As the Crushin’ It Tour rolled through Central NY, Brad Paisley together with Eric Paslay and Cam certainly did ‘crush it’. This mutitalented country music superstar redefines the persona of a country music star. Yes, he wears a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a plaid ensemble, but with his quick wit, stage presence, and musical talent he wins over the most skeptical rock fan to this new age genre of country.
His show at the Oncenter was a perfect example of this. As a music journalist/photographer, I often find myself visiting with security guards at these events who perhaps may not know the artists they are “securing”. After a few moments conversing about who will be performing, I happily informed them that they were in for treat as these three artists would take the stage and absolutely win them over, while also pointing out the need to pay attention to Paisley’s guitar playing and less to their preconceived notion of what country music is or sounds like.
First up was Cam. This beautiful young lady, with a sunny disposition and attire to match, has exploded onto the country music charts with her song “Burning House.” Up for several Grammy and ACM awards this year, this young artist, who writes from the heart and performs the same, is bound to be walking away with several armfuls in 2016 and rightly so. This song, written about a past relationship, comes from the heart, speaks to fans, and what really stands out is it’s unique folky sound which is refreshing and retro. She was a joy to see perform, and will be headlining a tour one day soon.
Next up was Eric Paslay, a great interview and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. His down to earth personality, together with honest lyrics, and playful stage persona has earned him scores of fans along the way, including moi. Referred to by Brad as his ‘red headed step brother’, Eric’s musical talent extends far beyond the stage as his knowledge of the music business includes behind the scenes talents of producing and writing as well. A graduate of MTSU (go Middle Tennesee State Univerity Blue Raiders) with a degree in Music Business, this young man is a force to be reckoned with and is making a name in and around Nashville. In fact, this young newcomer has been nominated this year for a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance along with Charles Kelley and Dierks Bentley. Songs written by Paslay have hit number one for several artists and his song “She Don’t Love You” was one of the best songs in 2015. As he played hit after hit, it was his final song, a new one, “High Class” that grabbed attention as the band donned Ray Bans to rock out.
As Paisley took the stage, the energy surrounding his show explodes visually and audibly. He is a presence, an undoubted superstar and puts on one of the best visual shows I’ve seen recently. The kaleidoscope of colors, animation (some penned by the man himself), music videos, and cameos engage the audience from the start. Paisley plays for the crowd too. He enjoys moving around; he’s not a sedentary musician. He plays front and center, out on the catwalk, in the back of the auditorium on another stage, and throughout the crowd as he meanders around giving out high fives. Paisley makes sure no matter which seat you purchased, you had a great opportunity to see him up close and personal and not just on a video screen.
As Brad played hit after hit, several moments stand out throughout evening worth mentioning. First, “Country Nation.” The video featuring college football mascots, released in 2015, unfortunately omitted our beloved Otto. As the song began and the video began playing, the omission was corrected as the new video that graced the jumbotron featured not only the one and only Otto, but also panoramic views of the Syracuse University campus, the Oncenter War Memorial, and the SU basketball team taking it to the hoop. The crowd exploded in joy and cheers every time they graced the screen. Always curious how they chose the original mascots for that original video, I learned the video made last year featured the cities in which he visited during that tour, while the new one features this years mascots from cities he is currently touring. Okay Paisley, you’re forgiven, you absolutely have redeemed yourself.
The onstage bar was a sight for envious eyes. From the moment I spied that lovely set, I wanted an invite. How fun is that to join the show onstage while being served by the Brad Paisley Mascot? Whether is was lucky fans invited up, or tour partners, the fun times had at the bar were a highlight for all.
One of Paisley’s best loved songs is “Whiskey Lullaby” where he is joined in the original duet by the lovely and amazingly talented Alison Krauss. Never part of his sets at the past shows I’ve attended, on this tour, he is joined by Cam on stage for this song, and they completely blew my mind as she nailed it. This beautiful rendition was one of a highlights to the evening. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his ability to skype in Carrie Underwood to join us all chatting and singing along. We all knew this was pre-recorded but it still was way cool and needs a shoutout.
I’ve never met Brad personally, but I am a pretty good judge of character and I’ve formed this opinion of him: I think he’s an all around “good guy” who loves his family, wife, fans, and what he does for a living. Each time I hear “She’s Everything” or “Perfect Storm” I know he wrote those about his wife. His sense of humor is also one of his admirable qualities. He has no problem busting chops on a co-star, calling Carrie Underwood “too stuck up to come to the show” or his agent for booking him in New York in the dead of winter.
His sincerity is genuine too. As he speaks with the audience he asks, “How you doin’ tonight?”, explaining, “That wasn’t one of those gratuitous artist things, where I go, ‘How you doin’?’ Seriously, how you doin’? How’s it goin’ at your job? How’s it goin’ at school? “I really want to know”. His graciousness is another quality that speaks volumes. He took every opporutnity to thank us for buying tickets and coming to see him. This fan oriented artist collected kudos as he gave away a signed guitar to a little girl in one of the front rows and his hat at the end of the evening to cute little adoring fan who caught his eye. He does this every show. He adores his fans, and they certainly adore him, rightly so.
