Tag Archives: #Summer

The Unofficial Kick Off to Summer With Chris Young!

Memorial Day may be the unofficial kick-off to summer but Chris Young’s Raised on Country tour with Chris Janson and Dylan Scott just kicked off the summer of country concerts at Xfinity Center in Mansfield this past Friday night. We’re not sure if we could have asked for a better day besides maybe the show being on a Saturday but we’ll let that one go.  The sun was shining, tailgates were down and the country music was blasting!

Dylan Scott started the night with ‘Hooked,’ ‘Ball Cap’ and ‘Nothing to Do Town’ which got the crowd going. He slowed it down a bit with ‘Nobody’ and then honored his 90s country artists with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ‘Fishin In the Dark,’ ‘I Like it, I love it’ by Tim McGraw, David Lee Murphy’s ‘Dust on the Bottle,’ and George Strait’s infamous ‘Check Yes or No.’  Rounding out with what would soon become the theme song of the night, he played a favorite of his, Keith Whitley’s ‘When You say Nothing At All.’ He wrapped his set with the single that put him on the map and the song that he wrote about his high school sweetheart who is now his wife, ‘My Girl.’

The crowd continued to fill in as Chris Janson took the stage.  Let us just say, if you haven’t seen Chris Janson live before, we highly recommend adding him to your concert lineup!  Janson won our very own NECM Laurel over as a fan when she saw him open for Sam Hunt.

The entertainer he is, opened with ‘Redneck Life’ and ran around the stage showing off his harmonica skills.  Followed by ‘Everybody’ and his second #1, ‘Fix a Drink!’ He followed those up with his new single ‘Good Vibes’ and then slowed it down. He introed ‘Holdin’ Her’ by explaining how he may be portrayed as a wild man on stage but regardless of his image, he is a Christian man who loves the Lord, his wife and his kids.

Referencing his recent Rolling Stone article, Janson proudly claimed the title of the most open minded redneck stating ”I was raised to not care what others think about me.”  And that he doesn’t. Soon after, he was making pterodactyl and bald eagle movements on stage asking the crowd to join him. Janson’s stage presence isn’t something you’ll get every show and we loved every minute of it!

Wrapping up his set, he killed another harmonica solo which transitioned into Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ where Janson had a harmonica headset and just a keyboard. It was only right that he played his ACM award winning ‘Drunk Girl,’ as Boston was very first place he played it live.

He joked with the crowd as he stepped up to the drum set, “bet you’d never seen a country boy play the drums like Tommy Lee from his time in Motley Cru.” A jack of all trades, Janson killed the drums and then ended his set with his first #1, ‘Buy Me a Boat.’

As the crowd waited for Chris Young to take the stage, the Chris Young Dance Cam panned over the crowd catching those who were blessed with happy feet. Happy feet quickly turned into finding those with full beers and a chugging contest.

Finally, it was time for the main act. The baritone started the crowd off on a slow set, making the girls swoon with a run of “Hangin’ On,’ ‘Getting You Home,’ ‘Lonely Eyes,’ ‘Losing Sleep,’ and ‘Who I Am With You.’  And just like that, a better man dropped to his knee and we had a front row proposal!! Wishing you the best Brittany and Justin wherever you are! Taking a brief detour from the set list, Young covered the theme song of the night singing Dylan’s Scott’s favorite again, Keith Whitley’s ‘When You Say Nothing At All.’

The stage design and graphics definitely kept the crowd hooked as ‘I Can Take It From There’ and ‘Hold My Beer’ rolled on through.

A video montage of artists including Brad Paisley and Florida Georgia Line came on, all sharing a tid bit of how they were raised on country music ending with Chris explaining his love for country and how he was raised on country music! The montage was a perfect transition into Chris addressing the crowd recognizing this was his first amphitheater tour on his own, he couldn’t thank the crowd enough. “This song did it. It’s almost like a graduation for me to be on this tour.” The crowd began to sing along with ‘I’m Comin’ Over!’

