REVIEW
COUNTRY2COUNTRY LONDON O2 2017
Country 2 Country is like Christmas for country music fans. It’ s a time when we’ re all a little nicer; we all beam from ear to ear; we chat to strangers in toilet queues; we save all year for it, then spend far too much; we eat, we drink, we’ re merry and all in the name of the music we live for – country. Now in its 5th year and 2nd year as a three-day event, Country 2 Country was created by AEG Europe and SJM Concerts in association with The Country Music Association, with the aim of bringing country music to the UK. Thanks in large part to the support the British public has shown the event, 2017 is set to be the biggest year for live country music on our own shores, with major tours from Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum, to name only a few. So, if you haven’ t been initiated into C2C yet, our Country Music Editor, Kelly Andrews, was there to get‘ The 411’ on the event.
The Headliners
BRAD PAISLEY
A formidable force in country music, three time Grammy Award winner and three-time CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Brad Paisley last headlined the festival in 2014. So, as Paisley later pointed out“ every seat is gone in here” and the crowd had reached fever pitch by the time the first notes of‘ Thus Sprach Zarathustra’ rang out, merging into‘ Crushin’ It’. Let’ s face it, anyone who announces their arrival with Thus Sprach, is going to have a lot to live up to, but if anyone were
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up to the task it’ s former CMA Entertainer of the Year, Brad! Crowd favourites‘ American Saturday Night’ and‘ Water’ followed, with Paisley, by this point, already on his third custom Telecaster.
Paisley does love to have a go at the‘ British’( whatever that is) accent. You may wish he wouldn’ t, but kind of love him for it at the same time.
“ I love British culture. You’ re not so different from us. You drive slightly smaller cars, a lot fewer trucks. But you’ re the same kinda people. I’ m looking out at people who are the British equivalent of hillbillies I’ m
sure. It’ s, just you know, one accent is‘ hi y’ all’ and other is‘ oh‘ ello’. I’ m reminded how small the world is when we come over here and you know the words to these songs”.
What comes across in these stars is just how surprised they are that their music has a following outside their own country and they are so appreciative of it. At home, such attention to the entire back catalogue is less prevalent. I like to think it’ s because we have to work hard for our country music. British fans are born out of a history of really having to look for their music. It’ s not on the radio every time you