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Dierks Bentley and Friends Entertain Long Island Fans

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With tailgate season in full swing, a crowd of country fans headed to Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater to watch headliner Dierks Bentley bring his ‘Burning Man Tour’ to the beach. For exclusive videos from the show, click here to head to our Instagram Story Highlights.

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Before Hot Country Knights took to the stage, performing a parody of 90s country songs, VIP ticket holders were lucky enough to witness an acoustic set by Bentley himself in the VIP tent. The singer, supported by his band, sang bluegrass versions of some of his biggest songs, including “Woman, Amen”, “I Hold On,” and “Burning Man.” NYCountry Swag followers had the opportunity to win VIP access to the special performance on our Instagram giveaway contest. Congratulations to our winner, Catrina Cotrone!

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

The first true opener of the night was one of our Swag Spotlight alums, Tenille Townes. With her sassy attitude and killer vocals, the songstress spotlighted her fresh sound and honest lyrics on the big stage, proving why she’s one of our 2019 Artist to Watch. Kicking it off with her poignant love song, “White Horse” followed by “Where You Are,” Townes continued to win over new fans throughout her performance. She went on to sing “Jersey On the Wall,” which she added “This is one that’s very close to my heart,” and “Come As You Are,” but it was the end of her set that was her sweet spot. The singer-songwriter covered U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” as the audience sang along to each and every word. Townes ended her incredible set with her debut single, “Somebody’s Daughter.” For more about Townes and her undeniable talent click here.

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Country crooner, Jon Pardi took the stage next, as fans came in droves, packing out the venue. Pardi brought the energy throughout his hour-long set, opening with his song, “What I Can’t Put Down,” followed by “My Next Broken Heart,” a Brooks and Dunn classic, which he lent his voice to on the record REBOOT. He continued the momentum, singing songs like “Lucky Tonight,” “Ain’t Always The Cowboy,” “Me and Jack”, and “Heartache Medication.” The latter are both said to be songs off Pardi’s forthcoming studio album.

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Fans went crazy throughout his whole set, but the crowd was extra loud when Pardi sang his most popular songs, “Heartache on the Dance Floor,” “Head Over Boots,” and “Dirt on My Boots.” The singer even admitted in his set that “The more [he] gets out of Nashville, the more hardcore country fans there are.” Pardi succeeded in bringing true blue country music to New York, and fans loved every minute of it.

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Shortly after, the man of the night, Dierks Bentley took the stage. Bentley left it all out on stage, singing his most vulnerable songs, his party songs, and everything in between, all while remaining humble and endearing the whole time. His set began with “Burning Man,” and “Up on the Ridge” featuring images of mountains in the background, which added to the ambiance. The backdrop quickly changed, during Bentley’s epic performance of “Somewhere on a Beach,” which he added fit the venue perfectly. The recording artist continued to sing fan-favorite song including the romantic ode to women, “Woman, Amen,” the endearing, “Black,” and of course, “I Hold On.”

The entertainer shifted gears soon thereafter, singing his party anthem, “5-1-5-0” and of course, his newest single, “Living.” Check out an exclusive clip from the performance on our Instagram in the video above. Bentley also brought Pardi back out to sing one of Bentley’s favorite songs by Pardi called, “Missin’ You Crazy.” The pair really played off each other’s energy and it was evident by the vibes in the room that fans approved of the duet.

Townes also came back on stage to sing a mesmerizing rendition of “Different For Girls” with Bentley. The headliner sang his praises for Townes, adding that she’s “paving the way,” for women and comparing her talent to likes of Patty Loveless and Martina McBride. While on stage, Townes proved that she knows her 90s country, singing some of both “Strawberry Wine” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.”

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Although we loved the duets, one of our favorite moments of the night was when Bentley sang his beautiful song “Riser.” Before performing the song, he shared his appreciation for law enforcement, firefighters, volunteers, the military, and those who serve us every day. Bentley added “I like to think these songs are for people that are no longer here, what they would say now. I feel like, they would say, don’t just go through life being a survivor, go through life being a riser, make the most of every day.” His statement and performance of “Riser” surely brought chills to each and every fan there.

Soon thereafter, Bentley kicked off the acoustic part of his set, as he made his way to the B-stage to sing some of his more vulnerable songs. Of course, in typical Bentley fashion, he made sure to shotgun a beer with a fan on stage first. The singer-songwriter went on to sing, “Come a Little Closer” and “Say You Do.”

Photo by Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Keeping fans entertained, Bentley made his way back to the main stage, singing an electrifying version of his song “What Was I Thinkin’” and brought DJ AyDamn on stage to sing “Sideways.” Of course, Bentley came back to the stage after the song to sing two songs for his encore. In true Bentley fashion, he came back to the stage dressed in a full-pilot getup to sing “Drunk on a Plane.” The superstar ended his set with “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go),” the perfect song to end the exhilarating night of music on a high note.

