Acoustic Heaven

In my little corner of this vast universe, few do country right better than radio station KVOO. In addition to playing the music listeners actually, want to hear, they do countless wonderful things for their listeners including some pretty amazing acoustic shows. Tonight there was one such show at the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar in Tulsa's River Spirit Casino Resort. It was another in their acoustic Ladies Lock-In concerts and the featured artist this time was Canaan Smith. I was intrigued to see if Smith would be playing any new music given the recent release of his new single "Like You That Way." 

It was an impressive set list full of new material like "Love & Learn" and "Chaos" as well as established hits like the number one song "Love You Like That" and my favorite "Mad Love." I have yet to walk away from a Canaan Smith show disappointed, and this performance was no exception. He engaged the crowd beautifully, never stopped smiling, and my head is still happily spinning from all the new songs. Having been to multiple shows, it was impressive to see how his sound has grown and evolved.

Photo Credit: Bridget Little

I'll just say one thing: Smith is still a fantastic songwriter, and whenever the date arrives I will happily be purchasing the follow-up to his terrific album Bronco. When the show was over Smith and even his guitarist Stephen Whitfield, took photos with every fan that asked. After tonight, I look forward to the next KVOO treat and when Canaan Smith returns to Tulsa.

MEET AND GREET

Canaan Smith 5/31/2017

Stephen Whitfield 5/31/2017

Brantley Gilbert ~ Oklahoma City, OK

Brantley Gilbert's Blackout Tour came to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK on February 25th. His two scheduled openers were up and comers Canaan Smith and Michael Ray. I went into this concert the opposite from most attendees. For me, it was my first time seeing Gilbert, but my fifth time seeing Smith, and my third time seeing Ray. So I knew I was in store for high energy, amazing vocals, talented bands, and endless amounts of passion. The show began with a surprise fourth artist, Brian Davis. He got the crowd warmed up and ready with "Against The World" and "I Earned This Beer." Out next was Florida native, singer/songwriter Michael Ray.

The show got off to an explosive start when Ray opened his set with his highly energetic song "Another Girl." It is one of those songs you just can't help but dance to. Then he got everyone singing along when he let loose with a perfect cover of the Big and Rich song "Runaway With You." A song he actually helped co-write. He talked with and engaged the audience at every turn. Ray kept the great times coming with "This Love" and his first number one "Kiss You In The Morning." He also sang "Everything In Between," "Look Like This," and "Drivin' All Night" from his debut album not to mention a great cover of David Lee Murphy's "Dust On The Bottle." It was a treat watching Michael Ray perform. He was so full of energy, he was practically vibrating with excitement. Ray closed out his set with his second single and current top 20 hit "Real Men Love Jesus." The show continued with the Virginia native singer/songwriter Canaan Smith.

Smith got the party back in full swing with "Gettin Into," a song from the deluxe edition of his debut album Bronco. He then went on to show off some of his smooth vocals with his song "Two Lane Road." A song about disappearing down a two lane road in order to find a little bit of peace and calm. Something I have noticed from seeing Smith live is you can feel how he puts his heart into every song each time he steps on the stage. That night was no different. Next up was his current chart climber "Hole in a Bottle." The energy level never faltered as Smith went on to sang us "Love At First", "One of Those," and "Fire." Some may not know this, but Smith actually contributed to the writing of several of the songs on Bronco including "American Muscle." The song that sparked a "U-S-A" chant led by a flag waving Smith. After that the set came to a close with his first single and number one hit "Love You Like That." However, when the last notes faded away, Smith wasn't finished with the crowd. He announced he would be out at the merchandise table signing autographs. After surviving the line to get his autograph, I made it back just in time for the Georgia native, Brantley Gilbert, himself.

