The 2015 summer tour announcements continue to flood the airwaves with two more huge country music artists announcing that they will be making their way through the New York area. Luke Bryan announced his 2015 Kick Up The Dust tour, while Rascal Flatts announced their 2015 Riot tour. Both will make their way across the nation, stopping this summer at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with a good deal of country music to join their dedicated fans who reside north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Luke Bryan and Rascal Flatts To Headline at Darien Center
Luke Bryan held a press conference in conjunction with LiveNation Tours to announce his Kick Up The Dust Tour. Beginning in May, and taking the tour across the world, Luke will be joined on tour by Dustin Lynch and Randy Houser, as well as Florida Georgia Line at seven of the stadium shows. The reigning CMA Award Winner for Entertainer of The Year will make his way through New York where we look forward to seeing the country music tour perform at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
Luke Bryan 2015 Kick the Dust Up Tour Dates:
5/08 – Grand Forks, N.D.
5/09 – Sioux Falls, S.D.
5/14 – Boise, Idaho
5/15 – Spokane, Wash.
5/16 – Tacoma, Wash.
6/04 – Albuquerque, N.M.
6/06 – Denver, Colo. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
6/18 – Tulsa, Okla.
6/19 – Bonner Springs, Kan.
6/20 – St. Paul, Minn. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
6/25 – Virginia Beach, Va.
6/26 – Washington D.C.
6/27 – Washington D.C.
7/11 – Nashville, Tenn. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
7/16 – St. Louis, Mo.
7/17 – St. Louis, Mo.
7/18 – Cincinnati, Ohio (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
7/24 – Indianapolis, Ind.
7/25 – Indianapolis, Ind.
7/30 – Scranton, Pa.
8/26 -Salt Lake City, Utah
8/27 – Salt Lake City, Utah
8/29 – San Francisco, Calif. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line) 9/4 – Darien Center, N.Y.
9/5 – Cleveland, Ohio (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
9/12 – Philadelphia, Pa.
9/18 – Tampa, Fla.
9/19 – West Palm Beach, Fla.
9/20 – West Palm Beach, Fla.
9/24 – Charlotte, N.C.
9/25 – Raleigh, N.C.
9/26 – Raleigh, N.C.
10/15 – Sacramento, Calif.
10/16 – San Diego, Calif.
10/22 – San Antonio, Texas
10/23 – Dallas, Texas
10/30 – Detroit, Mich.
Tickets for the show, meet and greets, and other giveaways can be found at lukebryanlive.com where you can enter for your chance to win. Stay tuned for more information as we learn when and how tickets can be purchased for upcoming shows.
Also announcing their 2015 Riot tour was Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts, will be joined on tour this summer as they make their way across country by Scotty McCreery. Rascal Flatts have continued to collect admiring fans over the course of their successful reign as one of the most loved and decorated groups in Nashville, while Scotty continues to collect fans from the moment he stepped on the stage for American Idol, to his continued success in Nashville.
RIOT TOUR 2015 Cities:
Cozumel, MX*
Atlanta, GA*
Forest City, IA*
St. Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN
Hershey, PA
Virginia Beach, VA
Washington, DC
Hartford, CT
Columbus, OH*
Cadott, WI*
Dallas, TX
Pittsburgh, PA
Charlotte, NC
Raleigh, NC
Holmdel, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA
Detroit, MI*
Brownsville, OR*
Toronto, ON
Cleveland, OH Darien Center, NY
Jones Beach, NY
Cincinnati, OH
Chicago, IL
Albuquerque, NM
Phoenix, AZ
Irvine, CA
Mtn. View, CA
W. Palm Beach, FL
Tampa, FL
*Denotes Festival
Anxiously awaiting more information on this particular tour and how to purchase tickets, please keep an eye on Rascal Flatts Tour Page in the next few weeks for details.
As the announcements continue to pour in for our summer events, please stay tuned to NYS Music.com for all the up to date information on all your favorite venues.
When the announcement was made in August that the Dierks Bentley’sRiser Tour would make a stop in Utica at the Aud, it only took a matter of a few hours to sell out the arena, once again welcoming back music to the Aud. For the first time in years, music other than Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and Gary Glitter’s “Rock & Roll” anthem would play for the crowds. Utica, NY was ready to get the party started once again, and who better to kick it off than Dierks Bentley, country musics superstar.
The Utica Auditorium, designed and built by architect Gilbert Seltzer, and has been heralded as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2011. Recognizing its innovative cable suspended roof which allowed an unobstructed 360 degree view for all, this model became a cutting edge example for others as a design of excellence. After its construction in 1959, arenas such as Madison Square Garden quickly followed suit emulating its style and design.
