Kip Moore walked out onto the Boots and Hearts 2019 main stage with a bottle of Jack and instantly had the crowd on his side as he introduced himself to the festival for the first time.
At the same time that the band was getting ready and Kip was getting started, we watched as large groups of people came down the hill to the spot they wanted to see the Georgia native do his thing. Moore and his band started strong with a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll approach to their country music. They ripped through Crazy One More Time, Wild Ones, and Plead The Fifth to open the show and they were just getting started.
After the first three songs, Kip Moore looked out on the Canadian country crowd and kept it simple and inspiring, "Alright y'all, it's time to tear some shit up!"
They may not have needed the encouragement, but they greeted it with a big cheer. From there, things just kept rocking with guitar-driven live music that had hands waving, guys and girls up on shoulders, a few brave crowd surfers, and lots of singing along.
The show was full of songs that the fans who love Kip Moore wanted to hear. They got favourites like Beer Money, Last Shot, Just Another Girl, and Girls Like You. And when they did, they reacted with all of the appreciation and joy that you might expect. The cheers just kept on coming, one song after another, without any sign of slowing down or fatigue. This was Kip Moore appreciation hour at Boots and Hearts.
Note: Kip Moore covering Jimmy Eat World's The Middle was a purely enjoyable moment that I didn't expect and didn't know I wanted until I got it. So good.
Over the years, Moore's chart success hasn't matched the ticket sales, streaming numbers, and dedication of his fans. So when we saw thousands of fans loving every minute of the show, we knew it was real. And when we saw and heard them singing along, we knew that it was because they've put the time and energy and effort into listening to them enough to know them and love them.
We know that every time we see Kip Moore, fans are going to get nuts for Somethin' 'Bout A Truck and Beer Money. They did exactly that at Boots and Hearts. It was loud and happy and everything we love to see.
And when Kip Moore got to The Bull and it was time to wrap things up, he gave it everything he had left and the crowd did the same. Everyone earned their Jack on Saturday night!
