Alan Jackson At The AMP

Alan Jackson Shows Arkansas Fans A “Good Time.” Last Friday Alan Jackson made a visit to Northwest Arkansas for a highly anticipated performance at the Arkansas Music Pavilion. Though the weather was not perfect, the show was as close as it could be! Jackson opened the show with “Gone Country” and closed it with “Where I Come From.” There was not one moment in between those two songs that let the audience down. It was like each time the band would start a new song, everyone’s face got brighter because they were thinking and mostly screaming “I love this one!” “I Don’t Even Know Your Name,” “Who’s Cheatin’ Who,” “Little Bitty,” and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” took me back to my younger days. “Livin’ On Love,” “Small Town Southern Man” and “Here In the Real World” made me appreciate that I was there hearing those songs live. “Blues Man” made me want to wave my hands in the air from side to side and “Remember When” had me tearing up. “Summertime Blues” and “Chattahoochee” made me wish the summer wasn’t over. “Where Were You,” which is always an emotional song, had a bigger effect on the crowd that night. Being so close to the anniversary, it seems like yesterday he was performing that song for the first time on the CMA Awards. I really love the fact that all of his success is because he has a gift with music. No gimmicks or special effects. He plays his songs and he plays them well. One thing you won’t see at a Jackson show is fire or smoke. Just him on stage, moving his leg and tapping his guitar! So over all, this was without a doubt, one of the best shows that the AMP has ever put on! Even with the rain, which was bearable, the staff did everything they could to make the show run smoothly. I’m sure there were some ticket holders who decided not to venture out, but the true fans were there for the long haul. I couldn’t start to count the amount of camouflage and coveralls that made it to the show that night! Be sure and pick up Jackson’s latest album,Thirty Miles West, and read our complete review now! BIG THANKS to our friends at the Arkansas Music Pavilion for bringing another great act to the stage! Show ’em a little love, and check them out on Facebook! Exclusive Alan Jackson photos: Live at The AMP!

Jenna Jentry Backstage At Scotty McCreery Performance

Jenna Jentry Is Your Backstage Guide to Recent Scotty McCreery Performance! Country music newcomer, Jenna Jentry, opened for Scotty McCreery this past weekend, and despite her busy schedule she took a little time to give fans a behind the scenes look at the tour bus, getting ready for the show, and Scotty McCreery’s meet and greet with fans! We think Jenna makes the perfect Country Music News Blog Correspondent! Check out the video below, get behind the scenes and see if you agree! Get Backstage with Jenna Jentry! [youtube:www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRg4GSCz_dQ] Get to know Jenna Jentry better, and hear her current single!

Randy Rogers Band At George’s Majestic Lounge

The Randy Rogers Band Did NOT Disappoint On Dickson! Last night, August 30th, the Randy Rogers Band gave Fayetteville, AR one heck of a show! They played at the legendary George’s Majestic Lounge to a packed house. The show added the cherry to the already exciting week for the college town, with the first Razorback game of the season Saturday and a 3 day weekend! RRB’s latest single, “One More Sad Song,” hit iTunes earlier this week and lucky for this crowd, they got to hear it live! The band also played “Flash Flood” from their upcoming album and “Goodbye Lonely,” which will be track #1 on the new album set to release in early 2013. The new stuff was great, but one of the best things to see at any show is true fans, singing along word-for-word, with every song! “Too Late for Goodbye,” “Wicked Ways,” “Steal You Away,” “Lost and Found,” “Down and Out,” “Interstate” and “Kiss Me In The Dark” had this bunch of concert-goers doing exactly that! I am pretty partial to “Buy Myself A Chance,” so that is always the highlight of RRB’s show for me! But, one thing that I did notice after stepping back and just watching the give and take of the band with the audience (that I’ve never picked up on before) is how much these guys can command a crowd’s attention. There wasn’t much chatter between groups, no girls crying…just a bunch of smiling, dancing, singing, straight-ahead-looking fans! The show ended with “This Time Around,” and left everyone wanting more! RRB has a busy weekend ahead with shows in Thackerville, OK tonight, Corpus Christi, TX Saturday and New Braunfels, TX Sunday! If you are anywhere near any of those locations, do yourself a favor and catch their show! Check out photos from the show!

