Weeks prior to the CMT Up In Smoke Tour, Kip Moore made a stop at Pennysaver Amphitheater on Saturday August 29th for yet another stellar country show put on by Long Island’s My Country 96.1 FM. With direct support from an exciting line-up of Brothers Osborne, LoCash Cowboys, and Chris Stapleton, Long Island’s growing country fan base was treated to beautiful end of summer weather at one of Long Island’s most unique outdoor venues with some of the genre’s most exciting young stars.
Brothers Osborne, comprised of brothers John and T.J, were the first act to take the stage. With them they brought T.J.’s traditional, deep country vocals, mixed with a delightfully easy-going folk-like rock sound. T.J. Osborne’s voice makes Brothers Osborne a very pleasant band to listen to in a live setting, and is a memorable feature to many fans that are not familiar with their music. Because they currently have just two singles released, many of the songs the brothers performed were not yet known to those in the audience. That may change with the impending release of their self-titled five-track EP set to be released on September 9th, but it did not stop fans from enjoying all the new music they got to hear from one of country music’s up-and-coming bands. The Brothers Osborne opened with a song that will be included on this new EP called “Shoot From The Hip”, a song with a great hook in the chorus that has a definite outlaw country vibe. They also played previous single “Let’s Go There” and new songs “The Last One”, “Stay A Little Longer”, and “Pins and Needles”, which are candidates to be included on their full length album that is expected sometime in 2015. They closed their set with their current radio single “Rum”; a fun, mid-tempo summery song that is currently sitting at #35 on the Billboard Country Charts.
LoCash Cowboys, a band that cannot help but bring a party with them wherever they go, were up next. Composed of Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, this duo is one of the most energetic live acts in country music, and they proved why. Brust and Lucas are almost never standing still on stage, whether it is jumping around, climbing up to stand on barriers, taking selfies with the crowd, or engaging directly with fans in the front rows, there is never a dull moment with this charismatic twosome. Their set also displayed their talent as songwriters when they covered songs they wrote for Keith Urban and Tim McGraw with “You’re Gonna Fly” and “Truck Yeah”. They also played their own “redneck anthem” (their own words) called “Hey Hey Hey”, which depicted their love and pride for their country roots and lifestyle. LoCash Cowboys even dipped into classic rock territory, to the delight of the crowd, with covers of Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home”, and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, the latter perfectly illustrating their fun loving demeanor on stage. The duo did show their soft side with the song “Best Seat In The House”, which was dedicated to and inspired by Lucas’ father who has passed away. Brust and Lucas ended their wild set with a new song that so far they have only given to My Country 96.1 to play called “I Love This Life”, a catchy, feel good track that is sure to be a hit when they choose to release it. LoCash Cowboys are perfect in the role of openers because they never fail to rile up a crowd and pump energy into a venue with their infectious personalities.
Chris Stapleton, though immensely talented vocally and as a songwriter, could not contrast more with LoCash Cowboys as a stage performer. When he took the stage, his voice really carried his set since he was mostly stationary at his microphone stand throughout. What he lacked in stage presence he made up for in spades with his vocals and wide range of fan favorite covers. Because of his reputation as one of country’s most talented songwriters, Stapleton performed many popular covers that he has writing credits on, one of the most significant songs being Luke Bryan’s recent single and #1 hit “Drink A Beer”, which the crowd knew every word to. He also included a few songs in his set from his days in a bluegrass band, one of them being “Midnight Train to Memphis”. Stapleton even lended his bluesy voice to a cover of one of the most legendary country songs in history, Johnny Cash’s famous “Folsom Prison Blues”.
Finally, headliner Kip Moore took the stage to a thunderous applause from the crowd with opening song “Crazy One More Time”. For obvious reasons, Moore is immensely popular amongst female country fans. Sporting a cutoff tank top on a cool night and the “bad boy” persona he is known for on stage, he definitely knows how to take advantage of the good looks he was blessed with. Moore also has a very distinctive, rough voice, another trait that has brought him popularity and recognition so early into his music career. He made sure to perform all the singles from his successful first (and only) album Up All Night. First was “Beer Money” four songs in, then the sweet and romantic ballad “Hey Pretty Girl” that never fails to captivate the female fans in the audience. Moore also perpetuated his bad boy image with songs like “Reckless” from Up All Night and the yet to be released song “What I Do”. Also performed were the first two singles from his upcoming album in “Young Love” and the classic rock flavored “Dirt Road”, a tribute to a much loved country motif. Before an encore, Moore closed the show with his most popular song to date, “Something ‘Bout a Truck”, which put him on the country music map with a big splash. A fan favorite filled with plenty of country style attitude, Moore’s rough voice, a drawling delivery in the verses, and an anthem-like feel to the chorus, it is no surprise this song captivated fans the way it has. After an insistent request for an encore, Moore returned to the stage to cap the show off with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling”, a classic that is beloved by all types of fans, defying genres and age.
Kip Moore, Chris Stapleton, LoCash Cowboys, and Brothers Osborne had a lot to live up to after a string of wildly successful country shows at the Pennysaver Amphitheater over the past few years, and they did not fail to deliver. This show and the enthusiastic response from the fans will serve to bolster the burgeoning tradition of remarkable country concerts at the Pennysaver, further encouraging My Country 96.1 to continue to bring in top country acts to Long Island. Concerts like this one continue to make the summer and early fall months an exciting time for the growing ensemble of country fans on Long Island.
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