Artist Spotlight

Ridiculous concert expectations

inacountryminute
Jun 21, 2022
3 min read

After reading a few negative headlines about the recent Eric Church concert at US Bank Stadium, I thought I should give my own review. Most of that negativity I had read about was geared towards Morgan Wallen, the only thing I can think of people would complain about might be if they were comparing him to Eric Church. That would be completely unfair, for so many reasons, stating the obvious - experience, and the differences in the fan base.

As an avid concert attendee, I love concerts, the atmosphere, singing along, watching the

band interact and of course, a little dancing along never hurt anyone. (Unless someone is out of control and breaks your toe, that's a whole nother story). My favorite places are small venues because I like standing close to the stage. I am not a tall person so open sight lines are important. This was my first show at US Bank Stadium. As I said I prefer smaller venues, but Eric Church outgrew those years ago (US Bank stadium was sold out with over 51,000 people in attendance.)

We missed Ernest, he was opening the show as we struggled to find parking and had long lines to enter the building. Morgan Wallen sounded great, looked confident, and was active on stage during his set. I've seen him several times including 2 radio tour shows. His southern accent is deep, and I've heard his words sound a little bit unclear at times, he has

improved greatly over these last few years, but he didn't seem to struggle with that at all during this show. The crowd knew his music and sang along with so much energy! Morgan Wallen's Dangerous Album sat at #1 for an outstanding 51 weeks. People know his music. There weren't big showy lights or dramatics during his set which is not abnormal for an opening act. By the way, I am glad he's totally focused on the music and his performance. He interacted with the crowd and signed a few autographs from the stage. He appeared to have enjoyed the stage and crowd. His performance ushered in Eric Church very well.

Eric Church is a seasoned entertainer. He's creative and passionate about his music and was fun to watch. Church extended many of his most known songs and had a fun mix of the songs from his collection of albums playing through his set. Some of those songs I had nearly forgotten about. He paid close attention to even the youngest of fans surrounding the stage and signed items for them as he sang. I am extremely glad we stayed, we considered leaving because our seats were in the nose bleeds, actually the highest in the 3rd deck so we opted to find a place to stand behind a bar ledge a little farther back from the railings on the level below. I nearly fainted looking up to where our seats were, having anxiety about heights. We stood directly across from the stage on the upper deck.

I honestly don't plan on attending another show at US Bank Stadium. It is a sports venue 1st, not a good concert venue. The screens on the stage are enormous, the sound and video didn't sync properly, and the delay of it reminded me of Godzilla movies in the 80s. Sadly, yet understandably, the screens are your whole visual experience and can only show a small amount of what's happening on the stage. I think many things could improve the concert experience there, but it is still an enormous stadium. There was a double sound ringing the whole time. The quieter parts of the songs, especially the acoustic parts, were an audible mess, it was unintelligible. I don't get irritated or walk around whining about what I dislike about shows because my reasons for attending are for the connection to the music and enjoying the atmosphere and that was delivered at the artists' highest standards. There needs to be sound changes made, there's no doubt. That is not and shouldn't be reflected on the artists. The show was great. If you haven't seen either of them, get tickets and definitely go. Do yourself a favor and understand the venue that you are attending. It will stop you from wrong, unmet expectations and give you a realistic experience.

until the next concert adventure,

Rose

In A Country Minute

Catching up with the NEELYS

inacountryminute
Apr 4, 2022
3 min read

This last fall my daughter and I visited Jeremy and Kaci Neely at their Nashville home. Kaci and Jeremy are the husband-and-wife duo NEELY, they are world traveling and touring independent singer/songwriters. I met Jeremy and Kaci about 10 years ago on social media and we became instant friends. We have compared our lives in many ways over the years. We have talked about the workouts we were using, recipes for clean living and things like marriage and raising kids. They “road-schooled” their children and that gave them the opportunity to travel for their careers. The last couple of years brought on many changes to the lifestyle that they had been pursuing in their musical careers. They have used the current events to restructure their lives. A friend helped them set up a recording studio in their home and they have been able to record their acoustic projects and the vocals for their current songs. Little did I know that our visit would be immediately followed by their daughter’s surprise engagement.

