Brad Paisley brought his wildly successful H2O II Tour to the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Saturday, September 10th. The day started off appropriately with rain, but by the time the Water World side stage kicked off, the rain had subsided to allow the show to go on.
Former comedian Sunny Sweeney got things started with a set that included her first charted single, “From a Table Away” (peaked at #10), the top 40 song “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving,” and her new single, “Drink Myself Single.” The Water World Stage shows were no more than 20-30 minutes each, so it only gave fans a taste of what these new artists had to offer.
Sunny Sweeney - photo by Mike Carroll
After some technical difficulties, The JaneDear Girls took the stage next, and despite one minor slip and fall by Danelle, these gals rocked. Their set list included their Top 4o hit “Shotgun Girl,” their new single which was released this week, “Merry Go Round,” and closed out with their big hit “Wildflower” (peaked at #15). They were clearly the fan-favorites of the day on the Water World Stage, and drew quite a crowd.
JaneDear Girls - photo by Mike Carroll
Edens Edge are the newcomers of the tour, as they recently released their debut single “Amen” earlier this year. The group is comprised of Hannah Blaylock, Dean Berner, and Cherill Green. They were entertaining and engaged the crowd well…they seem to have a bright future ahead of them.
Eden's Edge - photo by Mike Carroll
The beauty of the Water World Stage is that the 6 artists that comprise these 3 acts all took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans afterward, which is always a great way to connect with and make new fans. Kudos to Brad Paisley for providing fans with that kind of up-close and personal experience on a major tour.
fan Roger Settle with the JaneDear Girls - photo by Mike Carroll
The main stage kicked off with Jerrod Niemann shortly before 7:30pm. He did a quick set full of hits, album cuts, and cover songs. We were involved with the Blake Shelton Meet & Greet at the time, so we missed watching Jerrod from the seats, but could hear that the crowd was really into his set.
After a 3 year absence to the West Palm Beach area, it’s quite possible that more fans were there to see Blake Shelton than they were to see Brad Paisley, and no doubt a big part of that has to do with Blake’s recent run on The Voice. Blake is having a career year that any aspiring or even established artist would die for…The Voice, #1 albums, #1 singles (Honey Bee spent multiple weeks at #1 and likely will be the #1 song of 2011), Male Vocalist of the Year awards, CMA Entertainer of the Year nomination, marriage to Miranda Lambert…Blake is on top of the world right now. The crowd went nuts when he took the stage, and it’s clear that Blake belongs in a headlining role at this point of his career. As great as his set was, it was only 50 minutes and left fans wanting more. He passed over on many of his earlier hits, but did entertain as he used the story of growing up during his childhood with his siblings and their tastes of music to present some cover songs before leading it up to “Kiss My Country Ass.” We fully expect to see Blake Shelton headlining a show as part of the Mega Ticket next year, and cannot wait for that day to come.
Photo Credit: Leslie Paczosa
Brad Paisley is always an innovator when it comes to his stage presentation. The most talked about part of his show was the apparent appearance of Carrie Underwood as she “joined” him on stage for their latest single, the duet “You Remind Me.” A lot of fans thought that Carrie was really there, but it turned to be an optical trick as he used holographic technology to make it look like she was there.
Photo Credit: Leslie Paczosa
Brad tore through a bunch of his hits, showing off his amazing guitar skills. At one point, Blake Shelton came out to join him (I cannot recall the song at this time). Towards the end of the night, Brad appeared on a small stage in the back of the seats so that he could play close to the folks in the lawn. He was joined by Edens Edge as they performed “Whiskey Lullaby” together. Brad closed the show by bringing a bunch of people on stage with him as he sang “Alcohol.”
Overall, it could quite possibly go down as the concert event of the year here in Florida, with several hours packed full of great entertainment. If you were at the show, what did you think of it? What stood out to you?