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Setlist
Tour Dates
04/10/15 Florence, AZ "Country Thunder USA"
04/25/15 Punta Gorda, FL "CountryLife Music" 06/26/15 Ozark, AR "Thunder On The Mountain" 06/27/15 Joliet, IL "Taste Of Joliet" 07/10/15 Billings, MT "Last Best Country Fest" 07/12/15 Madison, NE "Madison County Fair" 07/18/15 Gypsum, CO "Gypsum Daze" 07/19/15 Cheyenne, WY "Cheyenne Frontier Days" 08/01/15 Sweet Home, OR "Oregon Jamboree" 08/02/15 Merritt, BC "Rockin' River Music Fest" 08/06/15 Detroit Lakes, MN "WE Fest" 08/07/15 Prairie du Chien, WI "Country On the River" 08/08/15 Cherokee, IA "Creek Fest Music Festival" 08/09/15 Davenport, IA "Mississippi Valley Fair" 08/22/15 Gardendale, TX "Texas Thunder" 09/05/15 Thornville, OH "WCOL Country Jam" Read More
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They said “Just show up” … so we did!
Nashville Country duo Big & Rich came to town to play the relatively small stage of The Pourhouse in downtown Minneapolis, playing a “just show up show” that was also a promotional event for local country station BUZN102.9.
“Just show up” meant exactly that—no ticket needed, no call-in-and-win, no games, and no cover charge—a refreshing nice change from all the hoops sometimes involved in getting into a concert. The only task was queuing outside in line on a relatively chilly evening, but everyone seemed to get into the venue smoothly, once doors were open to the public.
Local St. Paul band Maiden Dixie warmed up the crowd with a set lasting just under an hour that consisted of two-thirds originals and one-third cover songs, which proved to be an agreeable mix. The band was promoting their latest, the upcoming Unsafe & Sound, due out April 14, which was produced by local guitarist Kevin Bowe.
The sophomore release follows their previous Little Black Dress, and the six-piece has continued to hone their songwriting craft and stage presence in concert as well, clearly having fun performing. With both male and female singers as well as a fiddle player, they showed their versatility playing their own songs, as well as those of The Eagles, Shania Twain, and others, that kept most of the audience engaged, as all waited for the headlining act.
Big Kenny and John Rich have been a musical “sum-is-mightier-than-its-parts” force, since turning country music on its ear, over a decade ago. In addition to their many hits, they brought together the MuzikMafia group of artists which included Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, and others. Still touring on last fall’s Gravity (on their own Big and Rich Records), the duo along with a drummer and guitarist, brought the house down with a rousing 70 min. acoustic set.
The back-to-back of opener, ‘Comin to Your City’ and ‘I Came to Git Down’ (which sounds a little like The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’) clearly set the tone that this was a party, whether it was unplugged or otherwise. From there, a trip all the way back to the first song they ever released, ‘Wild West Show’ and another early song, ‘Drinkin’ ‘bout You’, after which Rich remarked, “Is it time for a shot?... I mean, the radio station’s called BUZN, so…”
Ballad ‘Lost in This Moment’ had couples dancing in the aisles and a tribute to the troops with an appearance from a former Navy Seal prefaced the stirring ‘8th of November’ (which drew “USA” chants from the crowd).
‘Look at You’ the Top Ten single from Gravity had people singing along, then the wheels of the show decided to go off-road with a very eclectic medley that covered everyone from Chumbawamba to Weezer, to Madonna, to Pat Benatar to Don McLean, before circling back for the duo’s signature hit, ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).'
After the crowd wouldn’t let them go, ‘Loud’ was played as a somewhat impromptu encore, with Big Kenny mentioning, “we’ve had ourselves a buzzin’ good time here”, to which Rich replied, “Straight up!”. Pretty entertaining for just having to show up.
Nashville Country duo Big & Rich came to town to play the relatively small stage of The Pourhouse in downtown Minneapolis, playing a “just show up show” that was also a promotional event for local country station BUZN102.9.
“Just show up” meant exactly that—no ticket needed, no call-in-and-win, no games, and no cover charge—a refreshing nice change from all the hoops sometimes involved in getting into a concert. The only task was queuing outside in line on a relatively chilly evening, but everyone seemed to get into the venue smoothly, once doors were open to the public.
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Maiden Dixie
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The sophomore release follows their previous Little Black Dress, and the six-piece has continued to hone their songwriting craft and stage presence in concert as well, clearly having fun performing. With both male and female singers as well as a fiddle player, they showed their versatility playing their own songs, as well as those of The Eagles, Shania Twain, and others, that kept most of the audience engaged, as all waited for the headlining act.
Big Kenny and John Rich have been a musical “sum-is-mightier-than-its-parts” force, since turning country music on its ear, over a decade ago. In addition to their many hits, they brought together the MuzikMafia group of artists which included Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, and others. Still touring on last fall’s Gravity (on their own Big and Rich Records), the duo along with a drummer and guitarist, brought the house down with a rousing 70 min. acoustic set.
The back-to-back of opener, ‘Comin to Your City’ and ‘I Came to Git Down’ (which sounds a little like The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’) clearly set the tone that this was a party, whether it was unplugged or otherwise. From there, a trip all the way back to the first song they ever released, ‘Wild West Show’ and another early song, ‘Drinkin’ ‘bout You’, after which Rich remarked, “Is it time for a shot?... I mean, the radio station’s called BUZN, so…”
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Big & Rich salute w Navy Seal
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‘Look at You’ the Top Ten single from Gravity had people singing along, then the wheels of the show decided to go off-road with a very eclectic medley that covered everyone from Chumbawamba to Weezer, to Madonna, to Pat Benatar to Don McLean, before circling back for the duo’s signature hit, ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).'
After the crowd wouldn’t let them go, ‘Loud’ was played as a somewhat impromptu encore, with Big Kenny mentioning, “we’ve had ourselves a buzzin’ good time here”, to which Rich replied, “Straight up!”. Pretty entertaining for just having to show up.
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Big & Rich at The Pourhouse, Minneapolis (25 March 2015) |
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