EAR CANDY: Acoustic || Live

They all do it: legends, veterans, & newbies. 

Shania. (The QUEEN of country.) 

George Strait. (The KING.)

ALABAMA.

FGL. 

Sam Hunt

Billy Currington

Justin Moore

Eric Church

Dan + Shay

Frankie Ballard

Jana Kramer

RAW. RUGGED. REAL.

Stripped down and better than ever. 

Check out a collection of all of our favorite acoustic country jams from some of country music's finest.

And while we are on the topic of "strippin' it down"…
Check out Dylan Scott's stripped down version of My Girl

Here's the 2nd song from STRIPPED..."My Girl". What do you think? Share if you like!
Posted by Dylan Scott on Thursday, July 30, 2015

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. 

CONCERT REVIEW: Wheels Up Tour // Clarkston, MI 6.19.2015

June 19th, 2015

DTE Energy Theater || Clarkston, MI

Sam Hunt, Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum

Sam Hunt: This guy knows how to throw a party. He had so much energy. He opened with Raised on It and moved on with a set including X2C, Break Up in a Small Town, Single for the Summer and of course Leave the Night On. However, one of the most interesting parts of his set was when he decided to walk about 28 rows out into the crowd, with minimum to no security with him. As you can imagine everyone swarmed over there. He sang House Party from the crowd and made his way back to the stage. Sam is a great entertainer and brings so much energy to the stage!

Hunter Hayes: We should start out by saying Hunter Hayes is one of my favorite artists, and I’ve seen him quite a few times. He never fails to put on a show. He sang some stuff off of the Storyline album along with his first release and his new single “21”. You may or may not no Hunter dropped a new song to Spotify titled “Where It All Begins”. This new jam is probably in my top three favorite Hayes tunes ever, so when he played it I was so excited. I hadn’t taken my eyes of HH the whole song, then I was wondering why everyone started screaming. Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum came out and sang the song with Hayes, leaving the whole audience in shock and major applause. Hearing this tune live was the highlight of the set for me! And did I mention the boy can play some serious guitar?

Lady Antebellum: I seen Lady Antebellum back in 2012 on there Own the Night tour, and they were great. But to be honest, I bought my ticket because of there opening acts, and they were just icing on the cake. However, I was so impressed. I thought they were great in 2012, but they blew me away last night. There were some major highlights for me. First of all, the beautiful Hillary Scott took the lead for a minute to sing Downtown. Well next thing you know Lady Antebellum is covering Shania Twain (a.k.a. my childhood) Any Man of Mine. Next, Hayes came back to play guitar on Compass and he and Charles were center stage doing a Compass/Wanted mashup. Lastly, Sam and Hunter returned to the stage with Lady A for a cover of Aerosmith’s Walk this Way. I think at that point everyone in the whole place was on there feet! It was phenomenal! Lady A closed the show with an encore of Need You Now and Own the Nigh.

If this party is coming to a city near you, you won’t want to miss it. This lineup will have you singing and dancing all night!

xox

Jessica

CONCERT REVIEW: WMZQ Fest: Lady A, Hunter Hayes, Sam Hunt

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