Concert Reviews Archives

Highway Finds Tour Hits NYC’s Gramercy Theatre

October 23, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Part of Sirius XM The Highway’s charm is their ability to seek out and spin tracks from brand new country artists. Their feature, Highway Finds, takes on a new life during the tour they have dedicated to these rising stars. Featuring three new artists to hit the scene, The tour lineup includes Adam Doleac, Ashley McBryde, and High Valley. Each of the acts made their way to the big apple to play New York City’s Gramercy Theatre.

Straight from our Pop-Up at Refinery Rooftop, Adam Doleac was first to take the stage Saturday night. Opening his set with “Some Girls”, which Doleac says “I tell everyone this is my mating call to the world, where is my future wife at?…I’ve gotta find her at some point.” He filled his opening set with songs off his latest self-titled EP including “Bigger Than Us” and “Refill”.

His voice is gritty, yet smooth and the Mississippi native injects a bluesy vibe into his country twang. He sang a cover of “Let Her Cry”, Doleac credits Darius Rucker as an influence in his career and was thrilled to sing a song that the country artist just released that he wrote. ” I grew up singing this guy’s songs and now he’s singing one of mine,” he says before singing “Don’t” which can be found on Rucker’s latest album When Was the Last Time. Currently sitting in the #3 spot on the Highway’s Top 30 Countdown, Doleac’s debut single, “Whiskey’s Fine” had the entire crowd singing along.

Next up to take the stage was Ashley McBryde, who is one of our 5 Rising Country Stars You Should Be Listening To. Three of her singles have made their way to Sirius XM The Highway including “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” and ” Tired of Being Happy”. McBryde’s powerful voice, commanding stage presence, and overall badass attitude captivated the crowd. “I was four or five years old when I told my parents this is what I wanted to do for a living, so now we are doing it and I am in New York City for the first time.”

The crowd joined McBryde for her single “Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”, her performance honest and raw, proves she is definitely a rising star in this industry. She closed her set with a cover of The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight” stating, we only do covers if it means something to us and this cover, it matters to us.”

Headlining the second Highway Finds Tour is brothers from Alberta, Canada, High Valley. Brad and Curtis took the stage singing the title track to their latest album “Dear Life”. “This is obviously our first time playing in New York City and I don’t know how often y’all see banjos but we’re about to break one out right now.” they laughed. Their high energy set was filled with songs from the album as well as covers including John Michael Montgomery’s “Be My Baby Tonight” to which they organized a full-on dance contest between members in the crowd. “Let’s crank it up to 11, who’s ready to party tonight? they asked the loyal crowd.

A highlight of the night is when the duo slowed things down to thank their father for believing in them and for helping them get to where they are right now. Singing “The Only Way He Knew How” from their 2010 debut album, the crowd hushed to listen to the incredible lyrics. Closing out the night with a giant sing-a-long the duo performed their latest single “She’s With Me” from the middle of the crowd only and then took the stage to perform the upbeat “Make You Mine”.

Check out our Instagram for more photos and videos of the great night of country music in New York City.

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Lee Brice and Morgan Evans Pack Out PlayStation Theater

October 20, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

With the lights of Times Square shimmering down the street, PlayStation Theater is a great venue for New York country music fans to catch their favorite artists. Last night was no exception, rising star Morgan Evans took the stage to warm up the crowd before headliner, Lee Brice.

Evans tells the story in his live set of how he decided to skip finding an American band to back him, but instead to record all of the music solo on stage with the use of a peddle loop. He played covers of Ed Sheeran and his main influence growing up, Keith Urban as well as new songs including “Life Changes” and “Day Drunk”. “I do love New York,” he says adoringly, “I always feel like I’m in a movie when I’m here.” His first single released in the states, “Kiss Somebody”, has not hit radio airwaves yet, but you could have fooled the crowd, they knew every word to the uptempo love song. New York City fans may have had the opportunity of seeing Evans earlier this summer when he played the Grand Ole Opry’s Circle in the City in Bryant Park.

Right at 9:15 on the dot, Lee Brice took the stage and filled his set with plenty of his incredible hits throughout the years as well as new songs off his forthcoming self-titled album due out November 3rd. A true performer, Brice packed the 90-minute set, alternating between new and old and uptempo hits and ballads. His passion for his music is evident during his live set, always interacting with his loyal fans who sang along the entire night. Concert-goers heard “That Don’t Sound Like You”, “Hard to Love” and his first number one single “Woman Like You” as well as his latest single “Boy”.

“We feel and we are so blessed to be here again, and even more blessed that you guys are here because you make all of our dreams come true,” Brice says mid-concert. “I can’t stress that enough.”

A highlight of the night was Brice’s obvious adoration for our police men and women, our firefighters and our military. He thanked them for their service before singing his touching hit “I Drive Your Truck”. The stage went dark as the twinkle lights of cell phones popped up for the duration of the song.

Brice closed his set with more smash hits including “Parking Lot Party” and the song he wrote for his wife “I Don’t Dance” as well as a cover of Lynrd Skynrd’s “Simple Man”. Before leaving the stage, he autographed and handed off his guitar to a deserving fan who held the American Flag high the entire night, Brice proves there is a reason he can come back to New York City time and time again. His fans love him and his music and look forward to many more shows from the megastar. Pre-order his self-titled album on iTunes.

