Boots & Hearts was in full swing Friday… despite a weather delay (holy cow what a thunderstorm we had) that caused people to take cover and pray for the rain, wind and hail to end.
But before the storm we got to hear 2 more great female country music acts to add to an awesome performance Thursday night before Brett Kissel and Dallas Smith took the stage at the Coors Banquet Kick Off Party.
As the fans who were at Boots & Hearts on Thursday can attest, the roof got blown off the joint… and thanks are due to Natalie Stovall & The Drive for getting the crowd revved up and rowdy before the boys took over.
Natalie and her band came to Bowmanville on their first trip to Canada to help kick off B&H 2014 – and it was about damn time. After 9 years together as a band on the road, we sure are glad that the bus came north of the border, and we should all be hoping that they come back again soon.
The energy that the entire band brought to the stage was outstanding, the music was tight, Natalie’s fiddle looked like a tiny electric guitar, her hair was amazing AND they played a killer medley that included…Led Zeppelin – AC DC – Jimi Hendrix – The White Stripes – The Scorpions – Michael Jackson – Lenny Kravitz – Beyonce!
It was a great set from a band that I really hope to hear more of in the future. <3
Carly and Britt McKillip took to the stage in the bright afternoon sunshine and pushed things into gear with Fall Like That and Tumblin Tears and had the afternoon crowd singing and swaying and dancing on the grassy lawn in front of the stage.
And then they went and made it a real sing-along with a cover of Matraca Berg’s 1997 hit single Back In The Saddle followed up by their own hit Love Like Mine (that fans of TV’s Nashville will recognize from season 1) and a sweet 90’s medley that included The Wallflowers’ One Headlight, Counting Crows’s Mr. Jones, and Third Eye Blind’s Semi-Charmed Life. I loved every second of that sequence and shamelessly sang every word.
The ladies of One More Girl are going to be big – and if you don’t believe me, believe the people at the Grand Ole Opry who loved their first appearance so much that they’ve been invited back to perform on October 18th. And that won’t be the last time either!
She kicked off her set with my personal fav, Good Lovin’ and continued with her upcoming single, Used as well as covers of Miranda Lambert’s Gunpowder And Lead (which I loved), Big & Rich’s Sell Me A Fake ID, and Jo Dee Messina’s Heads Carolina, Tails California. Like the girls before her, Jess had the fans moving and shaking and singing, which I know she wanted to do.
Jess’s set also featured some awesome fiddle playing by CCMA nominated Ali Raney who happens to make up ½ of The Lovelocks who we also love.
Before the threat of the storm cut the set short Jess did give us the title track to her album Light Up The Night and one last cover with The Band Perry’s Done.
Sadly she wasn’t able to get to her biggest hit so far, Cheap Wine And Cigarettes which will go Gold next week.
So… here’s the video for Cheap Wine And Cigarettes – we know we’ll get a chance to hear Jess Moskaluke sing it and more again some time soon!
And for more pictures of Natalie Stovall & The Drive, One More Girl, and Jess Moskaluke – check out Trish’s blog HERE!
