Brothers Under The Sun Hangover: Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen

"COME OVER"   KENNY CHESNEY

It's been one week since I went to the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw concert extravaganza.   What an amazing show!   You may not be a country music fan but you will become a Kenny Chesney fan if you attend one of his shows.   He's electric on stage.  Like any great showman, he knows how to work a crowd, pull your heartstrings, get the party started, and draws you into his lyrics.   "Come Over" just premiered and will be released on his new CD, Welcome To the Fishbowl, this month.   Kenny described it as a "sexy bootycall that you just can't shake from your memory" :)

"BETTER THAN I USED TO BE"   TIM McGRAW

"I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see, I ain't as good as I'm going get, but I'm better than I used to be". Tim McGraw played most of earlier classics at the concert but he did include some new songs.   The ballad that blew everyone away was this song, "Better Than I Used To Be".   50,000 people were singing along with Tim lines like, "I can't count the people I've let down, the hearts I've broke, you don't have to dig too deep to find the dirt on me", vulnerable lyrics that we can all relate to.

"THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY"   JAKE OWEN

Watching Jake Owen open up the concert, the arena was about 20% full.  For those who missed it, his set was incredible!   Rocking covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell" and an Alabama Greatest Hits medley perfectly segued with his big hits like "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and "Alone With You".   I kept thinking in a couple of years, Jake will be the headliner filling up stadiums.    "The One That Got Away" is New Country, no twang, rock guitars, lyrics that feel like they were written about your life.    This behind the scenes video is a lot of fun!

Brothers Under The Sun Tour At Tampa Stadium: Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, Grace Potter

"BETTER AS A MEMORY"    KENNY CHESNEY

The Brothers Under The Sun kicks off today at Tampa Stadium.   Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, and Grace Potter plus who knows what guest stars will drop in for the big event.  After each of the four solo sets, Kenny and Tim will be playing a 40 minute set during which they'll be playing each others songs, rock covers, anything goes!  Luckily, I was able to get club level tickets at the last minute!   

Kenny released a 3-D concert film in the summer of 2010.   Here's a version of "Better As A Memory" from the last day of the tour when Kenny's emotions took over.   The crowd sang almost the entire song for an unforgettable concert moment.

 "SOMETHING LIKE THAT"   TIM McGRAW

My first big country music concert was Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and a relative unknown Australian opening act at the time named Keith Urban in the mid 90's.   I didn't know much by Tim but knew all of the big Faith Hill crossover hits.   Wow!   What a fun experience! Keith's guitar skills blew us away.  Faith Hill came next and Tim joined her for songs like "It's Your Love".  When Tim McGraw hit the stage to close the show, the crowd went insane.  "I Like It, I Love It, I Want Some More Of It" and "Something Like That" were incredible.  Always loved the line - "she had a BBQ stain on her white t-shirt, killing me in that mini-skirt, heart can't take something like that!"

"EIGHT SECOND RIDE"   JAKE OWEN

Florida has been the breeding ground of many country music superstars and the next to join this elite club is Vero Beach's Jake Owen.   I saw Jake open for Keith Urban last summer and he's unbelievable live!   Jake has a rock n' roll energy, movie star looks, and songs that will get you singing along the first time you hear them.    Yes, the double entendres in "Eight Second Ride" are laughable but the song rocks!  

"PARIS (Ooh La La)"    GRACE POTTER and the NOCTURNALS

Blues rocker, Grace Potter, is the fourth member of the Brothers Under the Sun tour.    Hmmm, watching Grace jamming on her guitar, sexy legs shimmering under her short skirt, I'm not sure she fits the "Brothers" tour theme.   Grace teamed up with Kenny Chesney for the beach themed ballad "You And Tequila (Drive Me Crazy)"  and I'm sure that will be a highlight of the concert set having the two pair up for the duet.   This version of her hit, "Paris", comes from the Ellen DeGeneres Show (a big fan of Grace).

 

Johnny Depp In "Dark Shadows" May 11, 2012: Marilyn Manson, John Mayer, Jake Owen

"YOU'RE SO VAIN"   MARILYN MANSON featuring Johnny Depp

Carly Simon's biggest hit gets a gothic makeover by Orlando's Marilyn Manson.   The song is going to be featured in Johnny Depp's new movie, Dark Shadows.    The movie is an spoof adaptation of the 70's vampire soap opera TV show but any film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp should be entertaining.    Speaking of Mr Depp, he reportedly plays drums on Manson's cover.

"SHADOW DAYS"    JOHN MAYER

John Mayer's back with a reflective, relaxing, country-tinged new record.  The lyrics analyze the choices we make in life.  It's an uplifting song with a great message and John's tempered guitar playing really adds a nice touch.


Did you know that you could be wrong
And swear you're right
Some people been known to do it
All their lives
But you find yourself alone
Just like you found yourself before
Like I found myself in pieces
On the hotel floor
Hard times have helped me see


I'm a good man, with a good heart
Had a tough time, got a rough start
But I finally learned to let it go
Now I'm right here, and I'm right now
And I'm open, knowing somehow
That my shadow days are over

"SETTIN' THE WORLD ON FIRE"      JAKE OWEN

Jake's been setting the country music world on fire with his big smash hits, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and "Alone With You".   This uptempo track feels like Springsteen gone country with "Born To Run" inspired lyrics:  "It was do or die, we had to get out of this town", "The future was an open road, gone with a cloud of smoke", and "we were too hot for one town to hold".     

Loss Of A Legend: JAKE OWEN, ETTA JAMES (R.I.P.), FAITH HILL, and RODNEY ATKINS

"BAREFOOT BLUE JEAN NIGHT"        JAKE OWEN

From Vero Beach, Florida, Jake Owen will be the next Kenny Chesney (not that Kenny is going anywhere!).    Jake puts on an amazing live show as I witnessed when he recently opened for Keith Urban.    Jake was originally going to be a pro golfer but after a freak injury, he learned to play guitar and now he's all over country radio.    "Eight Second Ride" and this summer jam are perfect examples of his laid-back yet rockin' style that has the ladies swooning and the guys yelling Hell Yeah!

"BABY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO"    ETTA JAMES  (R.I.P.) 
January 19, 2012, the world lost a legend, one of the most influential evocative singers of all-time, Etta James.   "At Last", " I Just Want To Make Love To You" and "I'd Rather Go Blind":  three of the greatest songs ever and you can make the argument that Etta's incendiary performances of each is the gold standard. She recently recorded a farewell CD, The Dreamer, which includes a cover of GNR's "Welcome To The Jungle" and "Misty Blue".    RIP Etta, you will be missed.

 


"THERE WILL COME A DAY"  9/11 Special    FAITH HILL

September 11, 2001, one of the few dates in my lifetime where everyone remembers what they were doing on that fateful day.   Following the devastation, all of the TV networks ran a special, A Tribute To Heroes, where actors like Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts introduced heartfelt, intense live performances by some of the biggest stars in the music industry.   The benefit to help the families who lost love ones included this Faith Hill inspirational song backed by a church choir:

"TAKE A BACK ROAD"             RODNEY ATKINS

Rodney is a little twangy for my taste in country music but "Take A Back Road" just creates such a chilled out cruising down the road vibe that I love it!    Rodney name-checks George Strait and sings of getting lost with his girl on a back road with no cares in the world.   Check out in the video where he appears on top of a bridge frame in the video (how did he do that?)