BILLY CURRINGTON SETLIST Hey GirlGood Directions Don't It Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer I Got a Feelin' Love Done Gone Don't That's How Country Boys Roll Let Me Down Easy It Don't Hurt Like It Used To Do I Make You Wanna Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right People Are Crazy We Are Tonight JACKSON DEAN SETLIST Big Blue Sky REDFERRIN SETLIST Red In My Last Name |
Country Stampede is an outdoor music festival featuring country music stars, camping, and more in Bonner Springs, KS at Azura Amphitheater, held annually since 1996. Due to flooding concerns, the event moved from Manhattan, KS to Topeka's Heartland Park in 2019. When that location ran into financial difficulties, it moved to its current home for 2024.
Saving the best for last, Day Three of this year’s Festival wrapped on Saturday night, with a barnstorming headlining performance by “Mr. Saturday Night” himself, California singer-songwriter Jon Pardi, who surprised the audience by striding out with his band, twenty minutes before their scheduled time, and playing a full set of hits and favorites.
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Before that, the day would start with up and coming ACM-nominated duo Neon Union (aka Leo Brooks and Andrew Millsaps) in support of last year’s Double Wide Castle Sessions EP.
Millsaps is NC-raised, bringing an Appalachian and more traditional Country sound, while the Miami-born Brooks has worked with the likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill, Cee-Lo, and John Legend and brings some pop/r&b blend to their mix, as on newest single (and perfect tequila drinking song), “Made in Mexico”.
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Their set was followed by another relative newcomer, Redferrin, whose debut EP, “Old No. 7” was released in February and also has a drinking single of his own rising up the charts, “Jack and Diet Coke”, which closed his brief daytime set. The Tenn. native (aka Blake Redferrin) grew up as a pro cyclist before growing his mullet out and making a career change, notably collaborating already with Nelly and Florida Georgia Line, and expect his debut full-length album to be finished soon.
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Before we forget, there was also a second stage, in the venue’s front Platinum club area, which featured local and regional talent; many of which, have strong loyal followings like Jillian Riscoe and Chris Stewart. But oddly, that area was only accessible to VIP ticketholders, so regular patrons were forced to watch their local favorites along a distant fence, instead of supporting them more enthusiastically up close.
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Nashville (via Maryland) singer-songwriter Jackson Dean (no relation to Billy Dean) is yet another rising artist with a bright future ahead, after signing with Country label powerhouse Big Machine Records in 2021. After a self-titled EP with single, “Wings”, 2022 brought his full-length debut, “Greenbroke” but there’s a follow-up album, due out September 6, that the fans heard several new and yet unreleased songs from.
Dean and his full band really hit their stride mid-way through their near hour-long set, working up steam with their own “Hurricane” and “Train” and following with a lyrically-related Fred Eaglesmith cover, “49 Tons”, which chugged down the track with energy and fervor. After a sweet “Daddy Raised” dedicated to all the fathers in the audience, the new “1971” was stopped dead in its tracks as the power and amps all failed onstage, which left the band confused and shrugging. A quick several minutes, and all was right again, allowing them to finish the song and their set.
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With sunlight still remaining, Georgia singer-songwriter Billy Currington and band took to the stage for their fifty-five-minute set, peppered with numerous radio hits that had the growing crowd all singing along to. Currington’s last full-length was 2021’s “Intuition”, which was more pop/r&b leaning than his previous efforts, but it was clear the Grammy-nominated singer’s older hits were what the crowd wanted to hear, from “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” to “Don’t” to “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” to mega hit (and still relevant), “People are Crazy”.
Currington charmed the crowd with his no-frills set, preferring to mostly let the songs do the talking and closed with an anthem of togetherness, “We Are Tonight” that had the audience singing along with their phone flashlights in the air, “Everything we wanna be, yeah we are, we are tonight.”
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Pardi Time arrived early! After a short backstage video interview by the day’s host, DJ Hish saying he was ready to go, headliner Jon Pardi proved that point by starting twenty minutes before his scheduled set time, to give the fans a well-paced, confident, and hit-filled near ninety-minute closing set.
Pardi and band began with a Clint Black cover (that he and the legend recently sang together at CMA Fest), “Killin’ Time” but Pardi was doing anything but that, going straight into “Paycheck” and the ever-so-appropriate “Mr. Saturday Night”, deviating greatly already from the printed setlist (see pic).
All Country singers seem to have a few drinking songs and “Tequila Little Time” got the fans raising their glasses and into Pardi mode with two fan dancers even joining the band onstage to spin and dip, as the band segued into a Bob Marley classic, and then back into their own “Up All Night”.
The video backdrop lit up for singles “Fill ‘Er Up” and “Me and Jack” and Pardi acknowledged being in the city of the Super Bowl Champions a few times, and was met with chants and tomahawk chops between songs as he complimented Patrick Mahomes’ on-field skills.
Phone flashlights swayed back and forth during 2019’s “Starlight” and with “Beer Can’t Fix” (a song collab with Thomas Rhett) Pardi dedicated to that unselfish person that volunteers to step out to go stand in line for all the beverages for the group. Pardi promised knowing how to dance and treating women right would result in your “Last Night Lonely” and the crowd loudly roared for radio hit, 2017’s “Dirt on my Boots” which he intro’d by saying the Chiefs might be getting a little “dirt on their cleats” as they try for another ring.
A couple of ‘Heartache” songs would follow, with the familiar guitar riff of ZZ Top’s “La Grange” morphing into “Heartache on the Dancefloor” with the band stepping briefly backstage following, only to quickly re-emerge for a stomping “Night Shift” and the sing-along finale of “Head over Boots.”
Due to scheduling, we were only available to cover this year’s Country Stampede on its final day in its new location, which worked very well overall as a venue (we can’t speak for the camping portion though).
Putting their previous location issues in the rear-view and now under new management, the future of the festival looks bright and is already confirmed for 2025; traditionally bringing a unique mix of Country up-and-comers, and well-established veteran headlining acts, to always make for an entertaining weekend.
(note that Billy Currington did not allow photography for his set)
(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
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| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
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