Dierks Bentley with NYCountry Swag Founder, Stephanie Wagner

For exclusive videos from the show, click here to head to our Instagram Story Highlights. Looking for the perfect captions for your pictures from the show? Check out our list of 10 best Dierks Bentley Lyrics to use for your Instagram captions.

Bentley, Pardi, and Townes will continue playing ‘Burning Man Tour’ shows through the rest of the summer.

To keep up with Dierks Bentley and the tour, visit dierks.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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On the “Water” with Brad Paisley & Kane Brown

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Kane Brown Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley gave Jones Beach another unforgettable night out on the water and for some fans, in the water. The venue started to fill in quickly once Kane Brown took the stage singing “Found You” and by the end of his 45-minute set there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Brown thanked the crowd for coming out and said, “This is my third time playing here and I’ll tell you there’s no better place to be on a Friday than Jones Beach baby, Come on!”.

Brown continued to get the crowd fired up by going old school. “Guys I’m gonna try to get y’all singing a little more alright, we gotta get Brad Paisley ready to come out here so I’m going to take you back to my middle school days!”. He started off singing the hit song “Billionaire” by Bruno Mars, getting everyone up off their feet to sing along. Then Brown transitioned to “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast and brought it home with The Fray’s “Over My Head”. To no surprise, the crowd loved the old school renditions and sang back every word. Along with the covers, Brown sang his hits like “Heaven”, “Used to Love You Sober”, “Learning”, and his new single “Lose It”. Last but not least he closed his set singing a solo version of his duet with Lauren Alaina called “What If’s”, leaving the crowd not only wanting more but pumped for who was coming up next.

Brad Paisley

Next up was the headliner himself, Brad Paisley. As the music started, the band began to take their spots leaving Paisley to make a solo entrance at the top of the stage singing “Mud On the Tires”. There was no stopping him, he played straight through his songs “Ticks”, “The World”, “Perfect Storm”, “Water”, “Last Time for Everything”, and “Old Alabama”. Paisley’s guitar solos were unbelievable, creating the perfect transition into each song he played. At one point during the show, someone from his team gave him a bottle of beer in which he showed off his skills and shredded the guitar with it. The country legend was not one to disappoint when it came down to putting the best show on for his fans. He had a ton of energy on stage and tried to get as close to the crowd as possible.

When it came time for Paisley to talk to the crowd he put on his best New York accent and said, “It’s great to be here tonight, here in Long Island it’s a great place, it’s a really nice place you got here.” He then went on to praise the concert goers in the pit saying, “By the way thank you for the people in the front row standing in 5 inches of water right now I appreciate you!”. As the night went on he continued to play his hits like “This is Country Music”, “Love and War”, and “American Saturday Night”. He also brought Kane Brown back to the stage to help him perform his song “I’m Still a Guy”. The two singers together brought a little comedy to the show by going through a fan’s phone in the middle of the song. Even with Brown off stage Paisley continued to interact with the crowd telling jokes.

Brad Paisley Kane Brown

For some lucky fans, Friday was a night to never forget. Paisley had not one but two proposals happen on his watch. One which was on stage with him before the song “She’s Everything”. He also made the night of a lucky little girl by giving her one of his guitars. After he gave her the guitar he said, “Learn how to play it little girl”, telling the crowd, “That is how you make a Taylor Swift right there!”. Along with making the little girl’s night, he brought out some men and women from the military on stage to thank them and offer them some drinks from his on-stage bar. With the night coming to the end he thanked the crowd again saying, “We’ve had the best time, we love playing up here and we hope you had fun!”, closing out the night with his song “Alcohol”.

 

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

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and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

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The Summer Plays On Tour Heads to Long Island

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Russell Dickerson Summer Plays On Tour

Jones Beach concerts are a staple for Long Islanders and New York City patrons alike each summer, setting up tents and BBQing while chugging beers and dancing along to music blaring out of the speakers of their tailgates.  Although Saturday morning brought heavy rain, the clouds cleared away just in time for the afternoon tailgaters to head to the parking lots and set up their spots.  By the time the Summer Plays On Tour kicked off the sun was shining brightly over the sparkling waterfront venue.

The Summer Plays On Tour

Russell Dickerson took the stage for his 30-minute opening set, which included the biggest hits from his debut album, Yours including “Billions”, “Float” and “Every Little Thing”.  The energy he brings to every single performance is unmatched, he spins and jumps around the stage as if the music can not be contained inside his body.  Making this night extra special, Dickerson had 80 friends and family who all live in the NY area attending that night, showing their pride in the rising star. “It’s my absolute pleasure to be kicking this thing off here tonight,” he says of the Summer Plays On Tour. He closed his set thanking the country music fans for making “Yours,” his very first number one at country radio before singing the love song, allowing the audience to take the lead at the end.