During its hey day, the Auditorium hosted professional hockey (Utica Devils, AHL farm team for New Jersey Devils), national musicians such as Kenny Rogers, The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, Phish, Godsmack, Disturbed, and Avenged Sevenfold; and set the stage as the background in movies such as SlapShot, starring Paul Newman.
Over the years though, musical acts began to dwindle and they were replaced with more family friendly events such as the Shriners Circus, Harlem Globestrotters, Ice Shows, World Wrestling Federation shows, as well as local college and high school sports and graduation ceremonies. In 1993 the Utica Devils franchise sadly moved to the Albany area, and although they were replaced during the 1993-94 season with The Utica Bulldogs, the low attendance only allowed them the opportunity to stay for the year. For the next ten years, the Aud remained relatively quiet. Too quiet.
Utica Auditorium
In 2013, however the momentum picked back up when the AHL’s Vancouver Canucks were looking to relocate their farm team. Utica, NY was chosen as its new location. Hungry to welcome back a hockey team, the Mohawk Valley residents welcomed the Utica Comets with open arms and continue to keep the arena filled at each and every game during their last two seasons.
Dierks Bentley’s Riser Tour made its way to Utica, right before the holidays, and Dierks was joined on stage by Randy Houser and Eric Paslay to perform to the sold out standing room only crowd. Utica was ready to rise to the occasion and take it up a few notches to get the party started once again at the Aud.
As Eric Paslay took the stage, this crowd was ready to begin. I had the opportunity to talk with Eric earlier this year, and I can’t tell you how impressive this new artist is. His business sense, his songwriting skills, and his musicality is top-notch and promises a longevity in the country music field for years to come. He began to incite an already rowdy crowd as he played current hits and new music from his newly released album Eric Paslay. The crowd sang along to his recent hits “Friday Night” and “Song About A Girl”, but to me “She Don’t Love You” was the jewel in his setlist. I believe that this particular song, written by Eric and Jennifer Wayne, showcases his amazing talent in both songwriting and vocally. To me, it was one of the best songs of 2014, and Rolling Stone concurs as they named this song number 19 in their list of Top 25 Country songs of the year.
Next up was Randy Houser. This would be my third time covering Randy Houser and I can honestly say each time I see him, his show gets better. The first time I covered his show was at Taste of Country Music Festival this past June. He and keyboardist, John Henry Trinko, made their way through the mountains to play one of the best acoustic sets I’ve ever heard, while the rest of the crew sat by the broken down bus. His ability to overcome and give the fans an outstanding performance couldn’t possibly be topped, right? Wrong! Then came the Great NY State Fair in which together with Brad Paisley on the Country Nation World Tour, he continued to astonish me with a full band behind him knocking it once again out of the park. So could he get better again? That he did.
The one thing that continues to amaze me about Randy is his sheer talent. He’s most certainly loved by all his fans, both men and women, because he’s not pretentious. He epitomizes what a country superstar should be. He’s down to earth, he’s got a strong country voice, he writes music that touches the soul, he can strum a guitar like a pro, and he puts on a show like no other. As he played crowd favorites “Running Out of Moonlight,” “How Country Feels,” and “Goodnight Kiss” – it was his song “Like A Cowboy” that truly showcases his musical talents and persona. For those of you who haven’t seen the video (long version’s best), it’s as though you are living out the song through Randy’s depiction of a cowboy. The opening scene takes you back to the opening scene of Gunsmoke, could it possibly be the same set? Yep, Randy’s definitely the poster perfect example of what a cowboy is; rugged, handsome, and tough as nails. To me, this song (and video) was another best of 2014, and once again Rolling Stone concurred with me as they placed it at number 11. Great minds think alike here!
As if the night couldn’t get better, it most certainly did. Out came the country music superstar, Dierks Bentley. Dierks Bentley, is synonymous in Nashville as one of those one named legends. There are several of those, for example, Garth, Dolly, Hank, George, Willie, Loretta, etc. See? Dierks is simply a legend and doesn’t need a middle or last name because his fans, especially the ones in Utica, NY, knew that they were in the presence of greatness that evening. This would be the second show of the Riser Tour that I had the opportunity to cover and folks, this time he brought it and left it right there on stage. There is no way that performance could be topped. Most definitely NO WAY. This performer plays, sings, and entertains and loves every minute of it. His stage presence is contagious. I could literally see the audience reacting and coming unglued as he performed hit after hit. His ability to interact with the crowd is amazing. I truly believe if was safe enough to do it, he would bring the whole crowd on stage to dance along as he performed. He feeds off the audience and the audience feeds off of him. That my friends is the sign of a true performer that loves what he does.
