Concerts are always a fun thing to go to, but when it includes seeing three of the finest acts Nashville has to offer, you're going to see the show of your life.
Nashville recording artists Jason Michael Carroll, Jo Dee Messina and Lonestar all appeared together on April Fools Day, but music was at the top of the list. When stars come to the Ocala Civic Theater in Ocala, Florida, everything is done a bit different. Each show is strictly an acoustic concert. The local radio station, 93.7 K Country hosts the event. Each show is for charity, and for this particular one, all the proceeds went to match the money that was donated by Oprah's Big Give for two military families that are going through tough times. The venue only holds about four hundred people, so it's a very intimate setting, where the stars and fans can both interact. You never know where the show is going to go. Sometimes they are "G" rated and sometimes it gets crazy. One thing is for sure, they are always for a great cause, and the stars are typically in rare form.
This show had an awesome feel to it from the start. It was neat because each star comes out at the same time. They are each lined up at the front of the stage with just a couple of guitars. One will start the shows off and then it goes to the next artist and eventually it will be full circle, where they start again. Each of the artists interacts with each other, which shows that country music stars are also fans of each other.
Once each of the artists was at their stool and microphone, Jo Dee Messina started the show. Her first song was "Heads Carolina, Tails California." As soon as the guitar players started, the fans went crazy. It was obvious that the crowd was going to be very involved in each song.
Lonestar followed Jo Dee and they performed one of their big hits "What About Now." This was the first time many of the fans have seen Lonestar since they changed lead singer last year. Judging by the way the crowd reacted, the guys from Lonestar have nothing to worry about.
Ever since Jason Michael Carroll came out with "Alyssa Lies," I have been a fan. Even after getting his album Waitin' In The Country, I became a bigger fan. Now, after seeing him perform live, I see why the whole world loves him. His talent is amazing and his range endless. It's so hard to believe that he has such a powerful voice, but trust me, he does.
Lonestar also performed their latest single "Let Me Love You." If you've been waiting to hear it, they announced it had just been released to country radio. They also announced that their album would be coming out later this year.
After about the first thirty minutes, things started to get very comical. Jo Dee started telling the story about how "Bye-Bye" made it all the way up the charts to number two. She said that all of her management kept telling her not to worry, it would be number one the next week. Well, eight weeks later, she still wasn't number one, simply because Lonestar continued to sit at number one with "Amazed." This is when Lonestar went ahead and played "Amazed" and the show turned into a war of number one hits.
Jason Michael Carroll sang his latest single "I Can Sleep When I'm Dead," and the crowd ate it up. This song pretty much explains itself. Jo Dee Messina sang her hit "I'm Alright" and then Lonestar followed her with "Walking in Memphis."
Towards the end of the show, someone walked out and motioned to Lonestar's Dean Sams that they had one more song left. So, Dean announced that "No News" was going to be their final song, and from the sound of the crowd, everyone knew they weren't getting out of there so easy. Jo Dee's last song was "My Give A Damn's Busted." The radio station walked out and the crowd was so loud, Lonestar agreed to sing one last song. "My Front Porch Looking In" was one of the most welcomed songs that was performed, but Jason Michael Carroll ended the show with a new song that will be on his next album, "I'm From."
By the time he was finished, everyone in the venue was on their feet. This was one of the best concerts I have seen in a long time. The stars were jamming and the night flew by. Hopefully, K Country will continue these awesome acoustic shows.
Set List:
- Heads Carolina, Tails California (Jo Dee Messina)
- What About Now (Lonestar)
- Waitin' In The Country (Jason Michael Carroll)
- Bye-Bye (Jo Dee Messina)
- Let Me Love You (Lonestar)
- Alyssa Lies (Jason Michael Carroll)
- Lesson In Leavin' ( Jo Dee Messina)
- Amazed (Lonestar)
- I Can Sleep When I'm Dead (Jason Michael Carroll)
- I'm Alright (Jo Dee Messina)
- Walking In Memphis (Lonestar)
- Stray (Jason Michael Carroll)
- Unmistakable (Jo Dee Messina)
- I'm Already There (Lonestar)
- Livin' Our Love Song (Jason Michael Carroll)
- I'm Done (Jo Dee Messina)
- No News (Lonestar)
- My Give A Damn's Busted (Jo Dee Messina)
- My Front Porch Looking In (Lonestar)
- I'm From (Jason Michael Carroll)
