It would seem that with Independence Day taking place on a Saturday this year, that everybody would be toning it down the Sunday afternoon after. Bu that wasn’t the case for a boatful of lucky country music fans, and New England Country Music was included in the mix. This was the first of many ‘Summer Harbor Jams; sailing out of Boston Harbor put on by the Six String Country Music agency, and anticipation was high for such a major headlining act.
While exploring the three storied cruise liner, we were fortunate enough to get an opportunity to chat with Eric for a brief moment on the top deck. The passing lobster buoys peaked his interest, sparking a conversation about the history of New England and it’s saltwater heritage, and he opened up about being excited to spend the latter half of the holiday weekend in Boston, such a beautiful place, especially at this part of the year. We asked about the experience on hand, the opportunity to play on a boat, and Eric opened up that this was not his first time performing on a boat, getting the honor years ago to open for Sarah Buxton on a boat not even half the size for less than half the people, but he assured us that his partial acoustic blend would have us on our feet. The time was growing near, so we said goodbye, and headed down to the party deck to claim a good place to take it all in.
The attention soon turned to the top deck, as band members and instruments scattered between the life jackets and life rafts began to appear, finally Eric took the center space, and began his performance with a crowd favorite right off the bat, ‘Song About A Girl,’ followed shortly by ‘Like A Song.’ “Here’s the first song of mine that I ever heard on the radio as a singer, and I can’t thank you enough for that,” keeping the boat rocking with ‘Never Really Wanted.’
Photo: ATS Photography.
“This is wild y’all, seriously. Thank you for packing this boat today. I grew up in Texas, and had a lot of time to write songs. Two months after I landed my first record deal, my buddy Jake recorded this song and made it my first #1,” proclaimed Eric, as he began the massive summer hit ‘Barefoot Blue-Jean Night,’ that had the audience singing every lyric along, making it harder to tell if the boat was swaying due to waves or the enthusiastic audience on deck. The afternoon wore on and the hits never stopped, originals and hits alike, ‘Country Side Of Heaven,’ ‘All Or Nothing,’ ‘She Don’t Love You,’ sprinkled in with co-written hit for Love And Theft, ‘Angel Eyes,’ and Tom Petty mega-hit ‘Free Fallin.’
Looking out among the endless water, Eric jokingly confessed, “While we’ve been out here I really wish I had a fishing pole. Anybody want to go fishing?” leading into ‘If The Fish Don’t Bite.’ As the boat got more enthusiastic and the hits kept coming, Eric continued to mix in originals, co-writtens, and covers, with ‘Good With Wine,’ ‘Less Than Whole,’ and ‘Here Comes Love,’ were blended between Rascal Flatts hit ‘Rewind,’ ‘Even If It Breaks You Heart,’ recorded by the Eli Young Band, and Willie Nelson anthem, ‘On The Road Again.’ “We’re like pirates, no need for electricity, thanks for hanging with us acoustic!” proclaimed Paslay, before beginning hit ‘Keep On Fallin,’ and as the harbor became ever more apparent, the familiar opening to the 2014 smash hit ‘Friday Night,’ began as Paslay thanked every person on board, delivering a powerful final performance to end the day.
Photo: ATS Photography.
In talking to Six String Music shortly after the performance, they admitted that nerves were sky high launching their first country concert, but with the help of New England Country Music and their wonderful sponsors, they were able to spread word and have an amazing kickoff weekend. “Unreal” was the only word in mind, when asked about an overall opinion on the day. With the wonderful VIP experience and incredible performance, they seemed optimistic about the return of many patrons. With upcoming cruises to be announced soon, this is surely a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and can’t help but think of positive things in the future.