photo by Mike Carroll
The Locked and Reloaded Tour at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach kicked off with long-haired rockers The Cadillac Three, a trio that’s been friends since childhood. Despite looking like they’re fresh out of the trailer park, don’t let their looks fool you. They are talented musicians and put on a good show to get things started.
photo by Mike Carroll
Even though the average country fan hasn’t heard of them, guitarist and lead vocalist Jaren Johnston has already made strides in the country music world after co-writing Keith Urban‘s hit “You Gonna Fly.”
photo by Mike Carroll
Next up on stage was the Randy Rogers Band. This popular Texas-based band, while not all that well-known on a national level, are huge stars in the Texas Country Music scene. Last year’s “One More Sad Song” peaked at #38 on the Country Music charts, marking their biggest national hit to date. I hope that after getting some national exposure on the Locked and Reloaded Tour that they will emerge as national stars in the footsteps of artists such as the Eli Young Band, Pat Green, Kevin Fowler, and more. They definitely deserved it after what I saw.
photo by Mike Carroll
By the time Dierks Bentley took the stage, the last straggling tailgaters had made their way into the venue and were ready to party. Dierks didn’t disappoint, as he kicked his set off with the party anthem “Am I The Only One.” His high-energy set rolled through his hits, and reminded me why he is one of my favorite performers.
Before launching into his current single “I Hold On,” he told the story of how he moved to Nashville at the age of 19 to pursue his career in music. “I Hold On” is in part about how he still has the truck he drove to Nashville in as well as his old guitar that happens to be signed by two of his heroes, George Strait and George Jones. He then took a break to share a series of photos that showed the progression of his curly hair from curly, to curlier, to curliest…then ended the slideshow with a picture of Miranda Lambert‘s husband Blake Shelton from when he had his mullet!
Despite 10 number one hits and 15 top ten hits (as compared to 3 number ones and 8 top ten hits for the headlining Miranda Lambert), Dierks Bentley often gets lost in the shuffle and never seems to get the recognition he deserves in terms of award nominations or headlining status. He has fun on stage and is very fan friendly…running around, signing autographs, shaking hands, high-fiving…he makes the fans feel like they are a part of his show and did a great job getting the crowd ready for Miranda Lambert!
Dierks Bentley Set List
- Am I The Only One
- Free And Easy (Down The Road I Go)
- 5-1-5-0
- Every Mile a Memory
- Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do
- Come a Little Closer
- Feel That Fire
- Tip It On Back
- Up On The Ridge
- I Hold On
- How Am I Doin’
- What Was I Thinkin’
- Sideways
- Home
photo by Mike Carroll
Miranda Lambert came out to an electric crowd and kicked her set off with recent hits “Fastest Girl In Town” and “Only Prettier.” She then slowed it down with “That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round,” an unreleased song off of her last album Revolution (which was the 2nd of three straight albums of hers to win the ACM Album of the Year Award). She proceeded to take the crowd on a wonderful ride of emotions that few others can pull off. One minute she’s got the place rockin’ with songs like “Baggage Claim,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” then the next she’s got the crowd tearing up as she fights her way through the emotional hits “The House That Build Me” and “Over You.” It was also great to see her play some of her earlier stuff including her debut single, “Me and Charlie Talking” and “New Strings.”
As she was about to begin her current single, “All Kinds of Kinds,” she took a moment to encourage everyone to follow their dreams and be comfortable with who they are. It was a really touching speech, and the song sends a great message. The song ended with a huge slow-rotating disco ball that lit the entire venue up, including the lawn. She closed out her show with an encore of “White Liar” and “Oklahoma Sky.” Before finishing with “Oklahoma Sky,” she took a moment to talk about the campaign a local fan put together to get her to visit the Big Dog Range Rescue in Wellington, FL. The campaign worked so well that not only did Miranda visit the shelter, but she also left with a new puppy that she adopted!
photo by Mike Carroll
There is such a wide variety of adjectives that can be used to describe Miranda Lambert. Sassy, spunky, sexy, caring, compassionate, fiery, crazy, brave, straightforward, fun, wild, and tender are just a few that come to mind. Regardless of which one word you would choose to describe her, there is no arguing that her show is an emotional roller coaster that will leave you walking away with nothing but respect for her talent, what she represents, and her place as one of the leading ladies of today’s country music.
Miranda Lambert Set List
- Fastest Girl In Town
- Only Prettier
- That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round
- Heart Like Mine
- New Strings
- Baggage Claim
- Mississippi Queen (Mountain cover)
- Over You
- Me and Charlie Talking
- Dead Flowers
- Mama’s Broken Heart
- Famous in a Small Town
- Get Back (Beatles cover)
- Kerosene
- All Kinds of Kinds
- The House That Built Me
- Gunpowder and Lead
- White Liar
- Oklahoma Sky