Dierks Bentley – Riser Tour 2014
Like the prior acts of the evening, Dierks has the ability to reach his audiences because he’s “real”. He gives you a piece of him, his history, his passions, his life in each and every song he writes and performs. Although Rolling Stone listed him in their Top 25 artists for his song “Say You Do”, it’s “I Hold On” that truly gives you insight into Dierks and his passion of music. The beautiful thing about Dierks’ music, is that as serious as he can be with one song, he can be just as silly and outlandish in the next. A perfect example of this is “Drunk on A Plane”. “Drunk on A Plane” incited more attendees to dress up to participate in the show than The Rocky Horror Picture Show this past year.
Audience Participation – Photo Credit Unknown
Whether it’s “Drunk on A Plane,” “Every Mile’s A Memory,” “What Was I Thinkin” or “Settle For A Slow Down” this award-winning Grand Ole Opry Member is a superstar in our books, and was the perfect person to kick off shows once again at the Utica Aud.
Dierks Bentley – Riser Tour 2014
Before I close, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention as well the production crew and bands for each artists. These guys (and you all know who you are – too many names to mention here) work tirelessly behind the scenes, and behind the singers, to bring you performances of the highest caliber. Surrounding themselves with the best of the best in the business, Eric Pasley, Randy Houser, and Dierks Bentley rose to the occasion and brought the party to Utica, solidifying and making the Riser Tour a part of history here in Central New York.
One of the most anticipated country music shows of the year for Central New York is this week’s headliners Lee Brice and Chris Young, as they come to the Syracuse, OnCenter War Memorial. As Lee and Chris kick off their nationwide tour that will take them across America and the Pacific Ocean from Syracuse, NY to Hawaii, Kathy had a moment to speak with Lee about his musical career and future projects.
Lee Brice – Photo Credit Ryan Smith
Kathy Stockbridge: Lee, I want to thank you so much for agreeing to talk to today.
Lee Brice: Well hey there Kathy, how are you?
KS: Well I am doing great, thank you. Although New York has a reputation of being cold and frigid, we certainly are looking forward to giving you and Chris Young a warm Central NY welcome this week here in Syracuse when you arrive.
LB: I cannot wait to get there. This will be mine and Chris’ first show together of the year, so we’re excited too!
KS: Oh my, I think we are all over the moon with excitement to have both of you at the same time. This is awesome! Now you grew up in Sumter, SC, which is right down the street from my happy place, Charleston, SC. You have been singing and playing your whole life, talk to us a little about how the music bug bit you and the journey it’s taken you on.
LB: Well, it’s a thing that’s just been in me, the music, since I was a kid. I played to play, and sang to sing. It never left me. I went off to high school, and college, and worked some, but music just kept on calling to me. So I went off to Nashville. I felt that as long as I kept working hard at things, it kept working for me, and it’s been a beautiful ride.
KS: You have been tearing up the charts with hit after hit, but I don’t think people realize you’ve been in the business for a lot of years both performing and writing songs. You have penned some of the most famous songs around Nashville over the last few years. Talk to us a little bit about that songwriting process and how you came from writing songs, to performing, and the transition to where you are today.
LB: I was always writing the songs to sing them. When I came to Nashville, I had been writing since I was about 10, I had a little bit more success early on as a songwriter than as an artist… it worked well for me as I was able to take those songs on the road and play them. I think there’s nothing better than being a songwriter.
KS: And you have a knack for it. Your songs touch on subjects we can all relate to. Songs like “Drinking Class”, it just epitomizes us as hardworking, fun loving people, “I Don’t Dance”, and “I Drive My Truck”, these songs tell stories and touch on real life feelings. Now how do you decide to keep a song or give it away to someone else to sing? How does that work?
LB: It’s one of those things you can’t put a finger on. There have been a couple of songs I wanted to keep for myself that I ended up giving away and they worked out okay.
KS: I give you credit, I think I would be territorial and say, “No, that’s mine”. Must be hard to give them away. I also want to thank you and Sara both for sharing with us moments of your wedding…as a photographer I cannot tell you how much I loved the video on “I Don’t Dance”, I loved the vintage look. Share with us how you came about saying, I want to share that part of my life with my audience. A lot of artists are guarded, they don’t want to share such intimate details, and you and Sara opened your lives up and put it out there for the rest of the world to enjoy and relate to you folks. Talk to me about the video.
