South Florida Country Music

Concert Review: Luke Bryan’s “Dirt Road Diaries” Tour in West Palm Beach

Posted by admin at 7:20 pm on October 30, 2013

Oct 302013

The 2013 Live Nation Mega Ticket concert season came to a close this past Saturday, October 26th as Luke Bryan brought his Dirt Road Diaries tour to the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Coincidentally, this was also the close of his tour, which featured Florida Georgia Line and Thompson Square as the opening acts.

Usually the crowd trickles in during the opening acts, not filling the seats and lawn until just before the headliner takes the stage. This wasn’t the case on this beautiful clear night, as the crowd filed in early to catch Florida Georgia Line, who are one of the hottest acts in all of music thanks to the success of their hits “Cruise,” “Get Your Shine On,” and “Round Here.” Their meteoric rise is unprecedented…it wasn’t that long ago that they were an unsigned band that was popular regionally…a year later and they had the longest running #1 hit country song in Billboard Music history!

photo by Mike Carroll

They kicked the show off with “It’z Just What We Do” and never slowed down as they worked the crowd with a set list of high-energy party songs. Their abbreviated set included “Party People,” “Round Here,” “Dayum, Baby,” “Get Your Shine On,” and their chart-topping “Cruise.” Before they did “Get Your Shine On,” they asked the crowd to get their cell phones out and hold them up…it was quite a spectacular scene!

photo by Mike Carroll

They interrupted “Cruise” to break into the hip hop version that Nelly helped make famous, and left the stage to a roaring ovation. While this tour is coming to an end, they are staying on the road headlining their own shows with Colt Ford opening for them. You can catch their show in Tallahassee on Saturday, November 10th.

photo by Mike Carroll

Husband-wife duo Thompson Square had to cancel their performances the previous two nights in Tampa, as Shawna was dealing with an illness, but we were fortunate enough to have her back to health and ready to perform on this night. They put on an entertaining performance showing the great chemistry you would expect from a married couple. Shawna was looking hot with a partially see-through top, and Keifer was sporting a stylish hat. Being the last night of the tour, it was only a matter of time before the pranks started, and towards the end of their set, they were surprised by some Christmas blow-up snowmen that popped up at the front of the stage!

photo by Mike Carroll

Here’s a rundown of their set list:

That’s So Me and You
I Got You
Just Feels Good
Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About (Their new single that’s rising up the charts…it currently sits at #46)
I Won’t Back Down (Cover of Tom Petty’s hit)
Some Nights (Cover of fun.’s hit)
Glass (This was preceded by Shawna taking a break to talk about their role with ChildFund.org, a charity they got involved with after visiting South America.
If I Didn’t Have You (They had quite a romantic moment at the top of the stairs of their set design, again showing their great chemistry together)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not

photo by Mike Carroll

After two great performances, the moment the crowd was waiting months for finally came…the start of Luke Bryan’s set! He rose up out of the raised platform in the back of the stage as his band launched into “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” It didn’t take long for him to appease the female portion of the crowd, as he started to get his “Magic Mike” on with his tongue rolls and over-excessive pelvic gyrations during “Country Man.” It’s clear why he’s the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, as the crowd ate it up. It’s amazing to think that just a few short years ago he was playing at the Round Up in Davie and at the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach.

photo by Mike Carroll

Bryan proceeded to put on a great show rolling through hit after hit, while sprinkling in some songs from his Spring Break album and some unreleased album cuts. Midway through the show he brought Florida Georgia Line out to join him for a cover of Maroon 5’s “One More Night.”

photo by Mike Carroll

The pranks continued as Thompson Square then came out to join them, except they had traded outfits with Keifer wearing the see-through top and Shawna wearing the t-shirt and hat that Keifer was wearing earlier.

photo by Mike Carroll

They all performed Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven,” before playing a fun medley of popular songs including “The Joker,” “Song of the South,” some free-style rapping by Florida Georgia Line, “Just a Friend,” Ice Ice Baby,” “Baby Got Back,” and more! You could tell they were having the time of their lives doing this, and Luke Bryan finished it off by exclaiming that they had never rehearsed any of that! To me, this was the highlight of the night…it was fun, carefree, and the crowd loved singing along to it.

