Post by moshe55 on Apr 11, 2016 13:37:07 GMT -5
The annual C2C festival at the O2 in London is now in its 3rd year, & getting bigger each year.
The 2 day festival was expanded to 3 this year. As well as featuring top US country stars in the Arena shows, there are numerous up & coming artistes & British acts on the Free stages & honky tonks within the O2 complex.
As I said this year the fest ran over 3 days, but I attended just two.
The Friday, which I gave a miss to, featured Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam, Thomas Rhett & so forth.
Which leaves Saturday & Sunday.
I will just skim over the highlights of the Arena Acts to give you an idea.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD headlined Saturday. I love her STORYTELLER album, & she is a superb vocalist, but the sound was way too loud for my old ears & the pace too unrelentingly up-tempo pop. A shame, because I love her music, I rate her as a singer & "STORYTELLER" is one of my most played albums.
No such problems with LITTLE BIG TOWN who gave an outstanding performance that had the audience on their feet thoughout & singing along to their sensual smash "Girl Crush".
SAM HUNT, I thought was superb & the crowd adored him, though I did wonder if he could really be classed as Country. If you are going to have hip hop in your country it might as well be SAM HUNT with his sensitive & melodic songs, rather than the crass Florida Georgia line who were here last year.
Making their UK debut were young female Duo MADDIE & TAE with their fresh sound & refreshing anti-dote to Bro Country.
Newcomers MAREN MORRIS & HIGH VALLEY did shorter sets,
On SUNDAY ERIC CHURCH headlined & I left early in his set. But he was preceded by the very country, & supremely witty KACEY MUSGRAVES who put on a great set of her astute & winning songs as well as a few eccentric covers.
The surprise star of the day was CHRIS STAPLETON who was as country as you can get & wowed the mostly young crowd with his solo rendition of "Whiskey & You".
A few others also played the Arena Sunday but I missed them as I was catching some homegrown acts in the honkytonks outside the Arena.
At last the UK has shown that it can indeed hold a country music festival.
Moreover, it can produce its own country stars! The most successful country act in the UK over the past couple of years are home grown duo THE SHIRES