Chris introed his next song by sharing the story of one of the first concerts he attended. His mom had won tickets to a show at the Starwood Amphitheater in Nashville. They sat on the grass, watched Vince Gil and he thought how great it would be to do exactly that.  Little did he know, he would work with Vince himself on one of his very own songs. ‘Sober Saturday Night’ led into ‘Life of the Party’ as Cassadee Pope sang along behind him on the big screen. Fans started slow dancing in aisle as ‘Good Man’ started and the security lit their way with his flashlight.  Country music is something special that’s for sure.

Chris was all smiles from the second he took the stage until he closed out with the exception of playing his new song. He shared how it was about a friend of his who passed away unexpectedly in a car accident.  With just some keys and guitar, the lyrics were relatable to anyone who has lost someone. ‘Today’ was REAL.

As the night started to come to an end, Chris jokingly asked how he was supposed to transition to the next song after that one and decided that he needed to cover Garth Brook’s ‘Papa Loves Mama’ instead. Followed by his own ‘You,’ ‘Save Water, Drink Beer’ and introed his band. The lights dimmed and ‘Tomorrow’ started. A perfect way to close out the night and kick off the weekend, Chris ended with ‘Aw Naw’ singing about buying a shot of patron and how we’ve all gotta be up early.

We are so happy to say that summer of country concerts is back. There’s nothing like the country community, from tailgates to chugging contests and dancing in the aisles at shows, we all share our love for country music!

What shows will you be attending this summer!?

Kenny Chesney: ‘Get Along’ Single Review

Kenny Chesney is back y’all… ‘No Shoes Nation’ are you ready?! And with less than 75 days until summer officially arrives, it’s the perfect way to start setting the mood for the sunshine. Let’s be honest, when we think of summer, we immediately think of Mr. Chesney himself.

In Kenny’s first release of 2018, fans are brought the typical beachy tones and guitar riffs that encompass ‘No Shoes Nation.’ Over the course of his 15 year career, Chesney has established his place in the country music industry. He has created his own genre of country that has hints of a little Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown Band, David Lee Murphy, and of course, lots of Kenny Chesney! Along with setting the vibe of his music, Chesney also likes to add underlying lessons of morality, humility, love, respect, and carefree living. His new single ‘Get Along’ is nothing shy of what fans would expect from the summertime king.

The single follows suit of Kenny’s song library with strong guitars cutting through the noise and a positive beat you can tap to. However, the whole song is set up as a call and response with a tribal, campfire feeling to it. Some can even say it resembles a little bit of John Mellencamp and older rock songs of that nature – I mean, Jack and Diane are a staple in country music history and apart of Kenny’s repertoire.

‘Get Along’ was written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Josh Osborne – writers that Chesney loves to mesh with. With household names on this track, it’s sure to be a hit on radio and definitely in a live performance – yes we’re talking about you Gillette Stadium. The single brings humbleness to humankind in saying, at the end of the day, life is too short to not do all the things that we deem as tedious or not necessary like “paint a wall, learn to dance, call your mom, buy a boat…” The main questions being addressed is “why can’t we all just get along and keep moving on with our lives?”

In a world that is rampant with cruelty, massacres, and lack of attention and love, Chesney is contributing his music for people as a way to express themselves and escape from the harshness of whatever they’re facing. ‘Get Along’ was not intended to be a “message” song based on the state of the world, but as a way to find peace amongst it all. However, subconsciously, the writers ended up gravitating towards something of that manner because it was a topic that was in their hearts. In this single, Chesney provides a lighthearted depiction of remembering to remain modest, and to always be kind. At the end of the day, we are all human and we will all end up in the same place once everything is all said and done. Be kind! Have a beer! Give a smile! Lend a hand! Love everyday!

The best part about this single is the fact that it is the first song off of Chesney’s new album! Yes you read that correctly, his new album! With no set release date and no details other than that it is said to be his most personal album to date, fans will have to hang on, for now.

New England is preparing for Kenny’s visit in August on his 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour, which, of course, is ending in typical fashion at the famous Gillette Stadium. We can’t wait to see you Kenny, and thank you for the new single to hold us over until then!

Favorite Lyrics: A man wearin’ a t-shirt, says “Virginia is for lovers” had a Bible in his left hand and a bottle in the other. He says ‘All you’re really given is the sunshine and your name.’ We both started laughin’ when the sky started to rain.