Kip Moore returned to the Vetter Stone Amphitheater, one of the first places he played when he was breaking out in the Country Music biz.
The sold-out crowd showed up slowly, trying to wait out the almost all-day rain marathon. The bowl at Vetter Stone Amphitheater was still half-empty as the newcomer Gable Bradley warmed the crowd up for Kip Moore And The Slow Hearts.
Gable, just like Kip, has a raspiness to the tone of his voice. Early in his set tonight, though, Gable seemed to be screaming where that raspiness would’ve worked beautifully. Magically, the screaming stopped as he continued and he sounded raspy, sultry, absolutely wonderful. As it seems for most upcoming artists lately, Gable also played an obligatory Tom Petty cover.
I’ve been lucky. This is the second time in a few month’s span that I’ve been able to see Kip play. What a contrast between the two nights! Last time was a full-on acoustic set in a very relaxed bar-type setting. There, Kip played most of the hit songs with plenty of storytelling between each song.
Tonight’s show consisted of Kip and the band, lights, and strobes…that’s it! Not even a tv screen in the background. Definitely unusual nowadays.
Kip hit the stage playing “Crazy One More Time” amidst a sea of red and blue lighting, before launching into the hit song “Wild Ones.” During “Beer Money” he had the crowd raise their drink, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Moore led the crowd throughout the 90+ minute show with his usual “I don’t give a damn” attitude, swagger, and charm. On several songs like “The Bull,” Kip showed off his dancing skills.
Highlights from the show were two-fold. First was the audience taking over the singing of the song “Last Shot.” The best part of the night, though, was when Kip took off on an impromptu jog through the crowd. Security didn’t know a thing about it and Kip apologized to them, explaining, “If I let you know about it, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” Kip just about got another surprise though, as some security didn’t know he’d left the stage. He was almost tackled trying to enter the stage from the backside. All I could hear was one guard yelling “He’s with the band” over and over.
