SPRINGFIELD – Candy Apple Bleu sure has ripened well with age.
Everyone wanted an extra slice of the Eugene-area band Thursday evening as the 2025 Summer Concert Series, hosted by the Willamette Park and Recreation District, ended in grand style, with hundreds of celebrating fans packing Island Park.
“We grew a lot the last couple of years,” said Rich Sellers, Candy Apple Bleu’s lead singer and percussionist. “We have 10 people now instead of seven. My wife, Phoebe, is now singing with us, and we added a second keyboard. My wife is classically trained and has five of her own albums, and I play drums in her band, Phoebe and The Titans. She’s been singing since I’ve been playing drums, and I’ve been playing drums since I was 7. When you’re classically trained, you sing a certain way, and when you’re not, like me, you yell, and hopefully the right thing comes out.”
If the fans were judging, they were buying everything that Sellers was offering.
The band kept the crowd on its toes mostly with iconic hits from the 80s, with selections like “Lady” (Lionel Richie), “Thunder Island” (Jay Ferguson), and “Rosanna” (Toto). The show closed with a lively version of “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts, followed by an encore of the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To The Streets.”
Thirteen years ago, Candy Apple Bleu got together. Now, even to the band’s utter amazement, things have never been better. CAB is picking up steam, getting approached more than ever to play shows.
Much of it aligns with Sellers’ sobriety.
“We kept adding people, and we added an onstage bartender, which is funny because I stopped drinking about that time (three years ago),” Sellers said. “There are four of us that are sober now, and I can tell you that sobriety has made a big difference.”
He’s now able to make music his full-time gig.
“I got rid of that pesky day job. I’m no longer doing that,” said Sellers, who had been driving a forklift. “It’s very strange that a group this size can get along so well. We all have nicknames (such as Judd Thunder and John Stache’man).
“We meet once or twice a week, we have a studio. Hard to believe (we can succeed) in a town this size, it’s a good feeling.”
Candy Apple Bleu left everyone with a good feeling Thursday night. It was a sweet way to put an exclamation point on a scintillating summer series.
