NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

Reader review: Clay Walker concert

Reader Bev was lucky enough to take in a recent Clay Walker show in Columbus, Ohio and then sent some great pictures and review along to me so you could all live vicariously thru her. Thanks Bev! 

My name is Bev, I live in Southern Ohio and I was lucky enough to get a ticket for my birthday from Dianna who is a dear friend of mine, to see Clay Walker at Sreamin Willie's in Columbus Ohio Friday March 19, 2010.

 

WOW what a show!! Clay is one sexy guy, but the voice backs all of that up and then some! <grin>

 

The opening act was Hillbilly Mob and they did a very good job. Then, we were lucky enough to get a set by Lee Brice. Awesome writer and artist! He rocked the place for sure. He even included the self penned tune that Garth Brooks took to the charts called "More than a memory"!!

 

Clay did an awesome show. He sang many of the "well" known songs like "Live, Love and Laugh", "Fore she was mamma", "Fall", "This woman and this man", "Everybody needs love" and "Rumor has it", to name just a few.

 

Lei's were passed out for his live version of "Then What", which brought  the place down with his rolling r's when he does the (arrrreba's)

 

Clay rocked the house with "Cold hearted"   Man....,  when he goes to tipping that hat , and swinging that towel, the women go crazy, hearts pound and lots of screaming takes place! He also did a fabulous job on the "new" single "If she's lonely now, she won't be lonely long"

 

Clay invited Lee Brice and his band back out and they rocked the house together at the end with a medley of dance hall favorites including "Paradise City". Clay ended the show with another round of "If she's lonely now, she won't be lonely long".

 

Again this was a fabulous show and I had a wonderful time. Clay looks great and he sounded like he is at the top of his game!!

 

Bev

Reader review of Josh Turner's Haywire

I had gotten the new Josh Turner "Haywire" CD back a week or two ago but hadn't had the chance to review it myself or send it to one of my reviewers yet.  Luckily, one Gab reader was nice enough to send a great review my way.  Love when that happens.  Thanks to Bobbi or Jim (not sure which it was who wrote the review) for taking the time to send a review my way.  

Hi Nashville Gab!
I spent the day with Josh Turner yesterday! And what a day it was! Well not really the actual Josh Turner, but with his new cd Haywire. I put the deluxe copy of the cd in the player and didn’t stop it until the end. Which by the way, the end is different than the other cd's because the deluxe edition has two unreleased songs, This kind of Love and Let's find a Church. Also there are two more songs these are live versions of Long Black Train and Your Man.

Haywire is full of fun loving' good country music. And Josh's voice shows all types of ranges not only his deep sexy voice but different tones and rhythms. And that's probably my favorite reason why I love this cd so much. He shows all kinds of sides to him. The lyrics come with the cd and if you read them, you probably wouldn’t think that Josh would be singing them, but he shows his fun side on this cd,Haywire, and I think fans of his are going to love him and his Tonkin'Honkie's even more!

The deluxe version comes with an extra cd cover,autographed And also digital downloads on the computer of videos and interviews. Oh and also a membership on joshturner.com to his fan club. I ordered this cd last week and it came 5 days early. Thank goodness because I wouldn’t want to be missing this cd in my collection of great country music! Make sure you get a copy Tuesday!

1. Why don’t we just dance
2. I wouldn’t be a man
3. Haywire
4. Your smile
5. Lovin' you on my mind (best song )
6. As fast as I could
7. Ill be there
8. All over me
9. Eye candy
10. Friday paycheck
11. The answer
Deluxe Edition:
12. This kind of love
13. Lets find a church
14. Long black train (Live)
15. Your Man (Live)

Reader review: Second Harvest Food Bank Benefit

Gab friend, Elizabeth, was lucky enough to take in the September 29th Second Harvest Food Bank benefit in Tennessee and then was wonderful enough to send a bunch of pictures and a great review along.  Unfortunately I'm just now getting it up, but better late than never I always say.  Enjoy, and as always thank you Elizabeth!

Last night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN Craig Wiseman and friends gathered for an unplugged acoustic style show to benefit the 5th annual Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Guest included Jeffery Steele, Tony Mullins, Joey and Rory, Heidi Newfield, Luke Bryan, Gary Mule Deer and Rodney Atkins. Phil Vassar was listed on the bill, but a now show, very disappointing.

