The stage was set, the lights were dim and after waiting in line to get a close first-come, first-serve seat in a row no further back then the 10th row with an aisle seat, I was all but ready for the Mark Chesnutt show to start. In addition to the good seat location me and my "camera person" (my Mom) were lucky enough to have "meet and greet" passes to meet Mark Chesnutt and get a picture and autograph from him. After doing that, we returned to our great seat spot (I prefer being between the 7th and 12th rows in the center) and awaited the show. First up to the stage was local artist and former Giant/Warner Brothers recording artist Chris Ward.
Chris came up to the stage with his acoustic guitar and another guy playing the acoustic guitar and they went through a short set of seven songs, mostly originals. The first song he played was a Skip Ewing penned track called "Love'll Do That," from his only CD. The song is much more vibrant live than it was in on the CD "One Step Beyond." Next up Chris sang a newer song he wrote called "Two Story Mobile Home." It was a humor-filled song that sure would sound great on country radio. "What We Are" was next and this song, according to Chris, the song is getting some airplay around the northwest. My Mom, from upstate NY, swore she heard it on her local station there. After discussing his life and how he's happy to be doing what he's doing, Chris broke into Charlie Daniels' great "Simple Man." One of my favorite songs from Chris' record came next. It was one of two singles from Chris before he left the label. "Fall Reaching" is the type of song that will impact anyone who's had a special relationship with their son or father. "Back To Earth" was next and it displayed more of Chris' natural charisma. For his final song, Chris chose to honor his fellow police officers and military folks with a stirring rendition of "God Bless The USA." Now, this song is guaranteed to get an audience pumped but when you add active duty military personnel to the mix (including some freshly back from Iraq), the song gave Chris everything an artist could ask for: a standing ovation.
To say that Chris warmed up the crowd would be an understatement. He raised the bar for which Mark Chesnutt had to reach to make the show a truly memorable affair.
Set List:
- Love'll Do That
- Two Story Mobile Home
- What We Are
- Simple Man
- Fall Reaching
- Back To Earth
- God Bless The USA
[ Chris Ward Concert Review | Mark Chesnutt Concert Review ]
