Tim McGraw and Eric Church at BamaJam 2012 Day 1

Get A Complete Run-Down of BamaJam 2012 Day 1, Including Performances From Tim McGraw and Eric Church!

I can’t say that the first day of BamaJam 2012 went off without a hitch. But I can say that it was an eventful day and at the end of it, definitely worth the twelve hour drive from Oklahoma HaleighT and I took to get there. There were storms. There were country music fans everywhere. There were country music stars. There was beer. There was a lot of sunshine. But most of all and most importantly, there was some really good live country music.

When we arrived at the festival grounds last minute details were still being arranged and finalized, and the bamajamers and campers were just starting to arrive! Two of the three stages were already rocking out with Buffalo Clover and Martin McDaniel. Once got in, we followed the sound of guitar strumming and good country lyrics and found David Kroll on stage rocking for some faithful fans standing in the direct path of the Alabama sun. (We got a chance to talk to him for a little, and he’s a cheerful, easy going kind of guy…stay tuned for interview details from HaleighT!).

After catching David, HaleighT and I had the opportunity to meet up with Darryl Worley! Now, she will have a complete run-down for you in a couple of days (plus video!), but for now, I’ll say that Worley has got to be one of the funniest, down-to-earth individuals I’ve met. For someone who has been in the country music industry for as long as he has, its refreshing to see that he is still so generous with his time!

Still floating on air after meeting Worley, we were all set to head back over to the stage area to catch Bill Gentry‘s set…but just when he was about to start playing, everyone was sent running for cover (literally). A big ole storm rolled right over the BamaJam festivities. It was touch and go for a minute, but luckily the event organizers kept a cool head and got things back on track! There was a pretty lengthy delay because the downpour and high winds beat up some of the equipment, but the bamajamers and the crew were not about to let that stop us!

Willie Nelson and Darryl Worley were scheduled to perform on the main stage, but unfortunately got cut because of the weather. Yet, Eric Church and Tim McGraw stuck with it, and once it was confirmed the equipment would work properly and safely, they got on stage and each gave a heck of a performance! This was my first time seeing either of them live, and it was an amazing experience.

Church told us when he got on stage that he would give us his all, and that man wasn’t lying! He put his heart and soul into his performance as he belted out some of his best from “Country Music Jesus” to “Jack Daniels” to current hit “Springsteen“. We also got to hear crowd favorite “Drink In My Hand” (He even took a couple minutes at one point to tell us exactly what was in his red solo cup with him on stage, Jack Daniels single barrel…)! He transitioned seamlessly from playing guitar to banjo to piano, and never lost a beat. I’m happy to say that as good as Eric is on his albums…he’s even better live.

After that amazing performance, the night just got even better as McGraw took the stage. Its really hard to describe seeing someone like him live and in person because it is just so iconic (but I’ll go ahead and give it a shot!).
Tim sang all of my favorites from “Just To See You Smile” to “Real Good Man” to “Down On The Farm“. The entire crowd (and that’s a lot of people) was singing along and dancing to each and everyone song. McGraw in his usual wranglers, tight T-shirt and cowboy hat was all over the stage, and kept the energy up despite the late hour. He even sang “Sweet Home Alabama”, which sent everyone going crazy! The set ended with “Live Like You Were Dying“, and it was a great note to end the night on!

So, sure the day got a little crazy with storm and the delays it caused. By the end of the night though, we had two fantastic concerts under our belt, and we’re ready to see what Day 2 has in store for us!

Check Out The Photos We Snapped of the Stars and the Festival!

Head over to Facebook for MORE photos and details!

BamaJam 2012, Day1 Complete Line-Up.

Since it got so crazy, we had to miss a lot of talented folks and they didn’t make it into the recap. But you can take a sec to look at the complete line-up for the day below, and be sure to look into everyone!

• Buffalo Clover
• Martin McDaniel
• Lance Stinson
• David Kroll
• Conner Christian & Southern Gothic
• Joanna Smith
• John Nemeth
• The Lost Trailers
• Bill Gentry
• THE FARM
• Tyler Reeve
• Herrick
• Dustin Lynch
• Outlaws
• Third Day
• Darryl Worley
• Willie Nelson
• Eric Church
• Tim McGraw
• Honey Island Swamp Band
• Aerias