The last time that Cam was in Boston, there were snow banks that were taller than her. It was February 9th, and Country 102.5 has brought the California native to Loretta’s Last Call that served as both a #Studio1025 event as well as a Sam Hunt pre-party as Sam was set to play the House of Blues just a few doors up Lansdowne Street later that night. But now, with it being July, and in Boston, Cam was probably a bit more in her element as she took the Beacon Stage at this year’s Outside the Box Music Festival that took place on the Boston Common. The curly-haired songstress took the stage shortly after 4:30 in a white blouse, gold scarf, blue jeans, and bright yellow heels. And those heels aren’t just an accessory to Cam, but a staple of her wardrobe as she wears something yellow every single day! Throughout her set Cam held a yellow tambourine, which she used frequently to compliment her music and advanced the energy and upbeat attitude that she displayed throughout the afternoon performance.
During her set, Cam would play all four songs from her ‘Welcome to Cam Country’ EP that she released earlier this year and Cam didn’t miss the fact that countless fans in attendance were singing along to those songs like ‘Half Broke Heart’ and the revengeful ‘Runaway Train’ before going into the tongue-in-cheek ‘Country Ain’t Never Been Pretty,’ ‘Mayday,’ and ‘Cold in California.’ The biggest crowd response of her set came when she performed ‘Burning House,’ which has been soaring up the charts. Cam explained that she wrote the song after ending an on-again-off-again relationship and when she finally ended it, she did not end it the right way. Knowing she was going to see this guy at an upcoming party, she wanted to apologize to him and leading up that party she had a dream about a house that was on fire and he was inside but she did not want to leave him inside to die alone so she stayed there with him. And as Cam sang ‘Burning House,’ it was apparent that fans knew the song as you could hear hundreds of fans singing along, word-by-word.
Cam lightened the mood with a performance of ‘My Mistake,’ which is the first song off her EP and shows a flirtatious and fun side of Cam before finishing her set with a song called ‘Fireball Whiskey,’ and intro’ed the song by saying the first time she had Fireball, “it definitely resulted in puke on the boots,” which gave the crowd in attendance a good laugh.
Fans were buzzing after her set as we even heard one fan say that she reminded them of Miranda Lambert. With an attitude that is contagious and a voice that is infectious, Cam is here to stay. And we cannot wait to see her perform again.
Austin Webb was ready for the Boston crowd as he took the stage in the July afternoon on Friday, the middle act between Cam and Kacey. If there was ever a country musician to take the stage to Lion King’s ‘The Circle of Life,’ it is Austin, as we heard him say backstage that he decided on the movie’s song to draw people to the stage. The spontaneously funny South Carolina native started his set with ‘It’s All Good,’ which he “wrote for 45 minutes smoking cigarettes” until he produced the ballad. The concert took a slower turn when Webb played ‘Brings Him Back,’ a song written about his grandpa. Beauty in country music is everywhere and this is a prime example. A memorable song written based off of his loss, can in turn help thousands of fans find their lost loved one in a song. With the Boston Common carousel and skyscrapers painting the background, Webb found the time to play his first Top 40 jam, the warmhearted ‘Slip On By.’ Released in 2013, the song still tugs at the heartstrings of fans everywhere.
It was Elvis’ ‘Hound Dog’ that brought out Austin’s harmonica and had the fans clapping and swaying right along. Who said rock and roll doesn’t mix with country? Webb got the fans dancing again with ‘Hot Water’ and proceeding into the all-time classic, Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl.’ The crowd rejuvenated themselves as the lawn was filling in for the evening, dancing and singing to the oldie. Bostonians driving by in the surrounding rush hour traffic were even seen honking and waving to the tunes. Time was winding down as Austin played ‘Getting Even,’ a song that gained popularity on iTunes in the acoustic form. Webb referred to ‘Getting Even’ as one of his “favorite songs ever written.” A perfect wrap-up to his Massachusetts evening, the always-traveling artist concluded with his latest hit playing on every country radio station, ‘All Country On You.’ It was impressive to see the fans singing every word that Webb drew, a sure sign that country isn’t just in the south.
As he said back in an interview with NECM earlier this year, “I don’t want people to forget Austin.” Don’t worry, Austin. Boston certainly won’t forget.
The anticipation grew as the crowd increased, hoping to get a good view for Kacey Musgraves. The 26-year-old took to the stage as the sun was setting on the perfect Boston evening with her Mexican-themed band. “I hear this is the oldest park in the United States. That’s the shit!” Musgraves said, admiring The Commonwealth. First up on the set list was ‘High Time’ and ‘Blowin’ Smoke,’ backed by smoke machines filling the Beacon Stage. If there is anything the Grammy winner is known for, it is having a laidback, honest mentality. Her most recent single to hit country radio, ‘Biscuits,’ proved to be quite the fan favorite. With fun lyrics like “smoke your own smoke and grow your own daisies” and “mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy,” the Texas native stood on stage decked out in her plaid and leather, short-skirted cowgirl repertoire. Musgraves graced her time in the spotlight by acknowledging the Boston country faithful, with a voice that sounds just as good live. “I think we need to write a song called Lobster Rolls,” Kacey joked, when talking about a southerner’s love for biscuits. It was Miranda Lambert’s song, ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ and TLC’s throwback, ‘No Scrubs,’ that had the crowd singing louder than before, dancing around to the both country and non-country favorites. Another favored melody was Musgrave’s ‘Step Off’ remixed with Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds,’ a staple in many of her shows. Wrapping up with a couple of hit singles including ‘Merry Go Round’ and ‘Follow Your Arrow,’ Kacey finished with her version of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking.’ The ending tune was just what the fans wanted from the beloved, no-nonsense country rocker, closing out her time in New England.