LB: Yes, Sara definitnely is very private so I was very happy when she was okay with the idea of us sharing some of the wedding footage. I knew I had written “I Don’t Dance” and I had this feeling that I wanted to have some wedding footage in it. I just thought, that it was just “us” (the concept) and I wanted to share her all over the world. So I brought in a guy to shoot footage on that old 8mm film. I wanted it to feel really really real, so I had plans for it back then. Then with Sara’s help, she helped decide what would and wouldn’t go in the video so that it was just right. She helped me so much on that video. Our next door neighbor was producer and we both got to go right into the studio with him as we were editing, so she got really deep into that one. So a lot of what you’re seeing, is Sara.
KS: I have to say, it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you both so much for sharing all that with us. I truly loved it. Now, I Don’t Dance is your third album, and you produced this album. Explain if you would to our readers, what it is mean to produce an album and how much does that play a part in the finished product you put out to your fans.
LB: Well producing an album is having a part in every single aspect of the album. From the music, and every single part of that music, to where it gets recorded, how it gets recorded, and the songs that go on it, the order they go on it…I mean there’s a lot that goes on besides just the music, and then on top of that the producer oversees exactly what the music needs to be. Me as an artist, I’m not really trying to be a producer, I just want to make my own music.
KS: Right, I understand.
LB: I want to do what my ears are hearing and kinda be true to me, but I have co-producers that I work with as well and they are really awesome. They help keep me on the path, and we work so well together, were just great friends so it works out really great.
KS: This winter tour that you and Chris as starting this week will take you across the nation, staring in frigid, Syracuse, NY and ending in balmy Hawaii. I know, someone has to do these tough jobs. We’re so excited to kick it off here for you this week. Tell us in addition to the tour what are some future projects we can share with our readers to watch out for?
LB: Well, I am producing a couple other folks that are right on the crest of some great things happening. Just some amazing artists; there’s American Young who is actually my co-producer Jon Stone’s band, and so I’m actually producing their record with them. That’s really exciting. I’m also working on some stuff with my brother, Lewis, and we’re in the studio working on some things that are almost finished. I’m also working with a band called Sister C, three sisters who are amazing. So, check them out, American Young, Lewis Brice, and Sister C.
KS: I definitely will. Thank you again Lee for taking the time to speak to our readers. We are really looking forward to this week with you coming to Syracuse, and wish you all the best as you tour across America. Thank you so much.
LB: Thank you so much, you were so wonderful.
As I ended the interview with Lee, I stopped to reflect on what a down to earth decent guy he was, and how easy he made the interview. Someone great once said that all an interview is, is a conversation between two folks. Sometimes those conversations are just enjoyable and that’s the category this one fell into. As someone who loves what he does this much, Lee will most definitely bring it to the stage and leave it behind for those he entertains. This is one show I am eagerly anticipating.
Hope to see you all at The Oncenter War Memorial, this Thursday, at 7:30 pm for Lee Brice, Chris Young, and the Brothers Osborne in one of Central NY’s country highlights this year. Tickets can be purchased online at for $41.50, $37 and $31.50 (additional fees may apply); they will be available in person at the Solvay Bank Box Office at The Oncenter (760 S. State Street), charge by phone (315.435.2121) or online via Ticketmaster.com.
MVCC together with Big Frog 104 has announced that multiple Grammy and CMA award-winning country music star, Kacey Musgraves, will headline MVCC’s Cultural Series 2015, Sunday, March 29, at 7 p.m. in the Robert R. Jorgensen Athletic and Event Center on MVCC’s Utica Campus. Special Guests John and Jacob, currently touring with Kacey, will open the evening’s festivities to what is anticipated to be one of the biggest spring shows yet.
Taking Nashville by storm, Kacey Musgraves has accumulated quite an array of awards, worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, and has penned numerous award-winning songs, including this year’s 2014 CMA Song of the Year “Follow Your Arrow”.
Standing room only tickets cost $35 for general admission and $25 for MVCC employees. A limited supply of free tickets is available for MVCC students with valid ID. Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 2, at 12:01 a.m. through the MVCC Box Office at www.mvcc.edu/tickets or in person at the Utica Box Office – IT 106 (located next to Schafer Theater) in the Information Technology Building of the Utica Campus, Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tickets will also be made available on the Rome Campus (Student Services Office) in the Plumley Complex, Monday – Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Don’t hesitate to get yours immediately as this show is anticipated to sell out quickly.