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Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!
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Devin Dawson Grooves at Rockwood Music Hall

October 19, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Rising country singer-songwriter, Devin Dawson, packed out Rockwood Music Hall last night for a showcase of songs off his forthcoming album, Dark Horse, available early 2018. The intimate setting was the perfect place to hear new music from the crooner, whose style is like no one else in the business right now. Dressed in his signature black, Dawson took the stage after a heartfelt introduction from Warner Music Nashville CEO and President, John Esposito.

Throughout Dawson’s first full band show in NYC, the crowd heard his current single “All On Me”, his latest release, “Dark Horse” along with a few songs that will be available on the new record. Dawson finds a unique way of emoting his lyrics, the passion for the groove flows out of him as his entire body moves to the music.

Dawson is a combination of everything you love about John Mayer with a twist of Johnny Cash and a flair for honesty in his songwriting. Pre-order his debut album on iTunes.

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!
+ Shop the Store for your favorite Country Swag & Tag us to be featured. #nycountryswag

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NYCountry Swag’s Country Night on the Water Ft. The Swon Brothers with Caroline Glaser

September 26, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Friday, September 15th, at Rockaway Beach’s Bungalow Bar and Restaurant was the perfect setting for a great night of warm weather on the deck, cold drinks and great country music. Brothers Colton and Zach, of The Swon Brothers were the headlining act, bringing along Colton’s fiance’ and fellow The Voice alum, Caroline Glaser as their opener.

Concert goers gathered early at the bar to grab their drinks and play some corn hole with the NASH FM 94.7 street team. As the sun set over the water, NASH FM host and personality, Kelly Ford, stepped on stage to bring a little bit of Nashville to New York City by teaching the crowd the “holler and swaller” technique of taking a shot. She then introduced Caroline Glaser to the stage.

With an angelic voice, Glaser sang songs off her 2016 self-titled album including, “Dreams”, “I Hate That Part” and “Your Love”. Showing off her hauntingly beautiful vocals as well as her guitar skills, she also sang a cover of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” which caused a venue-wide singalong.

By 10 pm the deck was packed with fans rockin’ their favorite New York Country Swag gear, and The Swon Brothers took the stage for their 60-minute set. The duo sang songs from their debut self-titled album including “95” and their first radio single “Later On” as well as songs off their most recent EP Pretty Cool Scars. The set featured incredible harmonies from the brothers as well as great interaction with the crowd. They sang their chart-climbing latest single “Don’t Call Me” and “Dwight Trashed” which is quickly becoming a fan favorite drinking song, off their latest project. They finished their set with a fantastic rendition of The Eagles’ classic, “Take It Easy” and even stayed after to meet some very lucky fans.

Click below for more pictures from our great Country Night on the Water and for more information about The Swon Brothers check out their website.

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!
+ Shop the Store for your favorite Country Swag & Tag us to be featured. #nycountryswag

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Sam Hunt, Maren Morris & Chris Janson Sell Out Madison Square Garden

September 18, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

One album, four years after his debut EP, only six songs sent to radio, Sam Hunt has reached extraordinary heights in a very small amount of time. Thursday night was no different for the genre-bending superstar, completely selling out Madison Square Garden. As the “15 in a 30” Tour made its NYC stop, Hunt’s tour mates Ryan Follese, Chris Janson and Maren Morris took part in the epic evening, warming up the crowd.

As fans were packing into The Garden, Ryan Follese took the stage to play a few songs including his latest single, “Put a Label On It”. “I know every artist probably says this but this is totally a bucket list item, playing this stage tonight,” he told the crowd. The former frontman of the pop-punk band, Hot Chelle Rae, has recently released a few singles to country radio all on his own. Mashing up the theme song to “Fresh Prince of Bel-air” and his former band’s biggest hit, “Tonight Tonight” had the audience jumping around and singing along.

A common theme throughout the night of incredible music was the fans packing out The Garden from beginning to end. It didn’t matter if a song was a radio single, a number one hit or a track buried on an album. Fans didn’t care if it was traditional country or had a twinge of R&B or pop, they cared that they loved the artists and the way the night made them feel.

Chris Janson was the perfect opening act for such a big show, providing the crowd with a high-energy set that left fans on their feet. Singing all of his radio singles including “Buy Me a Boat”, “Fix a Drink” and even his unique version of “Truck Yeah” which he wrote and Tim McGraw cut. “We are in the greatest city on God’s green earth tonight, I love America and I love New York City,” Janson said, which was met with an eruption of cheers. Before singing his smash hit “Holdin’ Her,” (which he wrote for his wife, Kelly, and his children) he explained, “I believe if you speak simple acts of positivity to the world, positive acts rain down upon you”. His inspirational words were the perfect lead-in for the love song. Before closing out his set, he let the fans in on a secret, that the very first instrument he ever learned to play was the drums for a punk rock heavy metal band. He took a seat behind the drumset showing off his skills.

