Chancey Williams

From the moment that Pam Tillis walked out on stage, it was evident that she was totally at home in front of the huge crowd, and her guitar was simply an extension of herself through which she was expressing her music. Although she’s been performing since the 80s, she hasn’t lost her magic at all, and her incredible talent both on the guitar and vocally, really shone through and reminded everyone in the crowd why she’s achieved so much success. Her country music set journeyed through up beat tracks, as well as the slower ballads, to which she had everyone singing along.

Throughout the show, I think Tillis succeeded in having the crowd on their feet pretty much from start to finish, swaying and dancing along when appropriate. The way that she has so much control over her vocals is amazing, and the trills and improvisations that don’t appear on her recordings were simply magical to hear live. She played a great set, and played all of her hits from over the years, and even let the audience shout out requests for her. Towards the end of the show, she focused on Dos Divas, her newest album, and even revealed that she’s working on new material, which was met with huge applause from the crowd. She’s incredibly talented, and hopefully she’ll keep writing and performing for many years to come.

Taking an interest in music from an early age, Mark Wills began his musical journey through performing in various garage bands inspired by rock artists such as Bon Jovi. In his teenage years he fell in love with country music and at 17 took the opportunity to enter a local talent show in Georgia. Winning the talent show was just the beginning of his humble climb up the ladder, it wasn’t long before he transitioned into singing on demos and eventually his talent being recognised, amounting to his label partnership with Mercury Records Nashville who he signed with in 1996. Later that year he released his debut self-titled album, produced by Carson Chamberlain and Keith Stegall. The first single to come off that album ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ was a roaring success and headed straight into the country charts at number six. His commercial success really took off with the release of his second album, ‘Wish You Were Here’ which featured the title track which earned him his first number one and landed number eight in the Country album charts. That album also scored Wills the ‘Top New Male Vocalist’ title at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1998.
With seven studio albums under his belt, Mark Wills has forged his path to success as well as becoming a recognised Country icon. His live performances have won over many a heart. Simplicity is key for Wills, often performing on a stool in regular clothes and with an acoustic guitar shrouded in a single spotlight. His deep sultry tone wafts through the room, enchanting all present as he delves into his back catalogue playing tracks like ‘I Do (Cherish You)’, ‘Places I’ve Never Been’ and ‘19 Somethin’. The rapport which Wills creates with the attentive audience is both charming and endearing, the intimate settings allows the relationship with the crowd to blossom as he interacts in between tracks asking for song suggestions with plenty of banter. Mark Wills is a pure delight to watch and is guaranteed to leave you with goosebumps.

Riders in the Sky have been a band since Star Wars IV came out, they have won numerous awards including two Grammys for their efforts and they even provided a soundtrack for “Woody’s Round Up” and “Toy Story 2” and even a short film called “For the Birds”, but can they do it live? Of course they can!

They walk on stage as though they have come straight from the Wild West with their cowboy hats and their general cowboy attire. Complete with the instrumentation of double bass, guitar, fiddle and accordion, complete with their tight harmonies and their musicality, they make a fantastic sound that caters to the masses, and this opening song “Ghost” shows off some of their best chops.

Of course, they treat the audience by playing “Woody’s Roundup” and their version of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” originally written by Randy Newman, but this crowd goes wild, applauding from start to finish. They have almost forty years of music to play so selecting the right songs must take a while, with each one sounding like a hit.

Mumford and Sons, take notes.