Criag brought his wife out to kickoff the show and say a prayer in the mother church of country. Then, Craig introduced acclaimed songwriters Jeffery Steele and Tony Mullins. The three men sat in chairs in front of microphones with their guitars and proceeded to jam for about an hour. Mullins sang Chesney hit "How Forever Feels" followed by Wiseman singing another Chesney hit "Summertime." Steele introduced the audience to a new song titled, "In a Town Like this in Times like These," which will be a hit for someone someday soon. It was a great song that a lot of Americans will be able to relate to, especially in today's world. The next part of the songwriter section of the show was nothing short of spectacular. Steele started a medley, singing hit after hit, including: "My Town," "My Wish," "Love is a Beautiful Thing," "Something to be Proud of," "What Hurts the Most," "Brand New Girlfriend," "Gone," "International Harvester," "The Cowboy in Me" and many more. It was awesome watching Steele play with Mullins and Wiseman! Next the boys sung a hilarious Mullins tune titled, "Hillbillys at Work." Wiseman closed the songwriter portion of the show with one of my favorites, "Live Like You Were Dying!"

Next up, Craig introduced Joey and Rory. Unfortunately, the duo was only able to sing two songs. They sang their hit "Cheater, Cheater," which they introduced to the crowd as their one and only hit. Joey and Rory also sang a song they recently wrote together on their farm about all the important things in their life, which was titled, "It's Important to Me."

Heidi Newfield was up next. This girl can rock the harmonica! She sang her smash hit, "Johnny and June." Newfield mentioned she has a new album in the works so she tried out a new song, "I Could Fall for You." She also performed a new song written by Jefferey Steele titled, "Why'd You Have to Be So Good." Newfield told a story about how she had wanted this song a few years back when she first heard it but Nashville politics got in the way and someone else put it on hold. Fortunately, she was able to get ahold of the song and said she realizes a song is sung when it is meant to be sung and a song is born when it was meant to be born, and she believes she was meant to sing this song. It was a very emotional experience for her recording the song because she recently lost her Dad when she recorded it and she lost her Mom about 4 years ago. She brought a picture of each of her parents in the studio with her and lit a bunch of candles and gave the song all she had. Last night was the first time she had ever performed the song for the audience, and it was truly amazing!

After Newfield set, Craig came back out to introduce Luke Bryan. Craig has so much respect for Luke; proceeding to give him compliment after compliment. Craig told a story about how Luke came to town, grabbed people's attention and everyone thought we gotta give this guy a record deal. Luke started off with "All My Friends Say," and halfway through the song Criag, Tony Mullins and Heidi Newfield came out to sing with him. Luke was glad to have his friends help out on that song. Next Luke performed his current single, "Do I," which was awesome as usual. He ended his set by telling the story about his father being a peanut farmer and people not liking all the rain that has been in Nashville these past few weeks, but said rain makes corn, and corn makes whisky! Then Luke sang, "Rain is a Good Thing," which I believe is on his new album out October 6. Craig Wiseman proceeded to call Luke Bryan the shit and Luke said he didn't know you could cuss in the Ryman.

Next up was comedian Gary Mule Deer. I'd never heard of him before but he was hilarious. He sang a couple parts of some Johnny Cash songs as well as entertained the crowd with jokes. A couple favorites..."Did you know YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have merged and they are going to call themselves You Twit Face?" He also said do you realize if all the people in the world and joined hands to come together 2/3rds of us would be drowning right now. There were many more, but joke after joke, I couldn't remember them all!

Rodney closed the show thanking the crowd for coming out to support a good cause. He sang "Watching You," which he told the story about it was important for him to do events like these because he can go home and explain to his son Ejiah that he was doing something for a great cause. Rodney also sang "These are My People" and closed with "If You're Going Through Hell." I was hoping that Rodney would sing a couple songs off the new album, but I guess he thought he should sing his number one hits since it was all about the music tonight.

During the show Craig auctioned off 3 signed posters from all the artists, which went for $500 a pop. The Ryman was only about half full, which I found disappointing since there was so much talent and the event was for a great cause. Thanks to the artists who came out to support Second Harvest. They were all in a great mood. Rodney walked over to me after the show and handed me a guitar pick and posed for a picture and I know Craig, Gary Mule Deer, Tony Mullins and Luke Bryan hung around after the show to take some pictures with fans as well. Overall it was a great night for a great cause.