Josh Abbott Band At George’s Majestic Lounge

The Josh Abbott Band Sets The Bar High For This Fall Semester In Fayetteville! The Josh Abbott Band made their way to Fayetteville, AR this Wednesday to perform at George’s Majestic Lounge. This was the first week back to classes for the Razorbacks and judging by the sold out crowd, they were ready to forget the books! JAB performed songs from their current album, Small Town Family Dream (read the review here), as well as some of their classics. As I said before, it was a sold out show! A great portion of the crowd missed the opening band because of the amount of people trying to get in the doors at once. George’s has one of the best, if not very best crews working from them. But with that many fans, the doormen can only get you in so fast. Luckily for the attendees, as soon as you were in, you were golden! The newly remodeled venue had a great vibe in the air and as soon as the band took the stage all focus was straight ahead! The crowd was singing along the whole night (“Taste,” “Touch,” “Oh Tonight” and more) and some boot scooters managed to get a little two-steppin’ in (with what little space was available, SOLD OUT SHOW!). If you are familiar with this band’s live show, then you know what I mean when I say it was exactly what I expected. This in no way is a bad thing…the energy was explosive and the music was right on point! As usual, the girls went crazy for Preston Wait‘s fiddle skills and melted over Josh‘s voice. All in all, the night was a success! I truly believe the band likes playing George’s and I know the Arkansas fans love having them!

Miranda Lambert LIVE At The Arkansas Music Pavilion

Miranda Lambert Put On a Hell of a Show as Headliner of 1st Annual Taste of Country Festival in Fayetteville, AR! Miranda Lambert is currently considered by many to be the first lady of country music, and it’s really not hard to see why. In the past few months alone, she earned the CMA Award for Female Artist of the Year (again) as well as the ACM Award for Female Vocalist, she released her another amazing album, For The Record, she kick started her female trio The Pistol Annies with Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe with great success, and well, those are just the highlights! Lambert really is an amazing artist, but more than that, I learned Friday night (August 17th) at the Arkansas Music Pavilion in Fayetteville, AR, she is a truly fantastic live performer. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s one thing to be able to sing on an album (with your producer, vocal coaches and other helpful folks there to lend a hand…), and it’s another thing all together to be able to perform those same songs live. On top of achieving that distinction, Miranda Lambert can do more than sing. She is a natural live performer. Whether she’s singing the bitter sweet “The House That Built Me” the raw and powerful hit, “Kerosene” the intense hit “Gunpowder and Lead” or her moving “Over You“, Lambert packs in every bit of energy she’s got into every single note. Wearing high heeled black boots, a sparkling black mini skirt and a Chris Knight t-shirt, Lambert was “bad-ass” personified, and she was dancing and jumping all over that stage with her pink guitar, pink microphone and Shotgun shaped microphone stand (you can see pics of all this below!). The production design of the concert was minimal with a few videos on the big screen at the back of the stage, and the lighting kept to a basic but effective level. It hardly mattered though because it was impossible to take your eyes off of Lambert and her performance. The concert got even better when Miranda was joined on stage by the other two thirds of the Pistol Annies, Angaleena and Ashley! The trio performed a handful of songs including fan favorite “Takin’ Pills“. It was clear that these three women have a special friendship, and that they have a heck of a time performing together…even if they forget a couple of their lyrics…which they did but they played it off really well! Even before this performance, Miranda Lambert was already my favorite female country artist, but now, I have a whole new appreciation for her! I suggest you check out her tour schedule, and try to see her live ASAP (and the Pistol Annies too if you can manage it!). Check Out Our Exclusive Miranda Lambert Photos! For more photos of your favorite country stars…head on over to our Facebook! For interviews, subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Luke Bryan At The Amp

