Foghat and Nazareth
May 6, 2026
The Goodyear Theater (Akron, Ohio)

By Rob McCune

There’s a breed of classic rock that just means old. Then there’s rock that has always sounded, and felt, classic, ever since the first time it squelched out of that old transistor radio in the dash of a 1971 Dodge Charger.

The music of Foghat and Nazareth falls into the latter category.

Songs like “Slow Ride,” “The Weight,” “Stone Blue,” “Hair of the Dog,” “Fool for the City” and “Love Hurts” have dominated the FM dial for decades, and anyone with at least one gray hair in their head is more likely to belt out those iconic lyrics than station hop.

Many surely have memories attached to one or more Foghat and Nazareth hit.

On tour together in the U.S., this double-header is high-octane, like a snazzy little souped-up, 4-wheel drive.

And these bands have no doubt been souped-up, modified, even slightly modernized in the decades since they got their starts.
Nazareth, formed in 1968 in Scotland; and Foghat, born in London in 2971, both still have one original member. For Nazareth, it’s bassist Pete Agnew, who has also supported bands such as The Who, Cream and Deep Purple. Foghat, meanwhile, still has on its drum kit the legendary Roger Earl.

Fronting Nazareth since just 2025 is Gianni Pontillo, a boisterous Italian in a three-quarter-buttoned-down, paisley-patterned denim dress shirt and a chain and pendant nestled in his chest hair. He may be the group’s newbie, but he hits all the right raspy notes with a voice that seems made for this.

Foghat’s lead singer since 2022, Scott Holt, a Tennessean and blues rocker who played with Buddy Guy for over a decade. With his shaved head, goatee, and hoop earrings has a look that’s of a different era. His style and cool bring Foghat forward as well – the band that released its latest album in 2023 feeling just as current as ever. Still, he plays the classics, the hits, with reverence for the founders and the soul and sound. He introduces each song on the setlist with: “It feels like this.” And the band, and the crowd, does feel it more than hear it. The music moves through you.

Jimmy Murrison on lead guitar and Lee Agnew on drums, part of Nazareth since 1994 and 1999 respectively, rock these songs out like they’ve played them all their lives.

Bryan Bassett on lead guitar and Rodney O’Quinn on bass, as well as vocals, also carry Foghat’s fire expertly and have done so since 1999 and 2015. Bassett brought some signature funk to a special rendition of “Play That Funky Music,” a song originally released by the band Wild Cherry, of which he was a member in the 1970s. O’Quinn, formerly of the Pat Travers Band, took lead vocals on “Stone Blue” and delighted the crowd with his banter and reminiscing.

Neither of these bands seem content to stick to just the classics, continuing to make new music, but making it “classic” all the same.

The Foghat and Nazareth tour continues through May in the U.S. Then Nazareth heads to Finland for a couple of shows before finishing out the summer with dates from North Dakota to California. Nazareth will take a separate path through Europe starting in June for its Bending the Rules Tour, celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Love Hurts.”

Follow Rob McCune on Instagram (@Every_Thing_After_Photo) and listen to the “Every.Thing.After Podcast” on Spotify.

Foghat- Website | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram |

Nazareth- Website | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram |