With a career spanning over two decades, Brad Paisley has released numerous hit albums and singles, earning him multiple awards, including three GRAMMYs, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 14 Country Music Association Awards. Renowned for his witty and poignant lyrics, Paisley has produced chart-topping hits such as ‘Whiskey Lullaby,’ ‘She’s Everything,’ and ‘Ticks.’
Beyond his musical talents, he is also a respected philanthropist and advocate for various charitable causes. Paisley has been a frequent visitor to the UK over the past decade and has built up a strong and fervent relationship with his loyal fan base here – meaning his headline slot in London on the second day of the C2C festival was a highly anticipated nexus point of the whole event.
Taking the stage with no fanfare or introduction. Peak Brad Paisley. The guy is a consummate professional who loves playing in Europe and the UK. Let’s be honest, once you get to know the guy and what he believes in, he’s more like one of us than he is most American’s, right? ‘Southern Comfort Zone,’ the opening song of Paisley’s 26-songs-in-90-minutes romp at the O2 area in London speaks to his wider ambitions and viewpoints whilst landing on comfort and safety of the south. I wonder if he still feels like that in 2024?
Paisley’s set in London was fascinating. Part Country guitar masterclass, part furious southern hoe-down, part Rock spectacular and part art installation. There were many times when he let his band, who he described as being ‘new’ as they’d only been with him since the year 2000, take over and do their thing. Elongated jam sessions were part of songs like ‘American Saturday Night,’ Online’ and ‘Riverbank’ and they were a pleasure to watch. Paisley has
reached the enviable point in his career where he doesn’t have to play the Nashville game now, so that freedom can be empowering when putting together a live setlist.
Some songs, particularly the ones earlier in the set, weren’t always played in full. We got verses and a chorus, we got a feel for the song before it bled into another and we got aural and visual landscapes presented to us behind which Paisley and his band weaved their magic like Appalachian wizards! The first five songs in the set (set list below) all flowed together in one combined segment, with the power of ‘Perfect Storm’ offset by the light-hearted humour
of ‘Ticks.’ It wasn’t until the double whammy combo of ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Water’ that Paisley spoke to the crowd. Some might have found that a little aloof but if that was you, you’ve missed the point of what Paisley was trying to do. This was not a straight-down-the-line country music show – it was a showcase designed to make to think, designed to provoke your feels and designed to make you connect with Paisley and the band as they tease over 25 years of emotion out of you with their music.
A clever arrangement of three microphones spread across the stage gave Paisley the opportunity to sing to, and engage with, all parts of the crowd – something that is important for a solo artist to achieve in an arena of the O2’s size: and by god, it worked! ‘The Love Boat’ gave Paisley the chance to introduce his band via the humorous videos on the screen rather than putting the emphasis on their leader every night and this wasn’t the only time that Paisley stepped away and let his music do the talking. ‘She’s Everything’ was an understated masterpiece in which the kiss cam on the screens provided the focus whilst on ‘This is Country Music’ we got an Opry backdrop and a tribute to stars of the genre, mostly now no longer with us. Paisley is experienced enough now, and confident enough in his music to know that he doesn’t always have to be at the forefront of it for it to connect and move people.
Similarly, songs like ‘Same Here,’ and ‘Whiskey Lullaby’ were beautiful in their stripped back simplicity, delivered, as they were by Paisley at the front of the stage, bathed in white spotlights with just an acoustic guitar. The flag in the former has been changed to a Ukranian one now in a nod to Paisley’s work with President Zelensky last year and the sentiments of peace and freedom that the song carries echoed large throughout the hall. ‘Whiskey Lullaby,’
meanwhile, was a chance for a huge arena sing along as the crowd took over Alison Krauss’ part and the phone lights came on.
Elsewhere we also got the raucous, rambunctious side of Brad Paisley that works so well in the live setting. ‘Ticks’ was a hoot, ‘Online’ always fun with the Matrix-style video screens giving way to random shots of men in the crowd who didn’t seem to know they were gently being made fun of! ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ saw Paisley introduce guitar legend Albert Lee onto the stage for an extended romp through that iconic song and he stayed up there for ‘American Saturday Night’ too. A run of classics culminated in the long established London tradition of a ‘The Mona Lisa’ conga – a glorious sight that sees hundreds of people with seats on the floor doing the conga around the arena whilst the stewards just watch on in disbelief. The song was reprised after an encore before ‘Alcohol’ finished off this English saturday night in boozy,Bluesy, arms-in-the-air style.
Brad Paisley’s headline show exuded professionalism, passion and warmth. It wasn’t designed to be a honky tonk riot – those years are gone now. Instead, we got a cleverly pieced together set piece in which you could sing and dance but you could watch, think and feel too. With Paisley as master of ceremonies, the O2 arena was taken on a real journey as we watched what must be one of the most skilful bands in not only Country music, but all of music, go to work in some style, with smiles on their faces and a fire in their hearts.
Tracklist: 1. Southern Comfort Zone 2. Wrapped Around Her Finger 3. Ticks 4. Riverbank 5. Perfect Storm 6. The Love Boat / Water 7. Online 8. Waitin on a Woman 9. Then 10. The Nervous Breakdown 11. Last Time for Everything / Purple Rain 12. Mountain Music / Old Alabama 13. I’m Still a Guy 14. Same Here 15. Take Me Home, Country Roads 16. Whiskey Lullaby 17. This is Country Music 18. Folsom Prison Blues with Albert Lee 19. American Saturday night with Albert Lee 20. Celebrity 21. She’s Everything 22. I’m Gonna Miss Her 23. Mud on the Tyres 24. The Mona Lisa 25. The Mona Lisa (reprise) 26. Alcohol Venue: O2 Arena, London Date: Saturday Match 9th 2024
