In early December, during a NECMchat with the guys of Old Dominion, a fan asked when the guys would be back in the northeast. Their response? “We can’t tell you just yet. But stay tuned next week and we’ll clue you in! #tour2015”
@TexasHeartXO @NECntryMusic we can't tell you just yet. But stay tuned next week and we'll clue you in! #tour2015
— Old Dominion (@OldDominion) December 11, 2014
At the time, no one knew what Old Dominion had planned ahead of them, except for them. And that’s the truth. That news? They were
selected as a supporting act on Kenny Chesney’s Big Revival Tour!
Before Old Dominion gets to take the stage with the man that the Wall Street Journal crowned as the “King of the Road,” while on break from touring, lead singer Matt Ramsey sat down with New England Country Music to talk about their experience on the road with Chase Rice this past year, songwriting, and of course their grand summer plans.
Old Dominion spent the latter part of 2014 on the road with Chase Rice on Rice’s Ready Set Roll Tour, and if there is one thing that they took from the experience it was learning. “The more you play together, the better it’s going to get. So just having that time to play night after night, just honing your show. You learn from Chase’s guys and Chase, himself, on how to engage a crowd. That’s a big part of his show. To watch him interact with his fans. For us to have that opportunity every night with his fans to win them over, it upped our game a little bit as far as putting on a show, not just going out there and playing a bunch of songs. I think that’s one thing that we really took away from that tour was to learn to really put on a show. Just the opportunity to play night after night for a couple thousand people that were just hungry for a good time was huge for us.”
If you were at the House of Blues in Boston for their stop in Beantown, you were probably one of the thousands of fans who instantaneously became a fan of Old Dominion as soon as they took the stage. On stage, they are captivating and their band chemistry is undeniable. And not only are they great artists, but these guys are also great songwriters. All five guys write songs, but three of them write songs on a daily basis and have written songs for some of the biggest names in country music. The Band Perry, Craig Morgan, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, and Kenny Chesney among others. And that is something that Ramsey says gives Old Dominion an advantage. “The fact that we’re always together and when we’re traveling we can write, we have so many songs to choose from. That’s the least of our problems. The biggest problem is finding the ones that we’re going to cut out. We have new songs every day. It’s a blessing to be able to work so well together in a band and as writers. We’re extremely fortunate in that respect.”
And that songwriting helped Old Dominion get the call for Kenny’s 2015 tour. Matt and Brad (lead guitar) co-wrote a song called ‘Save It For a Rainy Day,’ which is a track that Kenny cut on his most recent ‘The Big Revival’ album. When their mutual management approached Kenny about bringing the guys onto his highly 2015 anticipated tour they told the country megastar, ‘these guys are tearing it up. You already like their music. You recorded one of their songs.’ With that, Kenny responded in only one way. “Bring them on!”
“What an opportunity for a band like us,” says Matt.
And an opportunity it is. Old Dominion will go from playing moderate clubs to NFL stadiums. Matt describes it as “a little nerve wracking” but he thinks they will be fine; although he doesn’t think it will really set in until they step on the stage for the first time. But it won’t be the first time Old Dominion has played for a crowd of tens of thousands. They have played the notorious Faster Horses Festival in Michigan will also be playing at the Tortuga Music Festival on the shores of Fort Lauderdale in mid-April.
With this incredible opportunity also came a showing of will power- the will power to not announce the news, intentionally or not. They could not even tell their parents! Of course they had to wait for Kenny to announce it; they couldn’t be the ones to announce it first. But they also had a slight sense of superstition as they didn’t want to say anything until they were absolutely sure they were in the lineup. But once they knew they were definitely on the tour, the hints began. Although the hints were fairly obvious, the guy still couldn’t come out and say for sure until Kenny did.
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As the NFL season was winding down, Matt watched football every weekend and all he kept thinking was, “oh my god, we’re going to be playing there.” He is excited to play Gillette Stadium, CenturyLink Stadium (Seattle), Soldier Field (Chicago), and Lambeau Field (Green Bay), all “legendary places,” as Matt describes. But on this tour, Old Dominion does not just get to play these incredible venues but also will some of the biggest names in country music. Kenny, Eric Church, Jason Aldean and several others. “They are all so different and that’s what makes it so cool. They all have their own thing. Until you said that, I hadn’t really thought about how incredible the whole night is going to be. I’m just looking forward to being a fan after we’re done working and sitting back and watching what they do. They all pick great songs. They all write great songs. They all have their own style. Every show is going to be incredible.”
Being on the biggest stages alongside some of the biggest country stars, Old Dominion is going to get some invaluable experience and exposure. And that is something that Matt looks forward to. He is excited to grow Old Dominion’s fan base on each stop and recognizes that their fan based expanded quickly while on the Ready Set Roll Tour and with this tour, it can only be magnified even more. “The more we’re out there and getting the music in front of people and showing that we are a band that’s worth listening to, the better it will be for us.”
Is there a better way to end the summer of 2015 on stage at Gillette Stadium with Brantley Gilbert, Cole Swindell, Jason Aldean, and Kenny Chesney? Matt cannot. “I can’t think of one. It’s just amazing to me that in one year how much we grew and our audience grew in one year. And I can’t wait to see by the end of this tour where we are. We have grown so fast over the last year. We started this snowball rolling. I cannot wait to see what it’s like at the end.”
Matt and his band, Old Dominion, will play Gillette Stadium on August 28th and 29th. If you haven’t gotten tickets for this unbelievable show, make sure you do.
To stay up to date with everything Old Dominion, make sure you follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and their official website.