What a year 2024 was for Country music in terms of concerts, shows and gigs. Ticket sales are becoming a bigger factor in an artist's metrics of success than almost any other aspect of their career right now so 2024 found Country music artists criss-crossing the globe in search of their audiences. We saw some great shows in England, Scotland and America this year and we thought it would be a nice end-of-year recap to share our favourites with you.
10. Ashley McBryde in Birmingham, UK
2024 kicked off in fine style back in January as Miss McBryde came to town! Going to see Ashley McBryde live is like gaining entrance to one of the coolest and most secret clubs around. It's a wild ride of emotions and the person in charge wants you to know that she cares about each and everyone of you. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing your heart out, plot murder, dance and feel all the feels but through it all, under McBryde's authentic and honest stewardship, you'll be taken care of.
9. Lainey Wilson in London, UK
Lainey Wilson delivered an absolute triumph of a performance that never let up in the energy stakes and shows exactly why she was CMA Entertainer of the Year last year. Her warm, engaging stage presence and absolute powerhouse vocals are a winning combination, and it was an utter joy to watch her spinning around on stage and jamming out with her band.
8. Shane Smith & the Saints in Manchester, UK
Another gig played, another crowd rocked: hot, happy and shattered – just like the players themselves. It was a symbiotic experience in Manchester, the energy flowing both ways, like only the great gigs can do. There's no-one quite like Shane Smith and the Saints out there and the commercial success, Opry debuts and wider recognition is tantamount to the hard work and graft they put into every show and every release. They came, they saw, they conquered.
7. The Red Clay Strays at the Long Road Festival, Leicestershire, UK
Making their UK debut in the Interstate tent the Red Clay Strays won hearts and minds with a thunderous performance led ably by their frontman Brandon Coleman. Like a young Johnny Cash, Coleman held the audience in the palm of his hands in true rock n roll style. From the AC/DC riffage of ‘Wasting Time' to the Stapleton-esque vocal histrionics of ‘Drowning', Coleman and his band of merry musicians made an absolute statement of intent.
6. Chris Stapleton in Birmingham, UK
There's something deeply communal and almost spiritual about going to a Chris Stapleton concert – Motley Crue this is not! What you are going to get is an intense and emotional performance delivered by a humble and unassuming guy who seems at his happiest when singing these songs of love, loss and everyday life to his wife, just off to his left. That simplicity is overwhelmingly infectious and heartwarming and the power of Stapleton's message and performance is both edifying and mesmerising.
5. Jelly Roll at the Nissan Stadium, Nashville, USA
This was a redemptive moment for this former felon and there wasn't one person in the Nissan stadium who wasn't rooting for this loveable rogue. Jelly Roll's story is a universal one of second chances and resilience, which is why I think he identifies with so many people in and out of Country music and it was a real privilege to see him have this home-town moment and an honour to share something that clearly meant so much for this powerful entertainer. It was Jelly Roll's night and he grasped it with two hands, holding on for dear life, even when the tears were streaming down his face.
4. Drake Milligan in Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Drake Milligan came to Scotland and stole Glaswegian hearts in a way that no foreign invader has ever done. The intensity and ferocity of his set (the Elvis cover of ‘Burnin' Love' was almost exhausting to watch, heaven knows how Milligan must have felt after delivering it?) was perfectly tempered by quieter moments of smooth, retro Texan emotion and snippets of Western Swing. It was a perfect mix, expertly delivered by an artist on the rise holding lightning in a bottle right now.
3. Morgan Wallen in Hyde Park, London, UK
Morgan Wallen stepped onto the Hyde Park stage and showed the audience just what the new wave of country stars looks like – and the fervour they can inspire from an audience. In his own words, it was ‘badass and extremely loud' and he delivered a thoroughly engaging performance with great showmanship throughout, ticking all the big hit boxes whilst offering enough variety to keep things fresh for fans who attended his previous London show.
2. Bailey Zimmerman in Birmingham, UK
Bailey Zimmerman came to town with arena-sized ambitions and fire inside him to impress. Alongside the showmanship, though, is the talent to be able to write songs that connect with and entertain people: he has that too. His vocals were clean, strong and powerful and, despite never standing still for long enough to take a break, his delivery of them never faltered. This ‘new kid on the block' is here to kick the genre up the ass with his genre-blurring mix of Rock, Pop and Country and judging by the fervent and intense reaction of the Birmingham crowd, he's doing a damn fine job of that already.
1. Eric Church, Chief's on Broadway, Nashville, USA
There was a media embargo on reviews for this show so there's an irony in watching a once-in-a-lifetime show and not being able to share it with anyone else. Being in such a small, intimate space with one of the modern legends of Country music was both inspiring and humble. Church laughed, cried and sang his way through his life story in a similar way that echoes Springsteen's (New York) Broadway show. New songs had been composed specifically for this event to fit the narrative of the stories Church was telling and the 600 or so people in the room were treated to verses, chorus and full renditions of some of Eric Church's most iconic songs. A truly magical evening.
