Late September evenings are trending cooler as the days are getting shorter, and outdoor venues like the Shoreline Amphitheater are winding down their schedule. With only a small handful of shows left we caught
Jason Aldean's High Noon Neon Tour just as they are ending the second leg of their 34 city schedule. I suppose Californians are fortunate to have 5 of those stops in our state alone. And after 32 of those shows the boys were hitting on all cylinders! They brought along with them
Luke Combs and
Lauren Alaina for the entire tour as supporting acts. The high-energy show these two artists put on have definitely honed their skills as performers. They should soon be capable of headlining their own tour, so be on the look-out for that!
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| Luke Combs @ Shoreline (Photo: Ken McCain) |
Speaking with a colleague last night he noticed that there were a great deal of fans there to support Luke Combs. Lines for merchandise queued up into the pathways and he couldn't help but notice how many were buying Combs' gear. It's a good sign for this 28 year old North Carolinian that he is doing things right. He joined Jason Aldean on this tour having only one album, "This One's for You", but has gained a great deal of buzz with that debut, charting to #1 on US Country Billboard and receiving a handful of nominations for Country Music's top awards.
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| Jason Aldean @ Shoreline (Photo: Ken McCain) |
After two great sets by both supporting acts fans were warmed up and pumped for the headliner. The native Georgian born Aldean is Country Music's top performer for years now. There isn't enough space to get into the nominations, awards, and accolades he and his band have received over the years. But suffice it to say, he's one of the best ever! His eight albums over the last 13 years yield some of the greatest tunes. Fans reward him with the feedback only found in a concert -- they sing back to him every word of every song. I mentioned to one concert-goer that I didn't know the words as well to his newer material. She told me "Me too, but it's okay, I love these songs and you can make the words up as you go." She was having a great time as were the rest in the nearly sold out venue.
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| Jason Aldean @ Shoreline (Photo: Ken McCain) |
His greatest fans had a huge challenge last night. Aldean & Co. played 24 songs, and that's a lot of lyrics to remember. But these seasoned musicians are more than up to the task every night. Tully Kennedy (bass), Kurt Allison (lead and rhythm guitar), Jack Sizemore (rhythm and lead guitar), Jay Jackson (pedal steel guitar), along with THE coolest drummer in Country,
Rich Redmond, help bring life to the music fans come to hear them play. It's a visual experience, as well, in which they coordinate large screen video and some of the best lighting I've had the pleasure to photograph. Kudos to their stage crew!!
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| Rich Redmond @ Shoreline (Photo: Ken McCain) |
At one point between songs Aldean spoke to the audience about a song he did recently called "Drowns the Whiskey". He baited the audience a little saying that he cut the song with a friend
Miranda Lambert. He then said that he decided to give her a call to see if she'd like to come out tonight and sing it with him. The venue erupted with screaming for her to come out and do just that. I didn't quite catch what he said was "her response" due to the screaming, but it amounted to a "no", and then proceeded to sing the song without her. The girls in the audience filled in for her quite nicely, though.
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| Jason Aldean and Kurt Allison @ Shoreline (Photo: Ken McCain) |
I cannot say enough good things about Aldean and his band. They really set the bar high not only for song production, but also for live performance.
Redmond is a powerhouse on the drums. He plays as big if not bigger than anyone in music today. He is an actor, educator, producer, author, and motivational speaker along with being Aldean's drummer. Where does he find the time?! The depth of his talent is evidence that the continued success they achieve is no accident. As they play one last show tonight in Southern California it's uncertain when their next tour will begin. They do plan a new album in the near future, so stay tuned for more from this gifted group.
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