On the second leg of the We Are Pioneers Tour in North America, modern country’s The Band Perry takes to Amphitheaters all summer long. Made up of siblings Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Reid Perry (bass guitar, background vocals), and Neil Perry (mandolin, drums, accordion, background vocals), The Band Perry became one of the new faces of country back in 2005 and steadily climbed to superstar status. With the platinum selling success of their debut album, The Band Perry (2010), 2013’s Pioneer has garnered even higher charted positions and is on pace to be equally as popular. Now with the temperatures finally reaching regular summer standards across the East Coast The Band Perry came to the Pennysaver Amphitheater on Friday July 11th to heat up Long Island, NY.
With a crowd of all ages, it was evident that Country music has found a niche audience on Long Island. The open air stadium gave a festival-like atmosphere as a series of opening acts kicked off the evening starting with Austin Webb. From Williamston, SC, Webb now residing in Nashville, TN, he is slowly making some news in the country charts with a series of singles. With Hollywood looks and a country boy charm, Webb played through a strong seven song set including “It’s All Good”,”Slip On By”, and closing with “Raise ‘Em Up”. Humbled by the experience to play to this Long Island crowd, in the midst his set Webb whipped out his cell phone and proceeded to take photographs with screaming fans as his backdrop. The feel good vibe of Webb’s singing had everyone smiling and eager to meet the artist after the conclusion of his set when he took pictures with fans and signed autographs.
Up next was Maryland-based vocalist Maggie Rose. Jumping into the mainstream of country back in 2009, Rose has built quite a name for herself with delicate vocals and warm inflections. Releasing her debut full-length Cut to Impress (2013) Rose took her rising star status to the next level. Taking to the stage with the beauty of an All-American girl with New York sass, Rose sang delightfully through songs like “Fall Madly in Love With You”, “Mostly Bad”, and “Hollywood”. Astounding the crowd with her voice Rose proved her petite size should not mislead the power of her pipes. Making note that her mom was in fact in the audience to watch her perform the crowd gave a rousing ovation making the set that much more special. With a tight backing band behind her mostly from the New Jersey and Maryland area Rose played on with hits like “Looking Back Now” and new single “Girl in your Truck”. There is no question Rose has style, class, and is a vocalist not to be missed.
With night fully draped over Bald Hill and all areas packed with Country music lovers it was time for The Band Perry. For many Long Islanders this was the first time seeing the band live and it was evident by the amount of cheers that poured down once the three members approached the stage. Moving around with an immense amount of positive energy, The Band Perry kicked things off with the single “DONE.”. The jamming of the guitars mixed with the strong vocals of Kimberly had the fans dancing in the aisles and having a ball. Moving through the set, more hits came rolling out with “You Lie”, “All Your Life”, “Hip to My Heart” and “Postcard from Paris”. Showing unbelievable stage presence and ability to entertain large groups of spectators, there was not a dull moment to be had.
Adding a personal touch to their performance Kimberly, Reid, and Neil all spoke openly about themselves making the atmosphere feel friendly and loose while giving all a chance to look deeper into the soul of the band. Mixing in a heart warming strings rendition of the “Star Spangle Banner” with Neil proudly bring out the American flag the emotions were riding high all around. Flowing directly into “Pioneer” with the three harmonizing, it was a flawless display of sincere musical expression. As if this was not moving enough they also offered a cover of the classic Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” which sent chills down the spine of everyone watching. Keeping that feeling of exhilaration high they then played current single “Chainsaw” and closed out the set with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely”. Exiting for a brief moment to allow everyone to exhale, one of the most beautiful moments occurred during the encore when everyone sang along loudly with parts of the track “If I Die Young”. Screaming at the top of their lungs showing how much they loved the show, fans were treated to one last song with closer “Better Dig Two” which featured all three members unified beating on drums.
It would be difficult to find someone who did not thoroughly enjoy the hour plus set of The Band Perry. The bright young musicians electrified with a well paced show filled with non-stop entertainment. The Band Perry have something for everyone regardless of whether you are a avid fan of Country Music or not and this tour is a highlight of the summer of 2014.
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