 




 
 

Kenny Chesney in Biloxi

Kenny made a stop at Biloxi, Mississippi on the 10th and one reader was nice enough to send me some great pictures.

Concert for the Cure fan story

 

Jessica sent me these pictures and review of the Concert for the Cure benefit concert which featured Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Ashley Ray and Luke Bryan last month and I'm just getting to it.  I feel bad because the review and pictures are top notch, I've just been so slow getting to everything in my email.  Sorry Jessica.  Anyway, enjoy her teling of the concert and then you can visit her Facebook to check out the rest of her awesome pictures.

My roommate, Heather, and I got to the Wildhorse Saloon about 6:00pm to wait in line so we could get good seats as everything was general admission.  At first we were told we would have to go to the 2^nd or 3^rd floor and fill in, but once we got inside we realized everyone was crowded around the stage, so we joined the crowd.  We ended up about 3 or 4 people back which was awesome.

 

 

Ashley Ray took the stage right at 10:00 and rocked it!  She is a new singer/songwriter from Kansas who was recently out on tour with Eric Church on his Young and Wild Tour and that’s how I knew who she was.  She sang songs such as “Hurricane” and “Next Time I Fall in Love” and did a cover of Tom Petty’s “I won’t Back Down” and “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon.  She talked about how this show was kind of a celebration as her mom had been battling breast cancer and was finally able to get out of the house, so Ashley flew both of her parents in for the show. 

 

After her set, Lance Smith, who was host for the night, came back out and interviewed Ashley for a few minutes.  She had mentioned during her set how during the Eric Church tour she had couch surfed with fans to cut the cost of getting a hotel room all the time.  Lance asked her about this and asked what one of the craziest stories she had was.  She said it was too inappropriate, so she proceeded to talk about the very first night of the tour.  She told how she was couch surfing with a fan and there was a card board cut-out of Alan Jackson.  They had been drinking that night, so to be goofy, she put “Alan” in bed with her and “slept” with him.  The video is up on her myspace page (www.myspace.com/ashleyray).  Well, it just so happened that when that incident happened, she was couch surfing at Heather’s parents’ house.  Heather and I knew from the beginning what story she was going to tell, so we were dying of laughter in the audience.  Ashley told Lance that the fans she had couch surfed with were in the audience and pointed to Heather and I.  Lance told us it was our fault she “slept” with Alan Jackson.

 

After Ashley, Luke Bryan took the stage.  I have seen Luke several times in concert and he never disappoints.  He performed his set acoustically with the help of one of Jake Owen’s guys on drums.  He did not have a set list, so he just kind of went with the flow and sang whatever he felt like singing and even took a few requests.  He sang a brand new song about how he would never do something again and then doing it again.  It was awesome! He sang his current single “Do I” by request and his hits such as “Country Man” and “We Rode in Trucks.” Jake Owen joined him on stage to help sing “Good Directions.”  He closed his set with his hit single “All My Friends Say.” I was very disappointed when he was finished as I could watch him perform all night long.

 

 

Jake Owen took the stage next.  He played “Yee Haw” and his new single “8 Second Ride” which I am partial too since one of my friends helped co-write with Jake.  His parents were side-stage, so before he sang “Don’t Think I can’t Love You” he talked about when he wrote the song he had his parents in mind.  It was cute to watch his parents while he sang that song.  He also did a rap and freestyle to “Fresh Prince of Belair.”  He finished his set with a cover of Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight.”

 

After a short break, Jason Aldean came on to rock the stage.  He kicked off his set with the title track of his new album, “Wide Open” and then went into “Crazy Town” which happens to be one of my favorite songs on his album.  He then sang his hit and first #1 single, “Why.”  Then, he sang a cover of “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty which he credits as one of his favorite bands.  Right before he sang his newest single, “Big Green Tractor,” he brought a guy on stage to make a very special announcement.  I thought he was going to talk about the Susan G. Komen Foundation which is what the Concert for the Cure benefits, but he didn’t.  He talked about a woman (who was Jason’s Mother-in-Law) he met 4 years ago and how much she meant to him.  Then he got down on one knee and proposed to her as the crowd went crazy.  It was a very cute moment.  Then Jason told them he had a very romantic song for them and performed “Big Green Tractor.”  He played several songs from his 2^nd album, including “Johnny Cash,” “Relentless,” and others.  He finished his set by rocking out to his last single “She’s Country” and “Hicktown.” I was disappointed there was not an encore, but the way he finished the show was awesome. 

