Buddy took the stage wearing his black duster and black pants, with a blue shirt and black hat. His first song was "I Wanna Thank Everyone." From that he went into "Abilene" and then thanked everyone that may have watched Nashville Star and voted for him, and country radio for playing his songs.
Buddy said he's trying to get Trace Adkins to record the next song, but he hasn't convinced him yet. It's one that is on his album, called "One in a Row."
Next was the Clint Black composition "I Can Get By." Then, Buddy said that he is so lucky to have such an understanding wife in Tené. He said she's got the hard job, back in Tennessee, taking care of the kids and keeping things together. He said they had just celebrated their 15 year anniversary. He dedicated the next song to her, which was "Please Come To Boston."
Buddy said that it was an honor to be able to attend the CMAs, and even more so to be nominated for the Horizon Award. He then congratulated his buddy Joe Nichols for winning the well-deserved award. He said the high point of the night was getting to meet Dolly Parton, then mentioned he thought he saw Dolly in the back, but it was just two bald-headed guys. To this, he got a round of applause and chuckles.
"One Step at a Time" was next, and Buddy said he learned to sing in church. From there he sang his current single "Sweet Southern Comfort," saying the song was at that time No. 17 on the charts, and how glad he was to have back-to-back hits. Not a bad start.
He then introduced his band members. One of them was from the San Francisco Bay Area, and he got wild applause after Buddy said he was from San Jose.
Buddy said he was gonna take us to the swamp land and proceeded to sing "Gimme Three Steps." He ended the show with "Help Pour Out The Rain (Lacey's Song)"
After the show it was announced that Buddy would be signing at the merchandise table. I didn't go out to try and get an autograph, but there was about a 20 minute intermission between his show and Trace's show, and Trace's show was about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and when I left the venue, Buddy was STILL out at the merchandise table signing and the line to meet him was huge.
This man works harder than anyone I've ever seen. You can tell he loves his fans, and the fans sure do love him.
If Buddy comes your way, do try and catch his show. He puts on a great show that's suitable for every age.
Set List:
- I Want To Thank Everyone
- Abilene
- I Can Get By
- Please Come To Boston
- One Step at a Time
- Sweet Southern Comfort
- Gimme Three Steps
- Help Pour Out The Rain (Lacey's Song)