Well, I finally broke down and decided to take in a day at the Detroit Country Hoedown. I chose last Sunday because of what I considered to be a pretty solid lineup.
I arrived at the time slated for The JaneDear Girls, but they were running late, so I was able to catch some of Steve Holy’s set. He sounded great and upbeat! The sound mix was superb, especially on the crowd-pleaser “Brand New Girlfriend!” It would turn out to be the highlight of the day.
The JaneDear Girls did a very energized set, but Danelle Leverett’s banjo couldn’t even be heard. Fortunately, her hyperactivity made up for most of what was missing. She was constantly moving around the stage. But from a fan’s perspective, it was very disappointing to not hear the instrument. I mean, if you’re going to feature an obnoxious instrument, you should absolutely make sure that it’s going to be heard. Susie Brown’s fiddle, however, was right up front and was featured prominently in a segue of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” into The Orange Blossom Special.” That was probably the fastest I’ve ever heard that song played! All in all, they really tried hard to give a good show, even though the temperature was about 40 degrees with a constant rain blowing in their faces. They finished with a great version of “Wildflower!”
Next came the duo Steel Magnolia. They didn’t fare so well. The duo, consisting of lead singer Meghan Linsey, who was under the weather, and her fiancé, Joshua Scott Jones, plowed through most of their self-titled debut release. Highlights were “Eggs Over Easy” and “Last Night Again.” It was pretty average fare, but I still think that the lousy mix did not help them.
Finally, the show’s closer came on. This was an incredible opportunity for Detroit country fans to see a major arena artist-for free! And boy was there a crowd! The crowd was large to begin with, but it constantly expanded during the other acts’ sets. Jason Aldean finally arrived about 45 minutes late-even though all of his equipment was already set up onstage. He touched on most of his highlights and sent most everyone home happy-COLD, but happy!
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Until next time, take care of yourself, and take care of each other!
Peace!
Q