Darius Rucker Summer Plays On Tour

Next up, Darius Rucker who is no stranger to the Jones Beach stage played all of his biggest songs as the sun set over the venue.  Kicking things off with “Homegrown Honey”, “Radio” and “Alright” Rucker knows how to create a set that features some of the best songs from his earlier records as well as highlighting his most recent hits like “If I Told You”.  He told the audience “Everyone in my camp says I have to sing this song on tour, I think it might be the next single so let me know what y’all think of this one” before singing “Hands On Me” off his latest album, When Was the Last Time.

Fans know that when they are attending a Darius Rucker concert they are bound to be hit with some of the classic Hootie and The Blowfish singles that catapulted him to stardom in the 90’s.  On this particular night, Rucker sang “Let Her Cry” and “I Only Wanna Be With You” and each time he sings those oldies, the crowd goes absolutely wild.  “This guy is my very best friend in the business,” Rucker said as he introduced front man for Lady Antebellum to the stage to sing their cover of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Straight to Hell” which also features Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean.  The hilarious western video played in the background while the two buddies sang the heck out of the song.  Closing his set with “Wagon Wheel” the crowd erupted into a giant sing-a-long swaying to the smash hit.

Lady Antebellum The Summer Plays On Tour

Headlining the night, Lady Antebellum took the stage and the trio has never sounded better.  Their harmonies shined on their classic songs such as “Dancing Away With My Heart”, “Our Kind Of Love” and “I Run To You” while they kept the energy up by performing “You Look Good” and “Downtown”.  Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood come together each tour as the quintessential hitmakers, bringing their live show to the next level each year.  The fans know and love their music and always show up to sing along.

The biggest highlight of the night was when Hilary Scott acknowledged a cardboard cut-out of our buddy, Nick McElhatton, who is serving our country right now.  Scott asked to get a camera on the group stating “He is obviously protecting our freedom, keeping us safe in the greatest country in the world and I want to dedicate this next song to this man, this is “American Honey”.  Watch the emotional moment above.

The Summer Plays On Tour

Darius Rucker and Russell Dickerson joined Lady Antebellum for an encore that was one for the books, performing Hootie and the Blowfish “Hold My Hand” then Dickerson highlighted his talent while singing Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” as a duet with Scott.  After their song Kelley and Rucker even commented “`Don’t be comin’ up here tryin’ show off” Kelley laughed as Rucker said, “Who do you think you are young man” truly impressing not only the crowd but his tourmates as well.  They closed with Lady Antebellum’s “Love Don’t Live Here” and had 15,000 people on their feet, thankful for a night of incredible country music. For the rest of the Summer Plays On Tour dates click here.

 

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

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for ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests, upcoming events,
and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

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Bandwagon Tour

The Bandwagon Tour Rolls Into Jones Beach Theater

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“We’ve been wanting to tour with Miranda Lambert for a very long time and we’ve been planning this tour for years and years and thanks to you we are here!” Little Big Town said during their set on Thursday night at Long Island’s Northwell Health Jones Beach Theater.  The Bandwagon Tour kicked off just last week and tourmates Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town along with openers Tenille Townes and the Turnpike Troubadours took the oceanfront stage to entertain a packed crowd.

Bandwagon Tour Tenille Townes

It’s no secret that the New York Country Swag team are huge fans of Canada native, Tenille Townes and we were thrilled to catch her live set for the first time.  Standing on the stage just her and her guitar, Townes filled the theater with her remarkable voice and haunting lyrics from her debut EP the Living Room Worktapes.  She told the audience that this was a dream come true to be on The Bandwagon Tour with Lambert and Little Big Town. Next up were the Turnpike Troubadours who brought a different vibe to the venue during their 25-minute set.  Their traditional country sound and fiddle-heavy songs had the crowd clapping along to their boot stompin’ hits.

Bandwagon Tour Little Big Town

Little Big Town were the first of the two headliners for the show, singing their biggest hits from the past two decades including “Pontoon”, “Front Porch”, “Happy People” and “Tornado”.  “What a gorgeous place to spend the night,” Kimberly Schlapman exclaimed. “We’ve heard all about you but this is our first time here and we are so happy to finally be here.”   The picturesque venue of the sun setting and the smell of the ocean breeze lent well to the bands current single “Summer Fever” and one of our favorite album cuts from The Breaker, “Lost in California”.

As the Bandwagon Tour continued, Lambert took the stage lighting a fire under the crowd by opening with one of her very first singles “Kerosene” then sliding right into songs from her latest album The Weight of These Wings including “Highway Vagabond”, “We Should Be Friends” and “Vice”.  She didn’t leave out the classics, knowing her loyal fans would want to hear “Gunpowder and Lead” and of course “Mama’s Broken Heart”.  “I’m making my goal every time I walk on this stage to make you feel something before you leave here,” she said to the audience. “Sometimes in country music, feeling something means feeling sad and I do, so I wrote about it. Sing along if you know it; This one’s called ‘Tin Man’.” Lambert sang the emotional ballad with help from her biggest fans.

