There was a 20-minute break between acts to set up the stage for Phil, who hit the stage with his single, "That's When I Love You." From there, he launched into his big hit, "Carlene."
Before Phil was an artist, he wrote songs for many popular country stars, among them Jo Dee Messina, Collin Raye, Tim McGraw, Neal McCoy, Alan Jackson, and others. Along with the songs he recorded himself, he also sang several of these songs he wrote that were recorded by other artists.
There wasn't a whole lot of talking during the show, but Phil is very warm and interacts with the audience, shaking hands and hugging people.
During "American Child" one girl even jumped up on the stage waving a small flag while Phil sang and played the piano. You can view a photo of this in the slideshow link to the right.
Added to the songs he wrote himself, recorded by other artists, Phil also sang a couple covers. Actually, one was sung by his lead guitarist, ("You Shook Me All Night Long," by AC/DC, but he also did a great version of Billy Joel's "Piano Man," complete with harmonica. He also covered Huey Lewis' "Workin' For A Livin'" as his encore song, spinning around on the piano on his stomach. Unfortunately, none of my pics of this came out. He recorded this song as an additional track to his American Child CD.
Phil does move around the stage quite a bit, getting on top of the piano, as well as spinning on his stomach, and he even went so far as to go into the audience, signing ticket stubs, hugging people and taking pictures, all the while singing "Just Another Day In Paradise." He's definitely one of the most fan-friendly artists I've seen. Many artists only sign for you if you're in their fan club and attend the Meet and Greet. I found Phil really warm and friendly, and was really happy with the show. I had seen him last year as part of Kenny Chesney's tour, but Phil only had a short 25-30 minute act then. This show was much more involved, lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Below is the full set list from the show:
- That's When I Love You
- Carlene
- My Next 30 Years (made popular by Tim McGraw)
- Joe & Rosalita
- Rose Bouquet
- American Child
- She Was Mine For A While (made popular by Tim McGraw)
- You Shook Me All Night Long
- Bye Bye (made popular by Jo Dee Messina)
- Bluesy instrumental (don't know the name)
- Piano Man
- This Is God
- I'm Alright (made popular by Jo Dee Messina)
- Six Pack Summer
- We Will Rock You
- Just Another Day In Paradise
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Encore:
- Workin' For a Livin'
Soundclips courtesy of Barnes & Noble