Photo Credit: @Little_Bridgie

I think the perfect way to describe Gilbert is found in the very name of his newest album Just As I Am. Gilbert's set began with a song from that very album "Read Me My Rights." He kept the BG Nation up and moving with "Hell On Wheels," "If You Want a Bad Boy," and the ever popular "Dirt Road Anthem." Gilbert is a pro on how to connect with his fans and keep the energy level amazing. He was all over the stage, reaching out, and shaking every hand he could reach. I enjoy when artists tell stories before their songs and the lead into Gilbert's current chart climbing single "Stone Cold Sober" definitely had me smiling. "My Kinda Party," "That Was Us," and "My Baby's Guns N' Roses" kept the incredible night moving along. During the songs there would occasionally be photos playing on the large screen. For example during "You Don't Know Her Like I Do" and then those photos switched to ones of Gilbert and his wife. The incredibly sweet moment was followed up by one of Gilbert's number one hits "Country Must Be Country Wide." After getting everyone dancing he slowed it down with a beautiful two song acoustic performance of "Grown Ass Man" and "Them Boys." While talking with the crowd Gilbert mentioned how sometimes people will want you to change, but you need to be yourself. Once his cover of "Outlaw Women" finished, it was time for "Small Town Throwdown." He invited Canaan Smith and Michael Ray back out to cover the song with him. It was a sight to behold watching three artists with such obvious passion and love for what they do sharing the stage. That passion came though even more for Gilbert when he performed his number one hit "One Hell of an Amen." The emotion from that performance and the slide show was enough to move this country fan to tears. The show finished off with "Take It Outside," "Kick It In The Sticks," and an encore of "Bottoms Up."

Photo Credit: @Little_Bridgie

I was absolutely right about this show being packed full of high energy, amazing vocals, talented bands, and endless amounts of passion. I highly recommend trying to catch one of the remaining stops on the Blackout Tour. I wanted to say Thank You to 101.9 The Twister's The Buff Show for the amazing seats and let everyone know to stay tuned for a separate write up about the amazing bands that shared the stage with these three incredible artists!  

Canaan Smith - Lawton OK

Taste of Country has a Christmas tour that highlights current up and comers in country music. On November 21st that Taste of Country Christmas event brought Canaan Smith's first headlining tour Stompin' Grounds to Lawton, OK. 

Lawton OK #StompinGrounds

Smith's single "Love You Like That" hit number one and his debut album Bronco is loaded with incredibly heartfelt songs.  This includes the title track which is a touching tribute to his brother. Smith, in fact, contributed to the songwriting of 10 of the 13 tracks on the extended album. So some spotlight is well deserved for this talented artist. Before the Lawton show my concert buddy and I had only had the pleasure of seeing Canaan Smith in acoustic shows with his guitarist Stephen Whitfield.

Stephen in Lawton

I love acoustic shows and both gentleman were obviously extremely talented. However, I was very excited to see a full band show. During the VIP part, we were treated to a three song performance with just Smith and you could feel the excitement emanating off of him. After he finished playing, he took photos and signed autographs for us. He was extremely down to earth and very genuine.

My concert buddy and I, as well as our new friends from the VIP performance, were front row for the whole show. We were not only treated to the ENTIRE extended addition of Bronco, but a stunning duet. Opening act Russell Dickerson and Canaan Smith performed "Every Breath You Take" after the always moving performance of "Bronco". I have several songs I love off the album, but not much compares to hearing Canaan Smith perform "American Muscle" live. I loved seeing him bring an American flag on the stage and wave it amidst a
"U-S-A" chant. 

 The chemistry with his band was something to behold as well. One of my favorite things about live shows is watching the band perform along side the artist they're sharing a stage with. After hearing what just one of Canaan Smith's band mates (Stephen) could do with an acoustic guitar, I was very excited to hear the whole band. They were out of this world and Stephen officially became my favorite guitarist. Canaan Smith is an extremely talented vocalist and songwriter. He not only commanded the stage the entire night, but made the fans feel like they were a part of the show too. I highly recommend catching a show of his if the opportunity presents itself. He's currently taking everyone by storm with his Stompin' Grounds tour and then will be joining Brantley Gilbert's Blackout tour with opener Michael Ray. 

Ladies Lock-In with Canaan Smith

Ladies Lock-In is an acoustic show put on by the Tulsa country station 106.1 The Twister.

The Twister is a great station and not just because they give free shows or have one of my FAVORITE radio personalities, Kristina Carlyle. I say they're a great station because they're actually true to they're tagline! They play some of the best new music including the newest single by Canaan Smith "Hole In a Bottle"!

