Brad Paisley launched his 2010 H20 Tour this
weekend with
stops in Virginia Beach and Bristow, Virginia, and it was a wet and wild
show.
The music started at 5 p.m. and only stopped for quick set changes and a
move
to the main stage at 7:30, then kept on going until after 11, giving
fans 6
bands and 6 hours of music for the price of admission – a great deal!
And of course it was also a great show. The rain
drizzled,
fell and often poured throughout the Bristow show (just outside
Washington, DC),
which did make many of the water-themed “Water World” attractions less
appealing. But who needs to cool off in a rain tent or waterslide when
you’re
already soaking wet from the ongoing downpours? The crowd didn’t care –
we were
there for the music, and a little water and mud was just part of the
deal. (Want proof? Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAUwmxsjLQM
)
The Water World Plaza Stage acts did a great job
putting the
crowd in the mood. Steel Magnolia opened the show with their catchy,
pop-flavored tunes and really impressed with their top-10 single “Keep
On
Lovin’ You” and their version of the Tom Petty/Stevie Nick duo “Stop
Draggin’ My
Heart Around.”
But the soaked and shivering crowd really got going
when
Josh Thompson took the stage. Everyone seemed to know every word to the
working
man’s anthem’s “Beer on the Table” and “Way Out Here,” singing along on
the top
of their lungs.
Josh’s stage confidence is really growing. While he
was a
bit subdued when I saw him earlier this year opening for Eric Church, he
now
seems at ease, having fun and even a touch cocky just a few month later.
I haven't
seen a performer flirt the girls/women in audience this much since I saw
a male
stripper at a girlfriend’s bachelorette party! Not that there's anything
wrong
with that. The “ladies” he called to 20 or 30 times throughout his
30-minute
set sure loved it (including me).
Easton Corbin finished the side stage performances
with his
laid-back tunes, including the crowd-pleasing No. 1 hit “I’m a Little
More
Country Than That” and the new single Easton wrote for George Strait,
“Gotta
Get to You.” Easton didn’t have Josh Thompson’s stage presence or
anthems, and
the crowd was a bit quieter during his set, but it could have just been
hypothermia setting in after two hours in the rain.
Definitely get to the H20 Tour early enough to
catch the
side stage acts. While I thought Josh Thompson was by far the best of
the
three, both Steel Magnolia and Easton Corbin did not disappoint and
definitely
made some new fans with their performances.
The main stage and lawn areas opened up at 6:30 and
the
crowd quickly moved on, happy with the musical appetizer but more than
ready to
feast on the main course of Justin Moore, Darius Rucker and Brad
Paisley. And
what a meal it was!
Opening acts Justin Moore and Darius Rucker started
the main
stage show off with their own great performances. Justin’s “Small Town
USA” and
“Backwoods” were sing-alongs, and his redneck and proud attitude was
sincere
and endearing.
And of course who doesn’t just love Darius? He may
not be a
showman, but his nice-guy persona and that brilliant, amazing voice
singing
those songs we all know and love always makes for an enjoyable set.
But the real star, of course, was Brad.
See also "Brad
Paisley Sure Knows How to Throw a Pool Party!}
Vicky Dobbin is a
writer, blogger and country music lover in Falls Church, Virginia.
Follow her
at www.Twitter.com/LMyCountryMusic
and read her blog at www.LoveMyCountryMusic.com
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