Concert Review // WMZQ Fest
Lady
Antebellum [06.06.2015]
Hunter
Hayes & Sam Hunt
To commemorate the start of summer and
the official start of concert season, WMZQ throws us a crazy country tailgate,
appropriately titled, WMZQ Fest. This year, the WMZQ Fest headliners were Lady
Antebellum along with Hunter Hayes, and heartthrob, Sam Hunt. These superstars
weren’t the only ones ready to party—they were accompanied by Sam Grow, Mo
Pitney, Cam, and Logan Mize.
••• Side Stage Acts •••
Sam Grow //
This local favorite sure stole hearts
during his set. Because Sam Grow has Maryland roots, he has a pretty strong
following in this part of the country and that was evident when he walked out
on stage.
Sam had the crowd jamming out to the fan
favorite, Woah.
He also played what he calls his sexy
song, Take It Off.
Sam met and hung out with his fans for
the rest of the night. It was great to catch up with Sam after the interview he
did with TL a few months ago.
Mo Pitney //
The southern charmer had the crowd singing
and swaying their hips to his traditional country sound. Radio personality,
Michael J, compared Mo Pitney’s potential star power to that of Zac Brown’s
when he once played on the side stage. Mo’s sound is straight out of the 1990’s
and that is something that just isn’t heard anymore in new releases.
Mo played his newest single, Country. He also played and gave us
commentary on one of his favorite songs, I
Met Merle Haggard Today.
Cam //
She has something similar to what my
friend called, “Kellie Pickler Sass.”
This similarity was especially evident when she played her sassy song, Country Ain’ Never Been Pretty. Cam
pointed out how much she loved hearing us sing back to her and that this was
one of her first crowds who knew the words to her songs.
Logan Mize //
He can’t get away from a good time,
because he brings it with him. Logan had the crowd rocking out to his latest
single, El Camino. Logan abandoned
his set list when a fan asked him to play one of his older songs, American Made.
Mize closed out his set with his hit that
has been climbing the charts, Can’t Get
Away From A Good Time.
••• Main Stage Headliners •••
Sam Hunt //
It has been a while since I’ve seen that
many teenage girls in one place [& I work in a high school]. Sam certainly
drew a unique crowd to this show, and it was refreshing to see. Some people
will harp on certain country artists not being “country” enough, but one thing
that can’t be argued is how these artists pull on such a new, young, fan base.
Talking about owning the night, this man
knows how to own the stage and the crowd. Sam started his set with Raised On It and closed out his set with
a fan favorite, Break Up In a Small Town.
Hunter Hayes //
To be honest, I have never been a fan of
Hunter’s. With this said, I still must point out that he has done something
similar to Sam Hunt in terms of bringing a new generation of fans to country
music. Hunter has pure talent, but his thirteen-song set was a bit much for me.
Hayes played hits like Tattoo, Storm Warning, Somebody’s
Heartbreak, and Wanted. Hayes
closed out his set with, I Want Crazy.
Towards the end of Wanted, Hayes noticed something out in the crowd—A sign that said
“let me propose.” Hayes stopped singing, pointed out the young couple, and gave
them the chance to share their big moment with 22,000 other people.
Lady Antebellum //
I was once indifferent towards Lady A —
then they walked out on stage. This band’s stage presence is undeniably
powerful. These three people have such an amazing connection on stage that
gives them the ability to perform at such a high caliber.
Lady Antebellum’s fan interaction was
astounding. Charles Kelley would lean over while he was singing to sign a fans
shirt, picture, or hat. He would also take phones from the audience to create
once in a lifetime videos with fans. Charles was not the only one snapping
photos with fans; Hillary Scott also kneeled down near fans to capture amazing
moments. [Side Note: I bet Dave Haywood would’ve done the same if he weren’t
always strapped to his guitar].
Lady A pulled songs from each one of
their albums to create this set list and that did not go unnoticed by fans.
They played hits like Love Don’t Live
Here, Compass, Long Stretch of Love, and Lookin’ For A Good Time. When Hillary
Scott covered Shania Twain’s, Any Man of
Mine, the crowd went crazy. They closed out the night with 747, Need
You Now, and We Owned The Night.
Although I was hesitant about this show
when it was first advertised, I am thrilled that I went. Lady Antebellum has a new
fan — me.
xox
Megan Tobin