So about the Ladies Lock-In. As mentioned it was an acoustic show and the way in was you had to win your invites. There was several different ways you could do this including the way I won. I was within a certain number of people who responded to a Facebook post. It was actually quite amazing because I had just said to a friend maybe I should give up going to concerts. Because I'm always getting canceled on and losing money on the extra ticket and Lyft rides. Then I sign into Facebook and bam I won invites to what I've dubbed a 2nd chance concert. You see I have a bucket list of musicians I'd love to see live before I go all the way blind.

Canaan Smith is my favorite solo artist and he was on my list. The first time I saw him, thanks to health issues, I passed out. I missed a large portion of the show. Honestly I remember hearing the last 2 songs. Then meeting Canaan and his guitar player Stephen Whitfield at the end and getting autographs from both. So the thought of getting to "see" Canaan Smith live again was my very own dream come true. All I had to do was get through my visit to a new retina specialist right before!

I proved yet again that night you don't need vision to enjoy live music. My tiny RP affected vision tunnel was blurred out thanks to having way to many tests and my eyes dilated.

Myself and Kayla 

But thanks to an AMAZING concert buddy named Kayla when we got to the awsome Riverbend Area I got inside with no problems! While waiting for the show to start there was food and drinks available for order. Yummy and once again thank you Kayla! Before the show I got to see one of my favorite radio personalities Kristina Carlyle and got a picture with her.

Me and Kristina Carlyle

Such a nice lady! I had met her before back in January and she remembered me.. by name! Kristina was not the only before show meet up that I was excited about. On Twitter I have two concert buddies that I had never met, but after the fact (several times lol) discovered we had been at the same shows. This time we figured out we'd all be at the same show BEFORE hand and agreed to meet up. They were so sweet!

Shannon, me, & Amanda

Now if the preshow was so awsome can you guess how great the show was? Uh, can you say fantastic?! Since it was an acoustic show it was just Canaan Smith, his guitarist Stephen Whitfield, and their guitars. 

Now don't take that "just" as a bad thing! Canaan is great on the guitar and has a phenomenal voice. Plus added bonus, Stephen is no slouch on the guitar either! They played the ENTIRE deluxe Bronco album except American Muscle and Gettin Into. Plus a few covers including a stunning rendition of "Run" by George Straight. Have a mentioned Canaan has a phenomenal voice?

A song from Canaan's album that deserves special mentioning, besides his number 1 hit "Love You Like That", is the title track "Bronco". Watch the video below

 "Bronco" is about Canaan's brother and the song is absolutely beautiful. Losing someone so close to you is life altering. (I lost my mom two years ago.) The strength to put that kind of loss into words and then share it with his fans is awe inspiring. Way to go Canaan!!

When I go to these shows I don't really see the artists performing, especially that night, my hearing is extremely good though. One of my favorite parts of shows is not just the name on the ticket/invite, but their band mates as well. Stephen is such a talented guitar player and really very sweet. It makes sense an artist of Canaan's caliber would need the same talent playing with him.

When I stepped up to ask for a photo with him he looked at me and said "Now you've been to a few of our shows before haven't you!" That took me by surprise lol. I've only had the privilege of seeing them once before. If I wasn't going blind and could drive it would be a WHOLE lot more (I'm trying to get to Lawton next month for another Canaan show, wish me luck!) They ended the show with what I'm sure was his first of many #1 hits to come, "Love you Like That". Then at the end of the night 106.1 The Twister gave everyone there the chance to not only meet Canaan, but also take a picture with him!

I was the first one in line. A little nervous but who wouldn't be?! He's very talented! He mentioned on his FB he tries to collected Starbucks coffee mugs from every place he visits and I couldn't find one. So the first time I met him I gave him a Oklahoma shot glass! He remembered it to! Such a great guy. He's headlining his own tour. Check here to see if he'll be visiting your #StompingGrounds! 106.1 The Twister's Ladies Lock-In was a night of amazing memories! A great night with great people and great music! Thanks 106.1 The Twister and Canaan Smith for the great show!