photo by Mike Carroll

Bryan then took a moment to reflect on the end of the tour, thanking the bands, road crews, bus drivers, and all the others that made the tour possible. He then decided it was time for some “pickin’ and grinnin'” as a piano was brought out to the front of the stage. He started this off by saying there is one ingredient needed, and as he opened the lid off of a box or cooler (it was hard to tell from my vantage point), he was startled to find some baby alligators inside! He took them out (their mouths were taped shut) and posed with them for a minute, then got back to the script as he pulled out a bottle of moonshine and took a swig. He then passed the bottle on to the lead guitar player, starting the band introductions. The guitar player took a huge chug of the alcohol, then proceeded to “shake it” for the crowd, finishing by continuing with the theme of the night with some butt muscle flexing and clenching for the camera. The moonshine made it’s way around the piano to the rest of the band members who each took a sip as they were introduced.

Bryan riled up the crowd by taking a shot at the “sad” Miami Dolphins before getting back to his performance that ended with “All My Friends Say” (with a little bit of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” mixed in), “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).”

It was a bit surprising that he didn’t do an encore, but he did play right up until the 11pm deadline that the county imposes on the venue. I was disappointed that he didn’t perform fan-favorites “We Rode In Trucks,” “Drinkin’ Beer and Wastin’ Bullets” or “Take My Drunk Ass Home,” but overall it was a great performance, minus a little too much of the pelvic gyrations. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has many more Entertainer of the Year Awards in his future!

Luke Bryan Set List

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Country Man
Someone Else Calling You Baby
Rain Is A Good Thing
Crash My Party
That’s My Kinda Night
Suntan City
If You Ain’t Here To Party
One More Night (Maroon 5 cover with Florida Georgia Line)
Locked Out Of Heaven (Bruno Mars cover with Florida Georgia Line and Thompson Square)
Medley of: The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover), Song of the South (Alabama cover), a freestyle rap by Florida Georgia Line, “Just a Friend” (Biz Markie cover), “Ice Ice Baby” (Vanilla Ice cover), “Baby Got Back (Sir Mix-a-Lot cover), and more (with Florida Georgia Line and Thompson Square)
Too Damn Young
Play It Again
Do I
The Only Way I Know
Drunk On You
All My Friends Say/Enter Sandman medley
I Don’t Want This Night to End
Country Girl (Shake It For Me)

Concert Review: Chris Cagle and Tom Jackson at City Place in West Palm Beach!

Posted by Delaney Brown at 8:17 pm on October 29, 2013

Oct 292013

It was a warm and balmy night at City Place in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, October 22nd for WIRK’s free concert series featuring Tom Jackson and Chris Cagle. Set up in front of the center fountains, you couldn’t ask for a better venue to get up close and personal with your favorite artists.

The plaza was filled to capacity when Nashville recording artist and local favorite, Tom Jackson, hit the stage, kicking off the night with “Wagon Wheel,” bringing the crowd to its feet. The vibe was that of a private party with 900 of your closest friends!

photo by Delaney Brown

Tom’s ten song set kept the crowd on their feet with such songs as “East Bound and Down,” “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” and “Drivin’ My Life Away.” Tom was candid with the crowd…joking around, sharing what he stands for, and bringing a young boy out of the crowd to help him play guitar during “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” Tom has two CDs of his own and from those he played fan favorites, “Country Boy Anthem” and closed his set with “Angel Loves the Devil Out of Me.” He has a new record coming out in 2014 and he gave us a taste of what’s to come with a ballad called “Emily” and more upbeat tunes such as “In The Back of My Truck Bed” and “Crazy About You.” His new record sounds like it’s going to be another crowd pleaser!

It felt like the night was getting hotter instead of cooler as the sun set over City Place. Chris Cagle did an acoustic ten song set opening with “My Love Goes On and On” and “Laredo.” He took a moment to talk to the crowd, explaining that in 2007 he knew it was time to take a break from the business; coming back in 2012, married with three young daughters and a new record label, Bigger Picture Records. Starting the music again, his guitar struck the cords of my personal favorite, “I Breath In, I Breath Out,” then kicked it back up with “What Kind of Gone” and “Get My County On.”

photo by Delaney Brown

You felt like you were in his living room as he talked to individuals in the crowd, asking how they liked the show so far, thanking Tom Jackson, and asking if anyone wanted a beer, which he got for one lucky concert goer who spoke up loud enough.

