CONCERT REVIEW: NYE with Love & Theft, Joel Crouse, and Stevie Monce

A Night You’ll Never Forget: 2016 NYE Party

12.31.15

Bluestone || Columbus, Ohio

Love & Theft, Joel Crouse, Stevie Monce

Stevie Monce:

I’d have to say I was pretty happy to see Stevie’s name included when they first announced this show. I’ve only seen him out on the Can’t Wait For the Weekend Tour along with some random rounds in Nashville, so it was a welcomed addition. There’s big shoes to fill as the opener for a show that claims to be “A Night You’ll Never Forget”, but Stevie was able to rise to the occasion. After making it a goal of his in 2015 to play the Bluestone, Monce had the crowd hooked as he played his original tunes as well as some covers; my personal fave being Wonderwall [which he SLAYED]. By the end of his set he had gotten the party going and had everyone ready for what the rest of the night would bring.

Joel Crouse:

Okay so I might be biased when it comes to this guy, but damn...his set is never not straight fire. Whether he’s testing out new songs that were just written or playing songs off his debut album, the crowd is electrified with the energy being given off by Crouse & his crew. Another reason Joel’s set is always a sight to see: the passion & undeniable talent. It’s obvious when you’re standing in the crowd that he gives his everything and leaves it all on that stage at the end of the night. And not only that, but it’s raw & vulnerable..no smoke & mirrors involved. He’s simply one of the most talented artists in the music industry, and he can play guitar unlike anyone else [besides the legends, aka Jimi Hendrix]. Basically, there’s no denying that Joel belongs on a stage performing to massive crowds. He is a game changer. That’s all that needs to be said. End of story.

Love & Theft:

Stephen & Eric, Eric & Stephen...however you put it, there ain’t two other guys that can do what they do. I have seen these two perform countless times but each time I only end up wanting more all over again. Something about the fun time & good vibes that they give off, you just never want them to get off stage because you’re having such a damn good time. Add in the fact that it’s the last night of 2015/first hours of 2016, and it’s all that much better. The guys make it a point to get the crowd involved with their sing-alongs and selfies from the stage. If you asked me who should be on the top of your list to see perform live in 2016, it would hands down be Love & Theft.

-------------------

I’d be lying if I said there was anywhere else I’d have rather spent my New Year’s Eve. It’s one thing to watch a show as a fan, but to be a friend & watch these fellas do what they love...it’s a feeling that can’t be put into words. I could’ve easily watched them sing their songs all night long and never have gotten bored. If this night was any indication of what 2016 is gonna be like, I’m pretty damn excited. These four dudes definitely lived up to the hype of making this show “A Night That You’ll Never Forget”.

If y’all haven’t already followed these guys, do it now. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Plus, then you’ll know when there’s a show near you (or new music)!!

Love & Theft | Twitter & Instagram: @loveandtheft; Facebook: Love and Theft

Joel Crouse | Twitter & Instagram: @joelcrouse; Facebook: Joel Crouse

Stevie Monce | Twitter & Instagram: @steviemonce; Facebook: Stevie Monce

XO CHRISTY

CONCERT REVIEW: Chase Rice || Clare County Fair

August 3rd, 2015

Clare County Fair || Harrison, MI

Carter Winter: To say I was amazed by Carter Winter is an understatement. I was sold by the second song: his cover of Chris Janson’s Buy Me a Boat. He had some amazing covers including Thomas Rhett’s Make Me Wanna, along with Dierks Bentley’s Drunk on a Plane, Sam Hunt’s House Party and a solo acoustic performance of Leave the Night On. Make sure to check out his EP Some Kind of Fire, because mark my words, this guy is going places.

Chase Rice: Oh. My. Lanta. So I’ve heard from most of the TL gals say Chase is great live. Well let me tell ya, the hours of waiting in line and driving were worth it. We jammed with Chase from the front row, and I was missing about half of my voice post show. Everyone loves to talk about all of Chase’s ‘party music’ and don’t get me wrong, those jams were wonderful. (I mean, who doesn’t love a little U Turn?) However, he won me over with his slower songs. I have never seen such raw emotion on stage as when Chase sang Jack Daniele’s and Jesus. It was the highlight of the show for me, along with Look At My Truck and Carolina Can. You could tell Chase put his whole soul in it. Forever wishin’ I could relive this Monday! If you get a chance to catch CR live, do yourself a favor and take it.

