5. Maren Morris, Bank of NH Pavilion, July 3, 2016.
Maren Morris had arguably my favorite album of 2016 and hearing Hero live certainly didn't disappoint. I missed her opening at Red Rocks (Church may have been a little late to his meet and greet) but loved seeing her open for Keith at the Bank of NH Pavilion.
Maren's vocals are phenomenal and she has such a fun stage presence. If you want to check out a few extra tracks off Hero that you may not have heard yet, I recommend "I Could Use A Love Song" and "How It's Done". If you're making a trip to Target, the hard copy of the CD is worth your while for "Space" alone. Estatic to finally see a full set (at the Paradise Rock Club none the less) when the Hero tour comes to Boston on Friday, February 3rd. http://marenmorris.com/tour/
4. Charles Kelley, House of Blues Boston, April 11, 2016
I have always enjoyed Lady Antebellum but never had them on my "Must See" list. Initially drawn in by the GRAMMY nominated single, "The Driver" with Eric Paslay and Dierks Bentley. I quickly grew to love the entire album.
Kelley was joined by his very talented brother Josh and his show featured some of his Lady Antebellum classics, most of The Driver, and also some of his Lady Antebellum classics. Kelley isn't currently touring, but Lady Antebellum has started releasing dates for Summer 2017. http://ladyantebellum.com/events
3. Kip Moore, The Tsongas Arena Lowell, October 21, 2016
Kip Moore is one of the most energetic performers in music today. For the "Me and My Kind" Tour, Moore, supported by Jon Pardi, had the Tsongas Arena rocking. For me, the highlight, other than Moore's signature raspy voice, was hearing so many tracks off my favorite EP, "Underground" live. Moore's energy is contagious, even on a snowy New England Thursday night. You can check out additional dates of the tour here: https://www.kipmoore.net/tour
2. The Brothers Osborne, The Bull Moose Music Shop, HOB Boston, The Blue Ocean Music Hall, and Topsfield Fair. January 14, April 29, and October 7, 2016.
I can tell you the exact moment I heard The Brothers Osborne for the first time. Sitting at Newfound Lake during the summer of 2015, my cousins played me two songs he thought I'd like. The first was "Nowhere Fast" by Old Dominion. And the second, "Stay A Little Longer" by The Brothers Osborne. I was instantly hooked to both. We spent the rest of the weekend listening to the EP and falling in love with "Arms of Fire and "Love the Lonely Out of You". I also quickly had instant regret realized when I heard "Rum" that I had missed 95% of their set opening earlier in the year at House of Blues Boston (which is why you should always go in for the opening act). I've easily listened to "Stay A Little Longer" a thousand times and it's the focal point of every dance party in my living room after too many. One of my favorite days of 2016 was January 14, 2016. I left my day job for a very important "appointment" to get to the Country 102.5 album release party at Bull Moose in Salem, NH. It was amazing to get to say hello to John and TJ and hear some of the releases of Pawn Shop acoustic and ask questions.
From there, I returned to my day job to finish out the day before going home to head into Boston for that night's show at House of Blues. Any day you get to hear a John Osborne guitar solo is a good day, which made January 14th a great day. TJ's smooth baritone is my favorite and the chemistry and harmony between the two is perfection. The Brothers returned to Massachusetts to play for a packed house at the Blue Ocean Music Hall on April 29th.
The highlight of that night for me was hearing the incredible response to one of my favorites, "21 Summer". They played the arena at the Topsfield Fair three weeks before their CMA Duo of the Year win. I have a sad feeling it will be a bit before I see them at a venue that small again. While I'm sure we got a good taste of the Dirt Rich Tour at the fair, I was still hoping they'd come back around with the super talented (and John's wife) Lucie Silvas. You can catch John and TJ on the road with their Dirt Rich Tour now. http://dirtrichtour.brothersosborne.com/
1. Eric Church, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, August 7, 2016
As a Boston-based country blog I feel terrible that my number one show of 2016 is 1,982 miles away from home. That being said, it would be a lie to say that my favorite show was anything other than Eric Church at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Red Rocks has been on my bucket list for a very long time and seeing it in person did not disappoint. Experiencing the views (and altitude) was a one of a kind experience. And seeing Eric Church there was truly a dream come true. Church had two stellar opening acts, Maren Morris night one and Cam night two. He was also joined by long time tour companion Joanna Cotten for duets liked "Mixed Drinks About Feelings".
The concert featured many songs being played live for the first time, including the name of Church's upcoming worldwide tour, Holdin' My Own Tour. I almost fell off my chair when he covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". It's hard to describe the atmosphere at the show but there was just a true sense of happiness from the crowd. We knew how lucky we were to be there. From the first note you could sense how special the night was to Church.
Church has many family and friends in attendance sitting behind him at the show including his children (and Peyton Manning). From the moment Church announced his surprise album, Mr. Misunderstood during the CMA Awards, the album has held a steady place in my heart. Each song is so different yet they are woven together to paint a vivid portrait. Church has long been my favorite but The Outsiders didn't do it for me the way that his previous albums had. Mr. Misunderstood did. Church's tour will arrive at the TD Garden on Saturday, January 28th. For tickets to that show or any of the other stops, visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/Eric-Church-tickets/artist/1020885
Honorable Mentions - Old Dominion at Mohegan Sun, Keith Urban at Bank of America Pavilion, Sam Hunt at the Ottawa Blues Festival, Kelsea Ballerini at the House of Blues Boston, Dierks Bentley at Bank of America Pavilion, Cam at Mohegan Sun, Chase Rice at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom.
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