This artist is much more than a country singer singing about beer, back roads, and ticks (okay he does sing about ticks, just another example of his sense of humor.). But in all seriousness, this guy can play a guitar. His ability to play is what constantly wins over those unsure of country music after seeing him. As one of my colleagues wrote, “he sticks out like a sore thumb” in country music. Perhaps it’s the fact he can play the guitar like a rock star. With his musical ability, he never needs to sing about beer, even as he played the guitar with a beer bottle. Come on? Who needs to sing about beer when he can use it as a musical tool.
As the evening came to an end, I approached the security team to find out their final take away. I believe they had been converted. They were surprised and pleased with the evening’s performances. Proof once again that good music, is just that, good music no matter what genre.
Set List: Eric Paslay – Song About A Girl, Like A Song, Never Really Wanted, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, She Don’t Love You, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, High Class, Less Than Whole, Keep On Fallin’, Friday Night.
Set List: Brad Paisley – River Bank, Water, Moonshine in the Trunk, Celebrity (joined by Eric Paslay), Country Nation, This is Country Music, I’m Stilla Guy, She’s Everything, Ticks, American Saturday Night, Wiskey Lullaby (joined by Cam), Beat This Summer, Perfect Storm, Old Alabama, Waitin’ on A Woman, You Remind Me, Southern Comfort Zone, I’m Gonna Miss Her, Crushin’ It, Mud on the Tires, Encore: Online, Then, Alcohol
So when I found out earlier this week that it would be acoustic Candlebox, I gave pause because I was expecting the full band instead of something stripped down. Expectations were set on electric but acoustic performances of songs you’ve listened to for more than 20 years was a change I could get behind. Within moments of Kevin Martin discussing the story and the conditions behind writing “Sweet Summertime,” I became intently focused, more so than I would have been hearing the usual renditions from the Candlebox lexicon, without a little something extra on the side. Over the next two hours, Martin and Brian Quinn played a dozen Candlebox songs and gave insight into how these compositions were created amid turbulent paths taken by the band and behind the scenes.
It only took two songs to get to the dark side of Candlebox, and just like that, I was 17 again. “Drowned” was introduced as the result of Maverick Records, who launched Candlebox’s first album to national acclaim, faced pressure from in an effort to produce Lucy, the follow up their 1993 self-titled debut. “Cover Me,” has a religious focus, as Martin doubted that one lone god was the right one among the many gods throughout history.
Throughout the night, it was uncanny how the tone of Martin’s voice hasn’t changed a bit in 25 years; emotion packed lyrics poured out over intense guitar work from Quinn. Songs of longing, such as “Miss You,” was dedicated to his father, a WWII veteran, and “Love Come Back to Me” were stellar.
He did decline a request to play “Breakaway,” regarding the suggestion with “Memories of the process are very painful and the process of recording Happy Pills was so raw,” that to revisit the lyrics in this point and time wouldn’t have the same power and meaning behind them. “Far Behind,” written in tribute to Andy Wood from Mother Love Bone, whom they first knew in the Seattle scene in 1991, was given a new frame from which to hear the song.
After, Brian broke into “The Weight” to the surprise of the audience who sang along while a song off the forthcoming album, “Alive at Last,” closed the show. Without a doubt, acoustic Candlebox exceeded expectations and makes seeing the full live band a must with new light shed on songs that have aged well.
Frank Palangi, a Queensbury native, opened the show with a 30 minute set of gritty acoustic guitar work and flexible vocals that captured the attention of the crowd. Palangi channeled Faith no More, Alice in Chains, Lifehouse and other late 90s rockers through a series of originals that must translate well in a live, plugged-in setting. For a local musician opening for Candlebox at The Egg, the thrill was visible in his smile and on stage presence.
Although most of the crowd were there for Greensky Bluegrass, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades were welcomed with a positive turnout early on. The five-piece acoustic outfit ran through their unique blend of bluegrass and country that brought bands like Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show to mind. One thing that sets this group aside from anyone else is their utilization of the harmonica and accordion in their arrangements. The fiddle blends well with the handheld instrument to deliver a strong high-end sound. Personal highlights came with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Time,” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” where they successfully turned two classics into their own sound.
Kalamazoo’s Greensky Bluegrass took to the stage for two sets of well thought out and executed mayhem, running through early staples, showing off new work, and paying homage to their inspiration by taking on songs like Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” Bruce Hornsby’s “King Of The Hill,” and the Allman Brothers’ “One Way Out.” Known for their playful covers and heartfelt originals, this band can go from dead serious to bouncing off the walls in a matter of one jam in between two songs.