 

Both these guys bring great tunes and a great show to the table, and I hope you get to see them  live real soon!

xox,

Jess

CMA Recap // 2015

CMA Fest

June 11-15th

Nashville, TN

Thursday:

So grateful that I was finally able to meet one of my biggest inspirations at the TK Pop Up Shop. BCole has the sweetest soul and I could not be happier to support the dream of her's that is Tribe Kelley. Also, so glad I finally met Hayley. But really, the entire FGL fam are the kindest peeps.

Friday:

In between Kels’ fan club party in the morning and Love & Theft’s Thefthead party in the afternoon, I hung out at the Bud Light Plaza Stage to catch sets from Kels, Love & Theft, and Brooke Eden.

Y’all know how I feel ‘bout my guys Stephen & Eric, so ya know that they straight killed it in front of the festival crowd. I loved seein’ so many people singing along to their tunes. And on that note, we have Kels. Over 4k people sang along to “Love Me Like You Mean It”. What is life? I’m so happy and so proud of this girl, there aren’t even words.

Now it was my first time seein’ Brooke perform but damn. That girl slayed. I was blown away by the energy that she gave, and just her raw talent in general. Quickly one of my fave female artists, and after meeting her..I’m obsessed. Sweet as apple pie, love her.

Saturday:

Sometimes ya wake up real early so you can be at Fan Fair before doors open in order to get the best spot for when ya friend plays (hours later)..well this was one of those times. Meanwhile, I was able to catch Russell Dickerson sing a few of his tunes. I’ve gotta say, I was well impressed. Soon enough it was time for Joel to play his three tunes and I couldn’t have been happier. Hands down he’s not only one of the best musicians but just one of the best people in general. He’s actually my favorite because he’s just the dopest, and so is Kyle! Kyle’s got some mad guitar skills, it’s just not natural.

After a pit stop at the BMLG Store to finally meet George & Cody from Waterloo Revival, I took to the streets of Nashville  to go catch some performances at the Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage. I finally was able to see Brett Young live and I’m so happy about it. Let me just say, this Cali boy sure does country music well. “Smoke Show” is a smokeshow of a song. Also at the Roadhouse Stage was Ryan Griffin aka one of the best artists. He also had some mad talented guy by the name of Josh Kerr with him. It made me thoroughly happy to watch both of these guys show their talent. Ryan is an incredibly talented songwriter and I could listen to the songs all day..which is probably why I ended up seein’ him twice in a row. After their set Josh mentioned that they had a 2 hour, full band show at the Omni. So of course, I headed over for some more good tunes. I lucked out because not only did I get to listen to Ryan & Josh even longer, but I was able to see Kels away from the craziness. We ended up fangirling together and havin’ a little life chat.

I ended the night by catching Ryan Lafferty’s set outside at the Hard Rock Cafe. In case you were wondering, I was the girl dancing around and singing along to every word while Ryan jammed to “Stalemate”. We got to hear a new one that he was testing out for the new record that he’s recording, and y’all should definitely tell him that ya want “Suspicious”. Trust me on this one.

Sunday:

Well, no better way to start the final day of CMA Fest than with my favorite duo. And that’s exactly what I did. First on the agenda was L&T at HGTV’s The Lodge. Obviously they made waking up early to wait two hours in the heat worth it.

Next up, Michael Ray. He took CMA Fest to a whole other level. It takes something special to capture the attention of the crowd in the way he did. But I’ve said it once and I’ll continue to say it, MR is insanely talented. I ran from catching up with him to Fan Fair so I could catch my little ray of sunshine, aka Miss Kalie Shorr, do her thing on stage with Song Suffragettes. She’s one of the most talented people I know and I’m blown away by her. Also, she’s one of my favorite human beings because she has one of the kindest hearts out of anyone I’ve ever known.

I closed out my CMA Fest experience by chillin’ at the BMI Tailgate Party and catching three mind blowing sets. The vibes bein’ put out were perfect to end the weekend with. The artists givin’ out these vibes? Sammy Arriaga, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Danielle Bradbery. Trust me when I say that if ya don’t already know their music, you need to get on that immediately. I have been obsessed with Mitchell ever since because the groove that the songs have is something that can’t help but make ya feel good. And his song, “I Love”, will hit you straight in the feels. I knew of Sammy, thanks to the L&T boys who are like fam to him, so I knew there was major talent there. But his song “Santana” had me dancing from the first few notes. If ya watched The Voice, you know Danielle is talented. Well she’s definitely grown into her craft since the show and her new music is gonna show that. She sang a song she’s been working on and I totally dig the style.

