There is nothing scripted about Brad Paisley, and the iHeart Radio Theater was the perfect venue for Brad to bring his acoustic guitar and his spontaneous, witty and affable humor. The evening of August 28th in NYC at the iHeart Radio Theater was like chilling with a group of, maybe 100, friends in a living room…minus the furniture. An evening hosted by Mr. Bobby Bones. Brad Paisley walked onto the stage with a grin and a joke. He started the night by singing “Country Nation” off the new album, Moonshine in the Trunk, which is his answer to the question ‘who are we?’ He briefly joked about the slumber party atmosphere of recording the album in his home with its old fashioned English tavern 4-tap beer bar.
As the iHeart Radio Theater was filled with only the most die hard fans, it was no surprise that Bobby Bones singled out a fan he observed singing word for word along with Brad’s noteworthy new tune “Shattered Glass” and knowing the complete history of the song’s creation…which Brad acknowledged to be correct.
There was a concise conversation about how and why Brad chose to leak the release of music from Moonshine in the Trunk. He achieved his goal of releasing each song in the creative way he had imagined with the assistance of various friends such as Jeff Gordon, Ellen DeGeneres and NASA. Then, we were fortunate to have Brad gift us with a few more songs as he stood center stage flanked by two acoustic guitars and wearing his trademark hat and warm smile.
With a quick hello via Skype cell phone to a fan’s friend and some acknowledgments to fans, Brad encouraged crowd participation and laughter. The room alternated between dimmed and flashing lights. In between songs, light hearted banter and a few questions from Bobby, Brad interacted and enticed us to sing along, teased us, and simply made us laugh.
“Crushing It” came next with boisterous singing from the crowd. The entertaining and catchy “Riverbank” was the last song performed for the radio broadcast. The iHeart live stream continued with the sentimental “She’s Everything” that kept the crowd in a hushed state. Brad soon kicked it up a notch with a really cool medley of requests: “Celebrity“, “Waiting On A Woman” and “Me Neither“.
The show ended with some spirited “Alcohol” which kept the crowd pretty darn happy, pun intended. At the end of the evening, the setlist, which Brad did not follow at all, was given to the “Shattered Glass” fan.
The 45 minute party went by quickly but was packed with more music and commentary than one could imagine would fit into such a time frame. Brad was due for a wake up call at 3am as he was doing the GMA Concert Series in the morning. The entire show felt comfortable and relaxed and free flowing. Brad has a voice that resonates sincerity and authenticity. Lyrics of several of the new songs, use deeper and more poignant imagery than the entertaining allegories and metaphors heard in some of Brad’s more humorous tunes. Moonshine In the Trunk will really give folks a chance to hear the thoughtful side of Brad Paisley, that side that is sometimes hard pressed to find on radio playlists. I give a real shout out to “Shattered Glass“. Although he wrote this for and about his wife and women’s struggles….for the woman standing next to me at the show…it touched her as a new mom to a little girl. Lyrics reach deep and touch everyone in different ways.
Take a listen to Moonshine in the Trunk. Listen to the lyrics. You will enjoy the side of Brad Paisley that reaches in and connects with your heart. And you will continue to laugh at his playful and clever songs as well. It certainly is a good thing to keep Moonshine in the Trunk.
Brad Paisley was “Crushing It” at The iHeart Radio Theater.
(Photo Credit: Roger Kisby/iHeartRadio)
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What a great event!! Just wondering if you know how fans were chosen to attend? Thanks
iHeartRadio usually will hold a contest for fans to be able to attend