As the holiday season and 2014 wrap up, we all become reflective of the experiences we did or did not have throughout the year. Did we fulfill any or all of our resolutions we swore we would do this year? Did we take the time to stop and smell the roses in our hectic fast paced lives? Personally I always feel like I’m going at warped speed spinning my wheels trying to accomplish daily tasks, let alone that long list of resolutions I swore I would get to this year. As December engulfs us, that warped speed becomes even faster, and before you know it, the year is over and we are left thinking…where did the time go? Like most individuals, we all have great intentions to do that one thing or that one project on our “To Do” list for ourselves. For some reason it never is accomplished as we are so busy doing for everyone else. After all, when prioritizing things in life, we often forget to prioritize ourselves. I’m sure this applies to all individuals, even musicians. For today’s musicians, you see them touring the majority of the year, making it difficult to fit in a personal life with family and friends, let alone getting to the studio to record new music or that project they’ve been wanting to work on. Such is Trace Adkins.
Trace Adkins “The Kings Gift” Turning Stone
This was the case for Trace Adkins. For years he had wanted to record a Christmas album, but for him it couldn’t just be any album. He had a vision for what he wanted to share with his fans. Last year, his long awaited project, The King’s Gift, was released and Trace began to tour to share his vision of what Christmas is all about. I had the opportunity to see his show last year, and when I heard he was returning to the Central NY area again I couldn’t wait to return to see it once again.
Trace Adkins – The Kings Gift Turning Stone
Trace’s show is unique and a personal insight in Trace’s love of this holiday. His stage is set to make you feel like you were in his living room sharing the holiday with him.
Trace Adkins “The Kings Gift” Turning Stone
He surrounds himself with some of the finest musicians and professionals in their field, giving you a top class production. You have Michael Stribling on Uilleann Pipes, Steve Mackey the Bassist, Emily Kohavi on Violin, Mark Gillespie who is a multi instrumentalist, Brian Wooten veteran guitar extraordinare who has played guitar with Trace for years, Megan Mullins on violin, Jon Coleman who is musical director, Erin Slaver on vocals, Johnny Richardson on drums/percussion, Emily Nelson the cellist, Michael Spriggs who is legendary in the business, has been inducted in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, and is a premier guitarist as well as the Celtic specialist on tour (he co-produced The Kings Gift and played all the guitar on the album), and the legendary Alyth McCormack vocalist and veteran of the grammy winning band The Chieftains. Together, this amazing production delivers a spectacular family show that kicked off my holiday in style.
Trace Adkins – “The Kings Gift” Turning Stone
As Trace begins the show, he comes through the door as though he’s returning home for the holidays. As he enters, he immediately greets the audience as though they were old friends waiting for his return.
Trace Adkins – “The Kings Gift” Turning Stone – Guess Which Is His Favorite
Throughout the evening, in a setting that is equipped with a decorated tree, stockings on the mantle of the fireplace, gifts to give, and the comfiest looking chair I ever did see, he shares how the project came to be, what the songs mean to him, how the songs were created and passed down through time, and then he shares his rendition of the music. For some time now, I’ve been sitting here trying to think up a cute analogy of his deliverance, a description of sorts of how I was impressed on his musical abilities, but heck folks, all I keep thinking is how darn sexy that deep voice of his was. That voice of his is just so strong and powerful that all the women in the audience melt, myself included. But yet, he’s still a man’s man, and those men in attendance loved him just as much. Like so many greats before him, his renditions make a lasting impression on you as he signs favorites such as “O Come Emmanuel”, “The Little Drummer Boy”, or the most beautiful versions of “I Saw Three Ships” and “Tannenbaum” I have ever heard. He jokes that in one hundred years his song “Badonkadonk” will not be remembered. Perhaps not. I do know though, that his recording of The King’s Gift, will be remembered and played as a family favorite each holiday when the cd’s come out during the holiday season.
Trace Adkins – “The Kings Gift” Turning Stone
Trace not only gave a stellar performance of The Kings Gift, Trace also gave gifts of his own. At each show throughout the Christmas tour, he donated the tree used each night up on stage during the performance, to a local charity. At the show in Verona, NY, he donated the spectacular tree to the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program at Fort Drum, NY. The BOSS program focuses on those men and women stationed throughout the world, fostering a feeling of, and becoming a part of, their communities through organized activities. Especially during the holidays, it is so important to have that sense of community as these men and women are so far from their homes and families. For other lucky audience members that won the lottery drawing, they received autographed posters and a grand prize of a signed guitar by Trace.[FinalTilesGallery id=’60’]
I had the opportunity last year to meet the tall dark and handsome country superstar as he met with a group of fans during a question and answer session before the show. What I took away from the experience is what a down to earth person he was, how grateful he is to those fans that love him, and most importantly how much he loves sharing his talent with those that will listen. Trace Adkins’ TheKing’s Gift is definitely a show to see should it come to a town by you next year. Put that down as a resolution you must keep for yourself. You won’t be sorry.
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