Luke Bryan Tailgates And Tanlines Tour Comes To The AMP! Luke Bryan headlined at the Arkansas Music Pavilion this past Friday, June 1. The show was full of energy with well over 5,000 fans in attendance. The day almost had a turn for the worse when rainfall and a slight temperature decrease fell across Fayetteville, leaving me wondering how ticket holders would feel about the outside event. Luckily the rain cleared out and the temp. was very enjoyable, especially considering it was the first day of June. The show went off without a hitch! Bryan performed all of his hits, both present and past. He did Razorback Country proud when he switched all of the “Georgia’s” in song lyrics to “Arkansas’,” but still stayed true to his roots by sporting a Georgia Bulldog jersey at the end of the night. “Drunk On You,” “I Don’t Want This Night To End,” “Do I,” “All My Friends Say,” “We Rode In Trucks,” “Drinkin’ Beer and Wastin’ Bullets” along with others had fans on their feet the whole night. But, a few surprise songs had them going crazy… Bryan’s versions of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” Lionel Richie’s “Easy,” Journey’s “Faithfully” and Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive” caused quite a stir throughout the venue. Although he didn’t play any of the covers in full length he proved that he is a very talented man, both vocally and on the piano. Bryan finished the show with his mega-hit “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” He of course showed Northwest Arkansas his moves, but then decided to share the spotlight. He brought up a 16-year-old Adam on stage that he had spotted “shaking it” in the crowd below. It was priceless and I’m sure made the teenager’s summer! I strongly suggest you catch a Luke Bryan show in the near future, the Tailgates and Tanlines Tour won’t disappoint! For those of you who are around the NWA area, get tickets to any show that comes to The AMP! It’s a venue that goes above and beyond to guarantee fans a great experience! Clean bathrooms, short lines and plenty of space for the whole family! Check Out Our Photos From Luke Bryan’s Concert! Need more Country Music photos, news and details? Visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Eric Church Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour

In Case Anyone Wanted To Know How The VERY FIRST Show Of The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour Went… I was very fortunate to attend the first show of Eric Church’s Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour. It took place in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the Fort Smith Convention Center. I (again so very grateful) had VIP tickets which included lots of goodies! There was a dinner before (with great food), a bag full of merchandise (including a very classy set of shot glasses), an acoustic set and great seats! The acoustic set consisted of two songs between dinner and the actual show. He sang “Like Jesus Does,” a track from Chief and “Before She Does,” a track from his first album Sinners Like Me. After those there was time for some questions from the fans. I managed to get some talk time, where I first told him it was my birthday and then asked where he got the idea to write “Lightning.” He replied with a VERY “Happy Birthday” and said it came to him one day after watching the Green Mile. For those of you who haven’t heard it, go listen now! It will definitely tug at your heartstrings! After questions (and one more drink) me and my friends headed to the main building! Brantley Gilbert was the opening act, but I only caught the first and last songs of his set…that’s because I was waiting in line for a cold beverage for, no joke, at least 30 minutes. This was one thing, that I feel, wasn’t thought out very carefully. Once Church hit the stage all complaints or worries were out the door!!!! He ROCKED that stage, and when I say this I mean it 100 percent! I have seen him perform on several occasions (over 10) and I’m never disappointed, but last Thursday I was attacked with the amount of energy coming off of the stage and exuding in the audience. He packed the place, it was mentioned several times that this was a record breaking amount of people in the building! That’s with it being a Thursday night and previous artists such as Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert playing the venue! He played his classics “Two Pink Lines,” “Sinners Like Me,” “Guys Like Me,” “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag,” “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Carolina,” “Hell On the Heart” and many others. Like clock-work, as soon as he started to sing “These Boots,” the majority of the crowd shucked their kickers and raised them high in the air! Church also played songs from his most recent album, Chief! Of course he sang “Drink In My Hand,” but what has become one of my all-time favorite songs, “Springsteen,” stole the show! He played the piano during the memory-lane, reminiscing tune, this is after learning the 88 keyed instrument days prior! Basically it was one of the best shows I have seen in a LONG time! Most definitely the best show I’ve seen in 2012! 😉 I strongly encourage Continue reading Eric Church Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour

Jamey Johnson At Billy Bob’s

Jamey Johnson Gives An Incredible Show To Fans At The World’s Largest Honky Tonk! Jamey Johnson was the main event last Saturday, October 15 at the Texas sized venue, Billy Bob’s! The very talented singer/songwriter was completely immersed in his performance, as were his fans! I traveled to Ft. Worth specifically for this show and let me tell you, it was well worth the bumpy ride on US West 82! When I first arrived to the infamous Stockyards, this huge feeling of joy immediately came over me. If you haven’t ever been to this Lone Star playground you should definitely look into it! Billy Bob’s alone is a magical place with so much to do. The show didn’t begin until 10:30pm so I was able to get my fair share of people watching in for the evening. Not wanting to miss one strum on that famous autographed guitar, I made sure to find my seat in PLENTY of time! Johnson started the night with “High Cost of Living” and ended it with Hank Williams Sr.’s “I Saw The Light!” In between were his originals “The Guitar Song“, “The Door Is Always Open“, “Playing The Part“, “That Lonesome Song“, “Give It Away” (recorded by George Strait), “Mowin’ Down The Roses“, “Lonely At the Top“, “Dog In the Yard“, and “In Color” along with some others! Other songs that were played were “Keep your Hands To Yourself“, “La Grange“, “Georgia” and “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.” One song in particular that was ended with a standing ovation by fans was “Turn The Page“, the multi-genre classic was accompanied by such soul from Johnson. However this was true for every note he sang that night, there is no denying that the man has a one of a kind voice! I will take it upon myself to speak for everyone who was there that night in saying it was a spectacular performance that compared to no other! I’m not sure if it was the sound of his voice or the echoes of the cowboys hollering praises, but I found myself with chills on many occasions. Jamey Johnson has a wonderful array of fans that are very welcoming! I highly suggest you catch a Johnson performance in the NEAR future and become one of these fine people! You are sure to have a good time, while hearing some great music!!! You can purchase any of Johnson’s three studio albums at this time, with the most recent being The Guitar Song.

Stoney LaRue At George’s Majestic Lounge

Stoney LaRue Visits George’s Majestic Lounge For The First Time Since The Release Of His Newest Album. Stoney LaRue was welcomed with open arms by his fans this past Wednesday at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Ar. This was his first performance at the venue since the release of his latest album, Velvet. The show, as usual, was phenomenal! The crowd sang along word for word to his classics (“Idabel Blues“, “Feet Don’t Touch The Ground“, “One Chord Song“, “Down In Flames“, etc.) and danced with excitement to the beat of the new tunes! It’s hard to narrow down a single favorite part of the night at any Stoney show, but especially this one! I really enjoyed hearing the new material for the first time live and of course belting his time-honored songs with the best of my abilities! Obviously being an Oklahoma native, I thoroughly enjoyed “Oklahoma Breakdown” (written by Mike Hosty) and couldn’t get enough of “Te Amo Mas Que La Vida“! If he would have sang that song three times in a row I wouldn’t have minded. LaRue will be hitting the Wormy Dog Saloon tonight in OKC and then will travel to Nacogdoches, Tx Saturday. His new album is available now on iTunes! Velvet Track Listing 1. Dresses 2. Wiregrass 3. Look At Me Fly 4. Travelin’ Kind 5. Sharecropper 6. Sirens 7. Te Amo Mas Que La Vida 8. Has Been 9. Way Too Long 10. Velvet 11. Travelin’ Kind (Acoustic) Here is a video that features LaRue performing “Velvet” on an acoustic guitar! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouKgYXI7sWQ]

David Nail At George’s Majestic Lounge

David Nail Performs At George’s Majestic Lounge In Fayetteville, Ar. David Nail visited the Natural State this past Friday, September 16, where he headlined at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville. The night started out and ended with Robert Ellis as they played before and after Nail on the front stage. The crowd was very enthusiastic and anxious for Nail to take the main stage and they showed their gratitude when he did so. I’m not sure if it was the energy from the crowd or just his normal routine, but the singer and his band played a powerful show with a solid sound. He performed fan favorites including “Red Light” and “Let It Rain”, which is currently sitting in the Top 20. After being pulled back on stage for an encore, he played his hit “Turning Home.” This week Nail will keep his momentum going when he hits Jonesboro, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Amarillo all before Saturday! If you are near any those areas, I suggest you try and catch a show! With a voice like his, I am very interested to see what comes of his in the process, sophomore album! As the anticipation kills me, I guess I’ll have to wait patiently with the rest of the world. Until then, here is the video for his current single, “Let It Rain!” [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvxAiLqF7C0&ob=av2n]