 

 

  

This was my 17^th Jason Aldean show and it was by far one of the best.  After the show, Heather and I and a few friends went around behind the Wildhorse hoping to catch Jason or even just his band members.  Just before the band came out (no Jason), Lance Smith came out.  Heather caught him and we started talking to him.  He made a comment how normally at events like this he is side-stage or backstage and doesn’t normally get to watch the show, but tonight he went out front to watch.  He said Jason was awesome and “Jason Aldean is going to be huge.  He could very well be the next Kenny Chesney.” To hear someone like Lance say that about Jason made my night and made me remember why I love Jason so much.

Reba concert fan review

Got an email this morning - or was it yesterday? - from Greg who got to take in his ninth (wow!) Reba concert. Thanks Greg for sending in the great pictures.

So went to my ninth reba concert last night.  and let's just say....amazing!!!  That woman is amazing.  I've attached some photo's for ya'll to see.  I was sitting front row, so I got some amazing ones.

It was a great concert.  Funny part was reba started talking about her fantasy movie roles...and started talking about her and george clooney in her nighty...she laughed and said she meant evening gown.  The show was about 90mins long and was pure spectacular.  Weird thing is, she only sang two slow songs...And Still and  Because Of You...didn't sing any new songs from the new album though :(  Just the Strange single.

Love you Reba

Greg

 

Reader pictures of David Nail

 

Dianna was lucky enough to take in newlywed David Nail's concert on June 12, 2009, at the Plaza Music Stage and then was awesome enough to send a couple of pictures our way.  Thanks Dianna!

David got everything started at 11 on Friday by singing 5 songs. Of course he sang About to Come Alive and Red Light. Wish I had the names of the other 3 for you. I am SAD I was unable to meet him and tell him how much I love Red Light. Here are two pictures so enjoy.

Some more City of Hope softball game pics

 

One of my lucky readers, Kyle, won VIP tickets to Wednesday's City of Hope Celebrity Softball Tournament and wanted to share some of his awesome pictures.  

I'm wondering if maybe he can send me a few of those good luck vibes through the computer.  Send them my way Kyle!  But for now, take a look at his great pics. 

  Nan from GAC

Fan review - Keith Urban and the Zac Brown Band

Reader Kalyn was lucky enough to check out the Keith Urban concert May 15 in Rosemont, Illinois and it sounds like she had a great time.  The opener was the Zac Brown Band.  She also attached some beautiful pictures (just click to enlarge).  Thank you so much Kalyn!

Let me first start off by saying, the weather in the area was not the best.  It poured most of the day, but thankfully the rain stopped long enough to get everyone in and out of the arena! 

Zac Brown Band opened up for Keith tonight.  I’ve been a fan of ZBB for a while now; I first came across them on myspace, back before they released a CD to country radio.  I’ve longed for the day in which I could finally see them in concert, and was thrilled to see they would be the opening act when I went to see Keith.  Let me tell you, they certainly didn’t disappoint.  Zac Brown Band puts on a fantastic show.  The unique sound they have, combined with the stellar violinist and the great vocals, they come off as if they have been in country music for decades.  They covered the song made famous by The Charle Daniels Band called Devil went down to Georgia, which the crowd seemed to really enjoy and gave them a standing ovation!  They ended their set with crowd favorite, Chicken Fried.  It was a great way to end their set, as the crowd was fully excited and eager for Keith and company to come on stage. 

The stage setup for Keith, as most of you have probably read, is different than last year’s tour.  On both sides of the stage, there was a raised platform, which allowed those sitting on the side of the stage, to feel as though they were front row.  There was a small catwalk that jotted out in the middle of the floor section, and on both sides of the catwalk were two ramps that allowed Keith easy access to the fan covered floor.  In the back of the arena was a satellite stage, which was right next to the sound guys.  He had five massive video screens, that we later found out move from vertical to horizontal and back.  They were awesome!  My seats were right in front of the platform on the right side of the stage, and up off the floor two rows.  They were great seats!  This area was also in front of the access point to backstage.  During Zac Brown Band’s set, we saw Keith’s entire band walk right in front of us.  Chris McHugh, Keith’s drummer, came out and watched Zac Brown Band’s set, and seemed to really enjoy it.

