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Anthony (the concert world's best undiscovered photographer (www.anthonybarhamphotography.com) that happens to be one of the coolest people on the planet too) and I loaded up our stuff into the car and hit the road for the quick road trip to Danville, VA from Raleigh, NC. Neither one of us had seen any of these guys, had no idea what to expect but knew it was gonna be good. We got to the venue and stepped out into the 400 gagillion degree heat to pick up our credentials and get this thang started. We found our seats and just about the time we finished inhaling our Chick Fil A sandwiches and recovering from heat stroke, the local radio personality stepped up to the mic and introduced Drake White. Ooooh, wasn't expecting that because we had no idea he was an opener along with Steve Azar. I'd heard great things about Drake so I was looking forward to hearing what this guy had to put out there and put it out there is exactly what he did. He was outstanding. His first song, "Born 50 Years Too Late" is a song that one of my favorite artists, Chris Hurt, released so I had no idea that it was actually a Drake White composition. What a great way to start the show, definitely won me over. He was pretty funny too, announced to the crowd that he was heading to the merchandise tent to sign cds, shake hands, take pics and even kiss ya on the mouth if ya wanted. Well, ok then, you don't have to hit this blonde in the head with a bottle of peroxide, I'm all over some kissing on the mouth! LOL! But alas, just as I was heading to collect on that kiss thing, my phone buzzed with a text telling me to come back to the bus to meet up with Eddie Montgomery for a bit. Hmmm, miss a possible smackeroo from Drake White AND miss Steve Azar just to sit and catch up with one of my favorite people on the planet? Hell yeah I would and I did. I hated to miss Steve because he's been on my radar to see for a long time, but being that I adore some Eddie, there was just no contest this time so we headed backstage to find our way to the bus. On the way, ran smack into Troy Gentry (OH MY...). He was very friendly and when I told him we were looking for the bus, he said Eddie was getting dressed. I asked him if Eddie was nekkid cause I didn't need to see that side of Montgomery Gentry. LOL! He assured me Eddie was not nekkid and we went on back.
We were standing beside the two buses and I see the trademark red Jim Beam boots walking underneath the bus and knew that only meant one thing, Edmo was in the house! I can say that Eddie is one of the few artists I've come to know that is exactly who he projects himself to be, a good old country boy who just likes to sing and perform. After spending some one on one time with him, I can tell you that this is a good man, a wonderful person and someone I am lucky to call a friend. I gotta say it was pretty damn cool to sit there on the couch and watch Eddie stand in front of the mirror in his stage clothes (flag jacket, red boots, black jeans and his trademark black hat), making sure he looked ok. He's a pretty intimidating guy dressed up in his Johnny Cash black. He made sure we had cold beer in hand and let us hang out and make ourselves to home while he and Troy did their meet and greet. They are both so involved with their fans and not the types to shake your hand real quick, give a fake smile and pose while rushing on to the next person. They take time with each person, remembering you by name and where they met you. That is a rarity in today's music environment, meet and greets are so "produced" and fake, not genuine at all which is why I stopped paying money to meet artists. This was the true meaning of "meet and greet" and it was very impressive. One of the things Eddie did that really stuck with me was just after handing me my beer, he said "Like I tell everyone that comes on this bus, I'll show you where things are one time, then you make yourself to home and get what you want on your own." That was just very nice for him to do. After the meet and greet ended, we left Eddie to have some quiet time with his son before hitting the stage and we went back to our seats. A few minutes after we sat down, the lights went down and the intro music kicked into full gear. We headed to the base of the stage to be sure to catch some great shots of the guys when they came out.
When they hit that stage, the entire pavilion erupted in hoots, hollers and a thunder of applause. You can definitely tell that these people love Montgomery Gentry, that they're a loyal fan base. Eddie and Troy interact personally with their audience, not generically, it's definitely on a more personal, heartfelt level than most artists seem to. I'm sure that with the past year of issues that Eddie's had to endure, he's even more cognizant of the fact that these people are there to see he and Troy, not just another show. He seems to be a "changed" man, constantly thanking those in attendance for being there. Actions like this is what makes Montgomery Gentry so special to their fans. They do their best to put on the best show they possibly can, regardless of what's going on around them, their moods or what's happened that day. They make each show an experience, something that leaves you singing and smiling when you leave. They broke out all the classic MG hits like "Tattoos and Scars", "My Town", "One in Every Crowd", "Back When I Knew It All", "Hell Yeah", "What Do Ya Think About That" and they also gave a great performance of their newest single, "Where I Come From". I highly recommend purchasing this one on iTunes or Amazon. It's a great song and one that country radio needs to start playing in their regular rotations. They announced that a new cd is on the way and you know I'll be reviewing that one.
They performed "Lucky Man" and I could see it in Eddie's face that this song means so much more to him now than it ever has. He truly is a lucky man and he takes the time to acknowledge that at the end of the song by thanking God. This is yet another reason I love these guys, they're not afraid to be who they are, acknowledge their faith in God, and play their kinda country. They closed out the show with the song that took American Idol, Scotty McCreery, all the way, "Gone". They rocked the pure country out of it and when that was over, they took it to a whole other level by breaking out some Kiss with "Rock and Roll All Night". What a great way to end a night! Fans were happy, singing as they exited the venue. We had made plans to hang out with Eddie some more after the show, but Danville security doesn't play games, they shooed us outta there like flies on grandma's pies cooling on the windowsill. Edmo, THANK YOU for a great night and for just being you. Montgomery Gentry rocked their asses off and blew the roof off the place. If you get a chance to catch these guys live, take it. Their show isn't a show, it's a fan party and just a good time. The music was fantastic and the atmosphere was so much fun. Great show! I don't think I've seen anyone throw down like Montgomery Gentry. Next time, it's on like Donkey Kong so make sure you have plenty of cold beer in that fridge, guys.
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