Ladies and Gentlemen”. You can check them out at www.saliva.com. They also have Facebook and MySpace pages.

The stage breakdown/setup was rather long, so after about 45 minutes or so it was time for Puddle of Mudd. In keeping with the spirit of the night, they came to do business. Wes Scantlin was his grungy old self, Paul Phillips brought his trademark hat, Doug Ardito was all spiked-up on bass, and Ryan Yerdon got a good workout on drums. POM for me is one of those groups that you don’t realize just how many hits they have until they lay them all out for you at a show. Yes, they do have many, and tonight they just kept on coming.

Most of their tunes are just plain catchy, like “Psycho” and “She Hates Me”. Of course they played “Blurry” (my personal favorite), and included other hits such as “Control”, “Spaceship”, “Away From Me”, “Famous”, and Stoned”. It appears they are the masters of songs with one-word titles too. I just had a great time listening to their set, and the crowd appeared to be doing the same. Their MySpace is /puddleofmudd.

So it was great to be back in the saddle again, riding the Wildhorse through a rollicking good time party. I guess you really don’t know what you got till it’s gone. Now that it’s back I think Nashville has a whole new awareness of not only the gem that’s the Wildhorse, but a greater appreciation for the whole 2nd Avenue strip. Let’s get back to partying!