Finally it was Keith Urban time!  Keith and company came out while playing Hit The Ground Running, which is off of his new cd.  It was a great way to open the show, as the energy level was ecstatic.  Like I said before I don’t remember the set list, I’ve never been very good at remembering them, so I will touch bases on some highlights of the show.  Keith made full use of the ramps that allowed him interaction with the fans.  He had a satellite stage in the very back of the arena, and to get to the stage he walked through the crowd.  He walked down the ramp in front of me, and fully embraced the swarm of fans that surrounding him trying to get a touch.  He walked back to the satellite stage, and did a few songs acoustic on it, then proceeded to return to the main stage, by walking on the other side of the arena through the crowd.  Everyone loved it!  He sang a nice mixture of both new and old songs, and kept the energy flowing through his set which lasted more than two hours.  One of the neat parts of the show was the short solos by each band member.  It was a nice way to introduce the crowd to each of the band members.  Jerry Flowers sang Ain’t No Sunshine, and man I love his voice.  I wish he would sing more!  Keith returned to the crowd for his hit, You Look Good In My Shirt.  It was up a good 6 rows from the floor, in the middle of the crowd.  He didn’t give away his guitar, but the fans surely enjoyed being up close and personal with him.  Keith ended his show with Better Life and a full confetti show, which always injects one last bit of energy into the crowd. 

The concert was filled with energy and emotion.  You could really tell how happy Keith is with life and how much he loves being on that stage and getting the feedback he does from all of his adoring fans.  This was my fifth Keith show, and its one of the best I’ve been too.  The stage and song list may change from tour to tour, but the energy and the show he puts on never does.  It’s a show that I think everyone should witness.   

         

g

Elizabeth's big adventure

Oh I sooooooo love getting to live vicariously through my readers!  It's the next best thing to being able to go to the shows myself. 

Reader, Elizabeth, was lucky enough to get to go to the exclusive Darius Rucker show that was taped for CMT last night.  Check out what Elizabeth had to say. 

I have a review below of CMT's Invitation Only Darius Rucker from last night !

I applied and was accepted. The show was last night,
and it was nothing short of incredible. The show took place in Studio
A at the Opry. It is an old television studio. There were about 150
people in the main audience sitting on couches, stools and benches.
Darius had a full band in a round in front of the crowd. Audience
members were told to submit questions before. About 10 people were
able to ask questions, everything to what were his biggest challanges
in country music, what does he think about seeing confederate flags in
the audience at his shows, and if he could choose to sing or play golf
with Tiger every day for the rest of his life what would he do? He
chose to play golf with Tiger. He said he is so excited to go on tour
with Rascal Flatts this summer because they are going to play SO much
golf.

He started the show with Forever Road, followed by Alright, which he
had to sing twice for some reason. Then he sang Let Her Cry, If I Had
Wings, Drinkin' and Dialin' (my personal favorite...but was sad to say
he didn't ever know if it would be a single.) Be Wary of a Woman,
History in the Making, All I Want, and It Won't Be Like This For Long
(which he also had to sing twice). He ended the show with Don't Think
I Don't Think About It. After the show he said, "We'll I think there
is only one way out of here so I will be waiting at the door so get
your camera phones ready!" Darius was very nice when we took pictures
with him, and he thanked everyone multiple times for coming!
Unfortunately pictures weren't allowed at the taping.

The taping was about 2 hours long and will be shortened to an hour for
television. It is set to air at the beginning of July on the dish
network and on CMT on July 24. Brad Paisley recorded his Invitation
only on Wednesday, Reba is recording hers on Saturday, and Sugarland's
has been postponed due to Jennifer's throat infection.

Darius' next stop? He is off to play at Peyton Mannings charity in
Indy...and yes he said some golf would be included!

Thanks so much Elizabeth for sharing your experience.  It truly sounds like it was an awesome, not-soon-forgotten evening!