The Bandwagon Tour Pistol Annies

As the venue went dark, fans heard familiar notes of “Hell on Heels” as The Pistol Annies logo appeared on the giant screen, and for the first time in a few years, Angeleena Presley and Ashley Monroe joined Lambert on stage for a full-fledged reunion. As the ladies clicked onto the stage in their high heels, the screams were deafening.  “Surprise, Jones Beach” Lambert smiled and the trio sang their biggest hit as well as “Takin’ Pills”.

The Bandwagon Tour

The highlight of the night was when Little Big Town came back to the stage to join Lambert for a full 40 minutes to sing some of their smash singles as well as country music’s most popular songs.  The biggest audience sing-a-long happened during Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” where Lambert stood front and center to trade off lines with Karen Fairchild.  The group also sang the Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” and closed the show with Bill Wither’s “Lean On Me”.  It was an epic night of incredible harmonies and some of country music’s best songs.  Check out the remaining tour dates below and make sure to get in early to catch opening act, Tenille Townes!

Thursday, August 2 – The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, Alabama
Friday, August 3 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida
Saturday, August 4 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Florida
Friday, August 10 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, Texas
Saturday, August 11 – Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas
Thursday, August 16 – Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien Center, New York
Friday, August 17 – KeyBank Pavilion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Saturday, August 18 – BB&T Pavilion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Thursday, August 23 – Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario
Friday, August 24 –DTE Energy Music Center, Clarkston, Michigan
Saturday, August 25 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois

 

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Back to Us Tour

Rascal Flatts Brings the ‘Back to Us Tour’ to Jones Beach

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Each summer, country music fans from New York City and Long Island gather to enjoy their favorite music on the water at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater. The Back to Us Tour was the first country show to make its way to the beloved venue Friday night featuring Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay and Rascal Flatts.

Back to Us Tour

The pit section filled early, fans singing along to Carly Pearce’s set which was filled with songs from her debut album. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world that I get to welcome y’all to the Back to Us Tour,” Pearce told the crowd.  Her set included “Careless”, “If My Name Was Whiskey” and of course her first number one single “Every Little Thing”.  She closed with her current radio single “Hide the Wine” after thanking country music fans and country radio for changing her life.

Back to Us Tour

 

Next up on the Back to Us tour was Dan + Shay, a duo who is already having one heck of a summer.  With their latest single “Tequila” going number one the week prior and the release of their incredible self-titled album just a few weeks ago, the boys were pumped to play for New York fans.  Not only did they perform songs from their new album including “Alone Together” and “All to My Self”  but they took fans back to their very first single “19 You and Me”.  Their harmonies and energy had the entire theater on their feet, swaying to the music and singing along.

Back to Us Tour

Just as the sun was setting and creating the most miraculous cotton candy colored sky, the duo stopped to chat with the crowd.  “Huge shout out to our country radio family here, we’ve got something to celebrate here with you tonight Jones Beach, we have the number one song in the country right now!” they exclaimed.  “Let’s sing it together”.  Head to our Instagram to catch one of the best moments of the night when the audience sang along to “Tequila”. Continuing their incredible set, they covered Justin Timberlake’s smash “Can’t Stop The Feeling” which started a giant dance party in the venue.

Back to Us Tour

Headliners Rascal Flatts have been touring together, as a band, for almost two decades, perfecting their live show and giving their longtime fans a show full of their hits and their incredible harmonies.  They released their latest album Back to Us last year and are traveling the country this summer promoting the new music as well as playing classic hits from their previous records.  Mixing classic Flatts songs like “Feels Like Today”  with more current hits like “Yours If You Want It” the packed venue danced along, feeling nostalgic as well as invigorated from the trio’s set.  “I look out at our crowds every night and I see everybody from all different walks of life, united under one thing and that is country music,” band member Jay Demarcus stated in between songs. “This is still the greatest country to live in on the face of the planet, so let’s have a party tonight, let’s escape for the next hour.”

Back to Us Tour

A highlight of the night was when Dan + Shay and Carly Pearce came back to the stage to join Gary, Jay and Joe Don to perform “Hopin’ You Were Lookin'” from Back to Us as well as Maren Morris, Zedd and Grey’s smash crossover hit “The Middle” and then their  throwback hit “Here’s To You”.  Closing out the night with “Bless the Broken Road” and “Life is a Highway” the Back to Us Tour was certainly one to remember as the first country show of the summer at Jones Beach.

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here 
for ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests, upcoming events,
and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

+ Follow our country music adventures on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook: