The second annual Hot Country Nights brought together four diverse country acts. This year's show consisted of five hours of music from Michelle Branch, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley. This certainly was a country show and the die hard country fans were in attendance. It seemed summer had come a little early as the tailgating began in the early afternoon hours.

The alcohol started to sink in and the collective mood of the audience went from somewhat calm to somewhat rowdy by the time Shelton walked on stage. There were a few points in the midst of the show that music was almost secondary, merely background noise. The real party was in the general admission pit and the stylings of the biggest names in the country industry was just the soundtrack.

Michelle Branch's career has taken many turns, especially in the past few years. Branch has been described as a pop sensation and been a part of one of the hottest country duos to hit the country scene in years, The Wreckers. But for now Branch is back on her own as a country artist.

She spent the entirety of her quick set strumming an acoustic guitar and rarely moving away from the mic stand. It didn't much matter what she did on stage though, as she captivated the audience with her big voice and catchy hit songs. The set was a funny mix of vintage Michelle Branch such as “Breathe,” which was followed up by the more country “Sooner or Later.” Branch may have taken some criticism for jumping on the country band wagon a few years back, but her music has always had a folksy feel to it. She may have found her niche in a music industry that is undergoing major changes. Her live set was a memorable one. No matter if she's pop or country there’s no denying she's talented.

Blake Shelton has been performing for a very long time. The country star knows how to work a stage, he knows the moment when an audience needs to be revved up and he knows exactly what to say to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Mr. Shelton is a bona fide entertainer. The hit music speaks for itself. All Shelton had to do is strum the first chords of “Austin,” and the thousands in attendance were on their feet singing the lyrics. When an artist has such solid material to work with as Shelton has, it becomes hard to add to a live performance but Blake did just that. The down time between the songs quickly became the time to look froward to as Shelton regaled the audience with stories form childhood the road and whatever else would spill from his mouth. At one point Shelton said he'd shoot a deer “...right in the face.” That sentence was met with uproarious applause. The reaction proved just how much over priced beer was sold during the show. Shelton cleared the stage and it was time for the head liner.

Dierks Bentley is the quintessential country star. He has the look, the voice and the personality. He also has the musical ability to back all that up. There’s really nothing Bentley can’t do within the country format that won’t do well. As Bentley launched into his 90 minute set the screams of every female in the audience began to rise. Bentley had no problem getting close to his fans utilizing the catwalk that jutted into the general admission area. As fans scrambled to get closer to the star Bentley seemed content amidst the chaos.

“Come A Little Closer,” was met by huge applause and once again the fans took over the singing duties. The five plus hours of entertainment was well worth the small price of admission. Hot Country Nights gave concert goers a refreshing opportunity to get into gear for what should be a great summer for country fans. As soon as the concert concluded the party spilled into the parking lot. A blonde fan donning boots and pigtails was finishing the last of her Corona. A security guard politely asked her to hurry it along. She looked directly at him and screamed “Hot Country Nights,” and with that she dropped her empty bottle onto the pavement. The security guard smiled “It’s definitely a country concert tonight,”he said. It most definitely was.


Review By: Tyler Sobie