Next to take the stage, Maren Morris, is the perfect counterpart for a Sam Hunt tour. Morris creates a unique version of country music, blending country with R&B. The power vocalist sang songs off her debut album Hero only stopping throughout her set to thank the audience for their enthusiasm and for singing along. From her latest single “I Could Use a Love Song” to “Once” and “80’s Mercedes” every song had fans on their feet and swaying along.

“I never thought I would be doing this song at Madison Square Garden. It’s such a special night and it’s been an amazing week and it all started with this song,” she explained. “I’m gonna take you to church on this one” Holding up her microphone to the sold-out crowd, she watched in amazement thousands of people singing her lyrics back to her. The moment was a highlight of the evening, even bringing the songstress to tears.

Hunt’s headlining set featured songs that were exclusively on his first mixtape Between the Pines as well as covers of songs he has written for other artists and of course, his most recent absolute smash, “Body Like A Back Road”. The atmosphere was electric as Hunt’s amped up production featured huge screens and even smoke. It was the perfect mix of spectacle and slowed down moments that allowed the fans to feel like they were taking part in something really special.

Reminiscing to playing Irving Plaza for a small crowd three years ago, Hunt acknowledged how quickly his career has taken its turn and how he has had an incredible year. “This is amazing to be playing Madison Square Garden, I would say it is definitely a highlight of 2017 for me, it’s been a good year,” he tells the crowd in a moment between songs. Taking a moment to also thank Billy Currington for cutting “We Are Tonight” which was written before his career as an artist took off.

This being his first headline tour, Hunt took a few minutes to slow things down, sit on a stool by himself on stage and talk to his adoring fans. Taking us through his musical journey growing up in Georgia, the acoustic set featured songs from all genres including traditional country, R&B, and pop music. He explained to the crowd filled with men and women of all ages, “This generation, y’all don’t pay attention to genres of music; you don’t pay attention to genres of people. You listen to what makes you feel good; you hang out with people you like, not people who look like you.” The sentiment hit home, where fans of Hunt do not care which radio station is playing his songs, they only care that they love his songs. Before ending his night on the main stage with “Break Up In A Small Town,” Hunt took to a smaller stage on the opposite end of the venue to perform “Make You Miss Me” on piano. Hunt showed versatility and the ability to entertain a sold-out crowd in New York City.

Overall, the epic night ended with confetti spraying down and fans leaving The World’s Most Famous Arena super impressed with the four-hour show. The 15 in a 30 Tour continues through the month. For more information and tour dates check out SamHunt.com

Perhaps one of the most surreal parts of the night for us was running into so many fans rocking New York Country Swag gear! We saw everything from our Red & Blue Line Snapbacks to our Whiskey Me Away Flannels. Thank You for the support and for rockin’ your swag! Most importantly, Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

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Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!
+ Shop the Store for your favorite Country Swag & Tag us to be featured. #nycountryswag

Join the Weekly Round-Up for upcoming event reminders, ticket giveaways and more!

– Team NYCountry Swag

Opry Circle in the City with Michael Ray and Morgan Evans

September 11, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

With a fall chill in the air, Thursday night at the Southwest Porch in Bryant Park was the perfect setting for some acoustic country music. Circle in the City presented by Southwest and NASH FM 94.7 is a free show available to all those in New York City who want to experience a taste of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.

First up to stand in the Opry’s signature microphone was rising star, Morgan Evans who was introduced by NASH FM 94.7 DJ, Katie Neal. Evans, who just released his first single in the U.S, hails from Austraila. He stood in the mini wooden circle to sing three songs including “Kiss Somebody”. A highlight from the country crooner included a song called “Everything Changes”. Before singing Evans’ explained how quickly life can change, going from living in Austraila to moving to Nashville, meeting the love of his life and getting engaged. For all those who don’t know, Evans is engaged to country superstar Kelsea Ballerini.

Not only was the Southwest Porch filled with country fans, but the surrounding areas of Bryant Park had people holding up their phones to take videos and were singing along to the radio hits. Next to stand in the wooden circle was Florida native, Michael Ray. Ray, who gratefully thanked Southwest and Nash FM for the opportunity to perform in NYC, sang songs including “Real Men Love Jesus”, his latest single “Get To You” and even a cover of Keith Whitley’s, “Don’t Close Your Eyes”.

“To be here representing the Grand Ole Opry is an unbelievable thing,” he said as he acknowledged the radio team here in New York, as well as everyone that works behind the scenes in the music industry. To close out the night, Ray sang his first number one single, “Kiss You in the Morning” and even gave the fans a chance to sing along.

Missed the show? Check Out the Facebook live video from the Grand Ole Opry’s Page of Morgan Evans’ set here and Michael Ray, here.

If you weren’t able to make this event, don’t miss Ryan Kinder this Friday, September 15th. For more information, visit Click Here, plus check out our throwback to #CircleThrowdown from last year’s event with RaeLynn.

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!
+ Shop the Store for your favorite Country Swag & Tag us to be featured. #nycountryswag

Join the Weekly Round-Up for upcoming event reminders, ticket giveaways and more!

– Team NYCountry Swag