A few months later, after the wedding, Jeremy shared with me that he had written a song titled Fairytale Kind of Love about their daughter and son in law that was “completely Aubrey and Josh’s story… with the hook of it being ‘it’s a Walmart, first kiss fairytale kind of love'”. Jeremy and Kaci released a version singing together but at the reception, Josh secretly had recorded a version of it with him singing it for Aubrey. The Neely's have now moved out of Nashville and the backdrop of their new house is breathtaking and is a perfect place where he will continue songwriting and producing music. Jeremy said they have missed traveling but more so the people, the fans, and friends they have met along the way. This current way of life is definitely allowing them to spend more time with their family and friends. Jeremy said to me, "no one is a greater influence on children than the parents." I applaud that. When I even try to picture the busyness of a touring family and trying to remain organized, deliberate, and remain a positive influence in such a whirlwind style at times, it wears me out.

We chatted about what music life in Nashville is like, writing music, current music trends, social media, music style, personal style, and self-confidence. Jeremy said he had learned early on to remain true to his voice and not to try to copy the sound of different artists in an attempt to follow their successes. "It can be so unnatural, and it can put added stress on your vocal cords and throat." He reminisced about a time when the current artists were so raspy that he would try to copy that sound and couldn’t keep his throat moist enough and it would wear out his sound fairly quickly. A producer gave Jeremy a useful piece of advice - to not continue that falsity if he wanted to be successful in the music industry. The music industry doesn’t want copycats, uniqueness is what is needed to stand out and be heard. That in itself is such a great piece of advice to share.

Thank you, Jeremy, I really appreciate your friendship and time chatting with me.

much love, Rose

Jeremy Neely is currently collaborating his talent with other songwriters, and you can hear the latest project with Aaron Carter on This Town, released on 3/10. https://youtu.be/g-TnJWZQv9Q

The Neely’s are also working on releasing acoustic versions of some worship songs they have written and recorded. With the latest release on March 25th of God You Loved

click the buttons below to view their social media pages, song links and videos

one of my personal favorite songs

Diamonds and Whiskey, the perfect combination of comfort and sparkle

inacountryminute
Mar 29, 2022
2 min read

Glamorous and casual, that’s the word picture I got when I heard the band name Diamonds and Whiskey. That picture is completely fitting for this band, the lead singer is Jennifer Lauren and I had a chance to talk with her a few days ago. Diamonds and Whiskey were on their new bus (thanks to DARK MOON) traveling to the 2nd tour stop on the North Dakota Country Fest Your Town Tour with David Lee Murphy and Julia Cole. J.Lauren is a talented lady from Charlotte, North Carolina, and the heart of Diamonds and Whiskey. The full band is made up of Logan Foland on guitar and vocals, Brandon Lambert on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and vocals, Ryan Joffe on bass, and Tom Willhelm on drums and also vocals. Jennifer talked to me about her life and what an inspirational and triumphant story that is. Let me elaborate slightly, Jennifer Lauren was diagnosed with lime's disease after suffering from symptoms for many years, is in remission from cancer, and has recently recovered from a few surgeries following a terrible car accident. It seems like a long list but she hasn't let it slow her down. She’s a powerful lyricist, guitar player, energetic performer, and a mom, not afraid of getting her hands dirty working on cars or catching fish. The songs she has written are relatable and connect to fans so well, but it’s also the power and intensity of her voice that will leave you wanting more. Jennifer said she has gotten comfortable with being open about her life and incorporated her personal stories into her lyrics. She said, "It has brought me peace.", knowing people can relate to her and that has allowed her to be authentic in her music. Jennifer has had many responses from fans finding comfort in her lyrics, realizing that they are not alone in 'their own fight' whatever that may mean in their own lives. Diamonds and Whiskey’s latest song release WALK HARD is a story of the beginning of a new relationship and navigating through the old heartache and emotions left from the previous relationship. The influences of southern country rock are evident in the musicianship of this track and the well-crafted video has over 70K views on Youtube.