I’ve gotta say that CMA Fest were four of my favorite days. I was able to catch up with friends and watch them blow minds of thousands of people and I was able to see artists perform live that I otherwise probably wouldn’t. I could not be more grateful for all that I was able to experience this weekend. I’m grateful for country music and the people it’s brought into my life. Here’s to CMA Fest 2016…

XO Christy

[additional photos from my weekend…]

TL Squad •• Concert Wish List

We all have a list of artists we are dying to see perform. The TL babes always get asked the question,  "What current country tour are you hoping to catch soon…?" 

Well, here are your answers from the entire TL squad….

Christy •• My Concert Wish List:

When it comes to artists I haven’t seen live yet I can easily name who is first on the list: Sam Hunt. With the dope groove that his music has, he’s the one artist that I’ve been craving to see a live performance from.

But then there’s also the artists who I could never get enough of and therefore have to be included as well. Who are these artists you ask? Well I’ve said it time and time again but just in case you need a refresher…Joel, L&T, Kels, Brooke, Michael, and FB.

Megan •• My Concert Wish List:

Although I have seen these acts before, they were some of the first to hit my mind when asked who is on my country music wish list. I wish I could see these men at least once a year, every year, for the rest of my life.

Alan Jackson // 

This man and his timeless sound have had my heart since his album, Drive. When that album came out, I was in the 5^th grade and practically burned a hole through the thing.

Brooks & Dunn // 

Aside from the fact they were duo of the year for almost every year I’ve been alive, Brooks & Dunn songs will always bring my soul back to where it belongs.

Alan, Kix, and Ronnie produce a nostalgic feeling and seeing them live amplifies that sentiment. They take me back to my childhood like no other artists can —

They help me feel free.

Carly •• My Concert Wish List:

In Utah we don’t get much concerts, so here are a few of my wish list artists:

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE:

Duh, who doesn’t love a little FGL, joinin’ the tribe & bumpin’ the night with these two party animals? They’ve been to Utah before, and I’ve seen them 3 times, but last time they were here, was the DAY that “Dirt” was released. AKA, over a year ago!! I need some SunDaze, Smoke & Sippin’ on Fire in my life, ASAP! If you follow me on any social media, you’ll know these two men & their ladies are my mains!

BLACKJACK BILLY:

I saw these dudes in 2014 at Country Jam & have loved them ever since, sadly, I have never seen them since then either. Their vibe is so chill and I love their feel good attitude.

KELSEA BALLERINI:

Our favorite tomato here in the world of TL, whom I’ve never seen, yet LOVE, she’s a sweetheart and the real deal. Her music is so inspirational and it makes me have dance parties here & there ;)

SAM HUNT:

Two words: JULY 29. I will finally see the man behind the house party! I am so stoked beyond words. Sam has been on my radar for a minute now, and he just gets better and better ;)

Morgan •• My Concert Wish List:

My concert wish list is a mixture of acts I've already seen, combined with newbies I'm dying to rock out to in person.

Billy Currington:

If you asked me who I'm listening to the most these days: Billy Currington.

If you asked me who I think has the album of the summer: Billy Currington.

And If you asked me who I'm dying to see perform: BILLY CURRINGTON.

I mean let me be honest for a second, I would pay a ridiculous amount of money to see this guy rock out in Knoxville. I currently can't think of anything better than Jonesin' with BC.

Whiskey Myers:

This band has captured my heart. With their rock n' roll sound and deep southern roots, they reel me in within a matter of minutes. They are the type of guys that you listen to for hours without even noticing. 

 I've found myself deep in their albums for the last couple of months and I actually squealed when I found out they were going to be playing in my tiny hometown in August. 

TWO WORDS: 26 DAYS

(expect a full review of the show coming shortly after!)

Clay Walker:

My first concert.

My favorite concert.

The reason I love country music.

I've been DYING to see Mr. Walker again and it looks like I finally will in August. Clay is set to perform at Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.