Billy Currington & Kip Moore @ Hard Rock Cafe Boston

Boston’s Country 102.5 is in full swing with their annual Rockin’ Country Music Series. I randomly attended this series last year; I heard Joe Nichols would be performing at the Hard Rock Café in Boston. In my mind, that was amazing… someone as popular as Joe Nichols playing in such a small venue. I mean, I didn’t listen to country music/country radio regularly at all, but even I knew Joe Nichols – all proceeds were going to Fisher House Boston… a good cause, good music… I went. What a great place to see someone that you really enjoy. It holds around 250-300 people and you can stand right up to the stage. Heck, Joe even chatted with us along the front.

Fast forward to 2011, Country 102.5 is doing this Series again, but this year everything collected will be going to Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. Another fabulous cause and more great artists. The shows have been selling out which is great for the organization and the performers, but makes for a tight squeeze as drunk girls come in from behind trying to be seen by the "he's so cute" singer. I stand up front for photos, but the drunker girls get the more they are trying to move you out of their way – fortunately, I’m tall and can be a wall when I need to be, so no passing me. Tsk, tsk. My favorite last night was at some point during Billy Currington a girl, she had been trying to get up front for awhile, came up between me and another blonde woman to my left. This 3rd says “don’t worry it’s just me I’m back.” The girl next to me said “I’ve been standing next to this blonde here (me) all night. We got up here early; you didn’t… go to the back.” I was worried it would get interesting, but it remained relatively calm and the 3rd girl moved back.

Last night, Wednesday, October 5, 2011, they had Billy Currington and Kip Moore. Kip Moore opened the night – I have to admit, I was most excited to see him. I am not overly familiar with either of their music, but I really enjoyed attending these events last year and getting introduced to new singers early in their career. I want to like them and throw myself into supporting them. This is how I became a fan of James Wesley and David Nail. Kip Moore was equally outstanding.

Kip kept the crowd engaged through his set with tales he shared of his life in Southern Georgia and he knew when to throw out Boston references to keep our narcissistic town feeling involved (I say that with love – I yell every time, too). He mentioned that he is a major Celtics fan and I think he said Rondo is his favorite player – yes, Rondo is the man. As he told stories between each song, I noticed his southern drawl was just a joy to listen to – I originally come from the south and some speak really, really slow. But he had a nice flow, yet maintained the drawl. I enjoyed his tales. The biggest disappointment of the evening is that there were no CDs for sale. Fortunately, we can download his latest single, Something about a Truck, on iTunes. Oh, and he asked ever so politely that we harass our radio stations to play Something about a Truck. He sang his 1st single Mary is the Marrying Kind. Along in the mix, he played a number of catchy songs… I usually video tape at least one, but I had a large guy in front of me so that didn’t happen last night. Overall, I thought his songs were promising and his delivery was top notch. I am sure if he comes back I’ll be there supporting him. His debut CD should be released in January 2012 and if given the opportunity to see him live, do it!

As Billy Currington’s band was setting up, I noticed Scotty Emerick at the back of the stage. It took me a few moments to be confident that it was indeed him. I had just seen him perform with Toby Keith in Sept, so he was very fresh in my memory, though I was surprised he wasn’t more in the forefront. When Billy Currington took the stage, there were plenty of screams! The girls went wild. There was actually a push towards the front that took those of us up front off our feet. As he performed, I was amazed how many songs of his I knew. It was kind of a “hit after hit” performance. Just a few of the songs performed were Don’t, That’s How Country Boys Roll, Love Done Gone, I Got a Feeling, People are Crazy and Must Be Doin’ Something Right. My personal favorite is Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer… yes, he sang that, too! That song got me through losing my job briefly last summer and Love Done Gone recently got me through being dumped via text. So maybe I should buy more of his stuff… hmm. Anyway, Billy’s performance was solid and his passion for performing came through clearly. He performed as if he was in a stadium not just in a bar. He joked with the crowd and asked for people to yell out requests, though I’m not sure anyone did. My friend had gone to the bathroom and wasn’t able to get back up front with me so after seeing one woman removed as she nearly fainted from the heat… I went back and joined my friend. The music was superb and Billy put on one heck of a show! Would love to see him again.

Pictures will be loaded later. It was a late night and my early morning came too soon.