“Miss Me Baby” was the next song he played, then moved on to “Let There Be Cowgirls” and “Dance Baby Dance,” both from his 2012 CD Back in the Saddle. Chris got choked up during “Dance Baby Dance,” actually having to pause for a moment to collect himself before sharing the story of where the song came from. He explained that he was tired one night and his daughter wanted to dance with him, but he was too beat to do so and then thought to himself, “I really need to do it because too soon the day will come where Daddy wouldn’t be the man she wanted to dance with anymore.” It is a very sentimental song; straight from his heart.

He ended the night with “What a Beautiful Day,” adding new lyrics to include his wife and daughters, and lastly, closed with an all-time favorite “Chicks Dig It.”

The small, intimate venue always offers up a great time with people being able to bring their own chairs and coolers, or standing and mingling around, getting cold drinks from the various beverage tents and restaurants located around the plaza. You can’t beat the atmosphere and how laid back it is compared to larger venues.

SFCM Featured Artist Updates – 10/27/13

Posted by Mike Carroll at 8:11 pm on October 27, 2013

Oct 272013

Here are some updates from some of our Featured Artists. As always we thank for you supporting our Hometown Talent, and encourage you to help spread the word of the amazing talent we have in Florida!

33 Years

33 Years recently performed on the 89.9 FM WDVX Blue Plate Special show in Knoxville, TN! Check out the video of their appearance!

Amber Leigh

Amber Leigh was recently voted the Best Country Artist in South Florida by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel! She was also featured in Atlantic Ave Magazine, check the feature out here!

Ashley Briggs

Ashley Briggs’ song “Fly” was recently featured in the Hallmark Channel’s Cedar Cove! It was episode 10 and aired on September 21st. Her video for “Island Cowboy” now has over 48,000 views on YouTube! She has several performances coming up, check out her schedule here!

Brittney Lawrence

Brittney Lawrence recently appeared on the Channel 4 News in Jacksonville, check out the video of her appearance here!

Cecilia Lauren & The Ocoee River Band

Cecilia Lauren & The Ocoee River Band will be heading to Florence, SC on December 7th to perform at the Young Guns of Country Holiday Concert!

County Line Road

County Line Road just got back from performing on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man Cruise. This is on the heels of recently being chosen as one of the 7 finalists (out of over 3,000!) in the Pepsi Southern Original competition which allowed them to perform at the recent Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam! Their debut single “20 Mile Bend” from their upcoming album (due out in December) is now available on iTunes!

Grayson Rogers Band

The Grayson Rogers Band was also one of the 7 finalists in the Pepsi Southern Original competition that got to perform at the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. One of the busiest bands in Florida will be opening for Travis Tritt on November 8th in Cape Coral, then will play at the Pineapple Festival in Jensen Beach on November 9th with the Marshall Tucker Band and more! Their new single, “Too Loud,” is now available on iTunes, check it out!

Lauren Elise

Lauren will be performing on Saturday, November 16th at River City Brewing Company in Jacksonville in support of Toys for Tots. The event starts at 1pm, and she will be performing at 7pm!

The Samantha Russell Band

The Samantha Russell Band has a lot of big shows coming up, including the Stuart Seafood Festival on November 16th and the Royal Palm Beach Holiday Festival of Lights! Check out their full schedule here!

Zack Biss

The very talented 16-year old Zack Biss was recently featured on 99.5 WQYK in Tampa as part of their Write a Song Wednesday feature!

Concert Review: Little Big Town at 99.9 Kiss Country’s Undercover Concert

Posted by Mike Carroll at 6:48 pm on October 27, 2013

Oct 272013

photo by Brittany Kern

The latest installment of 99.9 WKIS Kiss Country’s Undercover Concert Series took place this past Tuesday. They invited fans to wear their Halloween costumes, and we later found out why. As the crowd waited with anticipation, the sight of four microphones on stage tipped it off to some as folks were whispering their thoughts of who it could be.

Ken O’Brien and TC took the stage to get things started, and announced that even though there would be a costume contest at the end of the show, that they wanted to pick out four winners before things got started. They chose four people out of the crowd that they brought up on the stage. It wasn’t until halfway through hearing their names that I realized that it was Little Big Town, and they were the lucky “fans” that were brought up on stage. Check out the video below of the Big Reveal!

They put on a great show that, to the delight of the crowd, lasted a few minutes longer than most of these Undercover Concerts do. Check out their set list for the night: