Sunday 31 March 2013

C2C Country To Country 2013 Festival

C2C Country To Country 2013 Festival

Includes: C2C Setlists, Country Radio and Press reports, Boxscore, Video, Audio,  Photos, Fan Feedback and related links and news on the artists appearing at the Country To Country 2013.

C2C Country To Country 2013 Collage (Click to Enlarge)

ABOUT:  Country to Country (C2C) was the first of its kind, a joint venture between the O2 promoters and the Country Music Association in Nashville. They sent over a selection of the A-listers they thought the UK would mostly like. Its aim was to “bring a little piece of Nashville” to central London.
This was supported by TV and National and Local BBC Radio appearances (Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes) and some spin-off dates in Ireland  (Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill) and Glasgow and Manchester dates for Brantley Gilbert. Additionally BBC Radio 2 playlisted 3 of the artists over a 6 week to its 15-million weekly audience. 
In a drive to make country music more popular in the UK, many of the Nashville ‘royalty’ headed down to the Millennium Dome/ North Greenwich Arena, more known in this modern branding world as the London O2 Arena for a massive two night festival celebrating all things country. The C2C: Country To Country music festival took place over two days of  16th and 17th of March 2013, headling with multi-award winning singer Tim McGraw on the Saturday and multi CMA and Grammy award winning crossover pop-country songstress Carrie Underwood on the Sunday. Other stars to appear included Darius Rucker, Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Brantley Gilbert, Kristian Bush and LeAnn Rimes.
Both McGraw and Underwood were excited by the prospect - “Our trip to the UK and playing The O2 is one of the things I’m looking forward to the most for next year,” said McGraw. “I love being able to take my music to other countries, and I think there are a lot of new songs on TWO LANES OF FREEDOM that fans over there will really dig. It’s going to be a blast!”

In just one day Underwood sold out The Royal Albert Hall for June 21 in London in the “summer” ( ?) of 2012 during a week in the UK promoting her album BLOWN AWAY. The album debuted at # 11 (9,595 sales) on The Official UK Album chart. Regarding the C2C Carrie saidI love the idea of a country music festival in London and I’m so excited that so many amazing artists are coming together for Country to Country. I feel honoured to help represent country music, and I know it’s going to be a really fun weekend!”

On the Billboard Boxscore Chart for the week 06/04/2013 the C2C event was ranked at No.10
Rank - #10
Artist/Event - C2C Country To Country: Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, LeAnn Rimes, Kristian Bush, Brantley Gilbert
Venue City/State Event -  O2 Arena London, U.K.
Dates -  March 16-17, 2013     Gross Sales - $1,447,650
Attend/Capacity - 17,152 / 26,840   Shows/  Sellouts - 2 / 0
Prices - $98.22, $52.89     Promoters - SJM Concerts 

UK RADIO Reviews

BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris hosted and compered the two-day music festival extravaganza. BBC Radio 2 were the official radio partner, with Mr. Bob Harris (OBE), “King of all things country” (and some would say Americana), supporting the event with broadcasted highlights. Bob said: "It's fantastic to see such a great line-up of major Nashville talent performing in the UK. There's a very vibrant music scene in Nashville at the moment and it feels like a particularly exciting time for country music. I'm so pleased that British audiences are being given the opportunity to see some of country music's greatest stars performing live, and am personally thrilled to be able to reflect such a great weekend of music on my Radio 2 country show."

Bob Harris C2C Backstage Collage

Bob Harris (OBE), who was awarded the 2012 Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award by the CMA on the red carpet last year by Little Big Town and was on hand to introduce the eight top award-winning acts acts on stage over the two day festival.
Bob has admitted to causing Little Big Town to drop and smash their own CMA trophy!





LISTEN
Country 2 Country festival highlights were broadcast on BBC Radio 2 Thursday 21 March 2013 by Bob Harris (OBE) who introduced highlights from the first night with music & interviews from Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Little Big Town, Vince Gill and headliner Tim McGraw , Listen to the edited >> Audio Link  

DAY ONE Audio available till April 11, 2013 for:
Tim McGraw C2C performance (One Of Those Nights, Mexicoma , Friend Of A Friend) BBC Radio 2 Audio Link
Little Big Town C2C performance (Fine Line, Your Side of the Bed, Leaving in Your Eyes) BBC Radio 2 Audio Link
Vince Gill C2C performance (What the Cowgirls Do, Take your Memory With You When You Go, I Still Believe in You) BBC Radio 2 Audio Link
Listen to a recorded Nashville Session with Tim McGraw from Sept 2012 - www.bbc.co.uk

DAY TWO Audio available till April 18, 2013 for:
Brantley Gilbert (Dirt Road, You Don't Know Her, Country Wide)
Darius Rucker  C2C performance (Only Wanna Be With You, Comeback Song , Wagon Wheel) BBC Radio 2 Audio Link
LeAnn Rimes C2C performance (Spit Fire, Borrowed, Can't Fight The Moonlight, How Do I Live) BBC Radio2 Audio Link
Carrie Underwood C2C performance
(Two Black Cadillacs, Jesus Take The Wheel/
How Great Thou Art, Before He Cheats, Blown Away)




Alan Perkins from UKCountry Radio.com reviewed the C2C 2013 Country to Country Festival, and chats to Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood and Tim McGraw  >> Audio Link 
** Note ** Alan Perkins superlatives hit count LOL:
amazing (4), brilliant (8), buzzing (1), fabulous (7), fantastic (6), great (3), masterly (1),
mammoth (1), massive (10), outstanding (2), superstar (6), stunning (8),  superb (2) wonderful (5)
 
Lee Williams the CEO of CMR Nashville [“Europes #1 Country Music Radio Station”] who was recently awarded International Broadcaster of the Year by the CMA, talked on the phone to Alan West, who appeared on one of the C2C Pop Up Stage, and grabbed a few words backstage with Kristian Bush, Vince Gill, Tim McGraw & Carrie Underwood
 
Raintown at C2C 2013
Glasgow Pop/Country duo Raintown (27 year old Claire McArthur and 33 year old Paul Bain) who were winners of FOLK TRADITIONAL RECORDING of the YEAR, for their album HOPE IN TROUBLED TIMES at The Scottish New Music Awards on 2nd Sept 2012 were one of the acts at the C2C pop up stages performing 6 short sets over the 2 days.
They hope to play the main O2 stage in 2014!

Presenting on Internet station VOC (Voice Of Country)  they describe their own experience of C2C and give the low down on the headliners performances >> Audio Link

C2C Pop Up Stages

The festival featured a number of pop up stages and The Town Square, a bespoke retail area, under the tent at The O2.
The free pop up stages (spread across the O2 and in the main mall), offered early bird country fans FREE performances, showcasing emerging European country artistes. The Town Square featured a whisky bar; Country to Country festival merchandise; various market traders and live music was included an eclectic line up of DJ’s.
C2C TWEET  albooth2 Al Booth Just finished my dj set @C2Cofficial . There are a lot of Stetsons at the O2 today! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFfIfz0CAAAh-sc.jpg:large

Both the pop up stages and The Town Square provided additional entertainment to the stellar line up.  
Confirmed acts for the pop up stages included:
Robert Vincent; Jill Johnson(Sweden); Dean Owens (Scotland) ; The Good Intentions; Ags Connolly; Raintown (Scotland), Alan West (England) and Raevennan Husbandes
C2C Tweet: The O2 @The_O2  Another superb performance from Jill Johnson over in the O2 shop
For more information on the artists visit - pressoffice.sjmconcerts.com

WATCH C2C 2013 Sunday Highlights:
The fans, pop up stages and superstars >> YouTube
Highlights from C2C Day 1, featuring Alan West, Steve Black and Adam Sweet!
Alan West kicks off C2C’s pop up stage - PHOTO LINK - Fans enter the Arena complex

Many fans checked out the three pop up stages dotted around the venue outside the main auditorium, and Town Square area.
The Town Square was buzzing with stalls not only selling official C2C and artist merchandise, but also everything from cowboy boots and hats, to magazine subscriptions (Maverick Magazine being one) on line dancing as well as “country music”, see Events.
Rather Cheesy: Cowboys were giving away cheese tasting samples and offered punters an opportunity to have their picture taken with them wearing a cowboy hat in a photo booth with a chance to win a competition! It was sponsored by Pilgrims Choice who are passionate about cheese (and country music ?!!) . Based in Somerset, the heart of cheddar making country, Pilgrims Choice is uniquely placed to source only the very best cheese and “tasty cowboys”.
Photo Booth @PhotoBoothcouk Going to C2C Country to Country?- Check out the Pilgrims Choice Cheese #photobooth #C2CFestival @PilgrimsChoice... http://fb.me/Hp2n8X1E - http://instagram.com/p/W95_0PI8UM/
For more information about Pilgrims Choice and the C2C head to www.facebook.com/pilgrimschoice

DAY ONE (Saturday March 16, 2013)

Day One C2C Line up:
Kristian Bush, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw & Vince Gill

KRISTIAN BUSH

KRISTIAN BUSH C2C Setist: American Window / Love or Money/
Make Another Memory/ Baby Girl/ You're Gonna Get Yours/
 Atlantic City (Bruce Spingsteen cover) / Shine On

Watch Kristian Bush C2C Live Video >> YouTube
EF Interview C2C: Kristian Bush interview  >> YouTube

Kristian is known as one halve of award winning Sugarland. Previous to the C2C festival he attended various CMA events in Ireland, England and France as part of the CMA Songwriters Series as a solo artist joining Chris Young, Bob DiPiero, and Brett James.
His March 16 appearance at the inaugural C2C marked the debut of Kristian’s new backing band, featuring Rebecca and Megan Lovell of acclaimed roots music duo Larkin Poe (who recently backed Elvis Costello), bassist Tim Smith (Noel Gallagher), drummer Travis McNabb (Sugarland, Better Than Ezra), and musical director/keyboardist Brandon Bush (Sugarland, Train) - Band Photo
The 2 soul singin' songwriting sisters from Georgia, Larkin Poe, handled mandolin solos and acoustic gtr (Rebecca – Photo), lap steel (Megan -Photo), and added harmony vocals. Tim Smith had just flown in that morning from Dubai.
The Kristian Bush band delivered with a honky-tonk stomp of “You’re Gonna Get Yours” , an gospel-infused “Shine On” and rock n' roll romance of "Make Another Memory". The catchy “Love or Money” was a free download giveaway to those fans attending. 
Kristian and his band about to take the stage, with the legendary "Whispering" Bob Harris - PHOTO LINK

C2C KRISTIAN BUSH Day 1 Live Review
(by Pip Ellwood entertainment-focus.com) - It’s no secret that the UK and country music aren’t the best of friends but there’s clearly an appetite for more country music on UK shores judging by the turn-out at Day 1 of the festival. Taking place over two days, C2C features headliners Tim McGraw (Saturday) and Carrie Underwood (Sunday) as well as a host of country stars that regularly top the charts back in the US.
After chatting with the stars of the first day, we took our seat in The O2 Arena to watch the four shows that were scheduled over the festival’s first day. Opening C2C was Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. Kristian is no stranger to the stage having found lots of success as one part of US award-winning band Sugarland.
With his partner Jennifer Nettles, Kristian won prestigious awards such as Grammys and has become a household name on the other side of the pond. Kristian warmed everyone up playing some of his Sugarland hits such as “Baby Girl” as well as performing his own solo material such as “Love or Money”, which he got the crowd to sing along to. The O2 was filled with cowboy hats and people seemed genuinely happy to enjoy some country music. Kristian’s set was filled with good hooks, great melodies and positivity and was naturally talented with the crowd. We couldn’t have asked for a better opening.

Neill Tobin - £2 for a cup of tea? Thieves /  Simon Hinks - Very impress with Christian Bush. AWSOME!
Daniel Fitch - Dammit! Finally LBT cheered this place! Poor Kristen, only a bunch of crazy people stood up on our feet to support him! LONDON.... WAKE UP
John Garret Frieslaar - A great start to country music in the UK, Loved Kristian Bush and Little Big Town, could have done without Vince Gill, would love to have heard Tim McGraw (unfortunately he was blown away by noise, too much volume) ... Have to agree with the comments about bad lighting, not sure why only Tim McGraw had the lights to work with ... Acts should have been reversed a little, Vince Gill to start (that way I could have missed it) followed by Tim McGraw, the party started by Kristian Bush and the night blown away by Little Big Town ... they rocked
Rachel Michaela - He [Kristian Bush] was brilliant! Stand up and dance people
John Garret Frieslaar - WoW and I never thought you could be that good without Jennifer Nettles by your side ... Well done on a great act ...

LITTLE BIG TOWN

Little Big Town C2C Setlist: Pavement Ends / Little White Church /
Bring It On Home / Sober / talk /
Fine Line / Front Porch / Your Side Of The Bed / Leaving In Your Eyes /
The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover) / Can’t Go Back /
Born This Way (Lady Gaga cover) / Pontoon / Tornado / Boondocks /

Watch Little Big Town C2C performances  “Can't Go Back” >> YouTube 
"Born This Way" >> YouTube
(Baby, It's) “A Fine Line"  >>  YouTube

C2C LITTLE BIG TOWN Day 1 Live Review
(by Pip Ellwood entertainment-focus.com) - Following in Kritian Bush’s foosteps was country quartet Little Big Town. They’re a band whose name we’re familiar with but their music hasn’t really impacted in the UK yet. This could be about to change after their 60 minute set yesterday. Performing selections from across their five studio albums, Little Big Town showcased killer harmonies and great songs. The four members – Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Roads, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook – shared the lead vocals over their set each taking their turn in the spotlight.
The thing that really struck us is how good they are as singers individually and as a group. Aside from an ill-advised country cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”, the group impressed with their catalogue of songs. Early hit “Boondocks” with Jimi on the lead vocals was one of the most warmly-received moments whilst award-winning 2010 hit “Little White Church” got the crowd on their feet and singing along. Recent hits “Pontoon” and “Tornado” showed the most potential to cross over into the UK charts.
Throughout their set the band interacted with the crowd talking about their hangover recipes which apparently consist of hash browns and waffles (we’re going to give that a try). Despite enjoying their set we felt there was something that was missing with Little Big Town. We can’t put our finger on what it was but they just weren’t as captivating as other performers on the day. Perhaps it’s simply that they were one of the lesser-known acts on the bill.

Fan Comments – (C2C Facebook)
Lee Edmonds - ...sound was not great for Tim, Best on the night LBT by miles
Samantha Hamlet -  No not really, Mega let down from Little Big Town! :-(, disappointed
Samantha Parravani-Coe They were incredible! PONTOON! We need more people dancing though!
Sandy Mansfield -They were wonderful! Loving the wind machine :-)
Paul Bargery - A brilliant set last night at the O2 . Loved your version of The Chain. Come back to the UK soon!
Steve Bower - The miserable buggers need to stop moaning about people standing up. It's a concert not a recital!!!

Related News: Little Big Town “Leavin In Your Eyes” was playlisted on BBC Radio 2’s "C" Listing from Feb 23rd 2013 - March 16th 2013  (4 weeks , potential 20 spins). It did not chart on published Top 100 UK Official Single Chart or iTunes Top 10 Country Chart. Their album TORNADO has also received TV adds on More4 in conjunction with the TV drama series “Nashville” . On the Official UK Country Album chart it holds a No.3 place (Chart week March 30, 2013) 

VINCE GILL

VINCE GILL C2C Setlist: One More Last Chance / Never Alone /
What The Cowgirls Do / Take Your Memory With You When You Go / Look At Us /
When I Call Your Name / High Lonesome Sound / I Still Believe In You /
Guitar Slinger / Pretty Little Adriana / Go Rest On That Mountain /
Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin Away / Oklahoma Borderline /
Whenever You Come Around / Liza Jane

Watch Vince Gill’s C2C performances: "One More Last Chance" >>  YouTube 
"Better Alone" >>  YouTube
EF Interview C2C: Vince Gill interview >> YouTube

C2C VINCE GILL Day 1 Live Review
(by Pip Ellwood entertainment-focus.com) - Up next was country legend Vince Gill. Vince thanked the crowd as soon as he got on stage saying: “London, you have always believed in me since day one. I had to tell people back in the day, in America: yeah, I’m a singer, but nobody believed me – because no one had my records! You believed in me seven or eight years before anybody else did and I thank you guys for that!” The guitar maestro got the whole 02 Arena rocking and up on their feet. It was a great sight to see. People of all ages had come to see Vince and everybody knew his songs. He sung “When I Call Your Name” to a great reception and everyone loved it!
His set showcased his amazing guitar skills, which we were mesmerised to watch, especially when the camera did close ups of his set.
He announced that it was the anniversary of the death of his brother, before launching into “Go Rest High On That Mountain” [US Country #14] which was an absolute highlight. Just taking a look around the huge 02 Arena, it was clear to see that everybody in that room was totally captivated by the song. The way he sung it, with such emotion and it was incredibly stunning. After this song, it was back to the up-lifting songs of his set and he announced “now, let’s get this party on”! He introduced the entire band to the audience, who all gave them a warm welcome. It was great to see the talent of his band too. Vince spoke about his love of his guitar hero Eric Clapton, before launching into an incredible guitar solo. This was the first time that we’ve seen Vince Gill live and we’re now big fans. His songs are timeless, whether they were written last year, or twenty years ago – they stand the test of time, which is a testament to his songwriting and talent as a musician. What a show! Thank you Vince Gill.

Fan Comments – (C2C Facebook)

Gary Higgins - Vince Gill was sublime, just a shame the two moron girls I'm front if us had to talk through every song and didn't appreciate being asked to pipe down!! Sign of the times I suppose. There won't be too many opportunities to hear this great man live over here I don't suppose. I've waited 20 years to hear him and it was worth the wait. The man is genius
George Watson - All the artists were fantastic, I have waited 20 years to see Vince Gill and he was worth the wait, what a guy!!
Heather Baxter - I thought he was brilliant such a beautiful (Vince Gill)

Sean Doherty - Liked the line up great performances from all only spoiled by 3 things
1) the lighting was appalling though better for Tim. The second part of Vincent Gill’s was totally ruined by a very bright searchlight at the back of the stage pointed to our area in Block 10 which made it impossible to see anything on stage. The lighting was so bad you could not see the bands and for Little Big Town you often had only one of them with a light n them.
2) Whoever was directing the video of the concert on the 2 big screens did not seem to have a clue. He kept hopping from one shot to another showing the wrong instruments and just no idea. The times that there was an instrumental and they focused on the wrong instrument. Also as mentioned above the lighting was so bad that even when he got the weight instrument they were often in the dark.
3) The behaviour of some people and the lack of positive action by security/stewards. We were in row Z which is at the back with the corporate odes above. A crowd of drunken people were being noisy and could be heard above the music. But worst that that a considerable amount of beer was thrown on us and landed on about 8 to 10 people sitting around us. According to the O2 terms and conditions they should have been ejected but were not.
Gary Higgins - I feel your pain Sean, lots of twats in there tonight. VG's set ruined by two bints gassing at full volume plus assorted drunken yobs up to all sorts of stupidness by the time Tim came on
Lee Prowse - Thought little big town Vince Gill and tim mcgraw were brilliant. Didn't think Kristian Bush was as good but might just be the other 3 were so good though! Bring on tomorrow and hope it'll be just as good. Pity they promised a special guest and didn't deliver bit like the so called big name acts to follow which again have not been delivered. Pity the organising has not been as good as the acts tonight!

Sandra Mathieson McKenna - Sean, I couldnt agree more. we were in 108 and the light during Vince's set was so annoying. The crowd that were above in the box obviously dont appreciate great music but it was annoying them talking so loudly over the music which I didnt think would be possible in a venue that size, I actually thought they were behind me to start with. Great day/night had by all still
Ian Bowden - The lighting sucks, I'm getting blinded. (Vince Gill)
Matthew Perris - Vince Gill was the most disappointing of the night.
John Garret Frieslaar - Wish he had opened, that way we could have got the old style country out of the way for the genius of the other 3 acts ... Not my style of country (Vince Gill)

TIM McGRAW

C2C TIM McGRAW Setlist:
Felt Good On My Lips / For A Little While / Down On The Farm / Unbroken /
Where The Green Grass Grows / Nashville Without You / One Of Those Nights / Everywhere / Mexicoma / All I Want / Just To See You Smile /
Friend Of A Friend / Let It Go / The Cowboy In Me/ How Bad Do You Want It /
Something Like That (BBQ Stain) / Real Good Man / Live Like You Were Dying/
I Like It, I Love It / Two Lanes Of Freedom / Truck Yeah /

Watch Tim McGraw’s C2C performances: 
'Where The Green Grass Grows' >> YouTube 
Nashville Without You” >> YouTube  "Felt Good On My Lips" (clip) - YouTube
Tim: Thank you UK fans! ("Here's my single in the UK..") >> YouTube
EF Interview C2C: Tim McGraw interview >> YouTube

This was Tim’s first UK Concert but not his first time in London. He filmed his “She’s My Kind of Rain” video in London in 2002
While in London, McGraw made a surprise appearance at a Ne-Yo concert to perform their song "She Is"
His wife Faith Hill did not appear as a special guest at C”C but she was in the capital with their children.

His UK Single “Nashville Without You” was playlisted by BBC Radio 2 "C" Listing FEB 9th 2013 (1 week, a potential 5 spins)
and FEB 16th 2013 to MARCH 16th 2013 (5 weeks, a potential 50 spins)
** It did not chart on published Top 100 UK Official Single Chart or iTunes Top 10 Country Chart.
"Nashville Without You" was written by Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers and Ruston Kelly. The song celebrates everything that makes Music City such a singular place, from its landmarks to its timeless hits. It's a country lyric, it's about country music, but there's a universalism to that melody." Tim told Billboard:
 "I wanted that record to have a shimmer to it. I guess the best way to describe it would be an evening looking out on a calm lake, how it shimmers. I love what it says, and I love that it follows 'Truck Yeah' on the record." >> YouTube

On the Official UK Albums Top 100 (Week March 23, 2013) New at No.43, selling over 2,500 copies, was Tim McGraw with TWO LANES OF FREEDOM (Big Machine) which was released March 8, 2013 on iTunes coinciding with his co-headlining at the C2C it also debuted at No.1 on the Official UK Country Album Chart (Week March 23, 2013). When it was released to eager UK it landed at No.1 on the iTunes Country Album chart.
The following chart week (March 30) the album was down 43-61 on the Official Album Chart.

C2C TIM McGRAW Day 1 Live Review
(by Pip Ellwood entertainment-focus.com) -  9:15pm and it was time for Tim McGraw! Tim McGraw has sold an unbelievable amount of records throughout his long career, but surprisingly, this is the first
concert that he’s even played in London! The hoards of people that flocked to the 02 Arena this weekend had been waiting all day for a glimpse of Tim McGraw.
Everyone that we spoke to on the way there were really looking forward to seeing Tim and everyone was decked out in t-shirts, cowboy hats and boots! It was some sight, we felt like we were in America, rather than in North Greenwich and it was great to be there with the people who loved country music.
When Tim hit the stage, the entire arena came on fire. He came onto the stage, to a heroes welcome – it has been a long wait to see him, for his UK fans! He has the entire arena rocking in no time at all. “For A Little While” went down a storm, with a backdrop of bubbles/multi-coloured disco balls behind him – the 02 Arena was truly one big county party!! Tim announced that he doesn’t like to talk too much in his shows and just get down to doing what he loves best – performing his music. He clearly adores his fans and made time for them, by jumping down from the stage and high-riving the audience members who rushed to shake hands with their hero. An amass of guitars were on stage, at one point, we counted a total of six, which completely rocked the 02, something we didn’t think country music was capable of doing! Tim had incredible energy and looked model-good, with his chiselled features and was in great physical shape and put on a very high-energy show. Songs from his new album “Two Lanes of Freedom” went down a storm with his fans too and everybody knew the songs, even though it has only just been released!

We would dub the show as country-rock, because that’s exactly what he did. “Real Good Man” had the female audience smiling ever more so than they already were and his cheeky glint in his eye as he sang the song, no one was complaining!
Truck Yeah” was his final song. A song which has country stamped all over it.
Boy, did we enjoy his set!! We hope to see him again soon and that he doesn’t leave it so long to come to see us again. The crowd absolutely loved him and thanked him for coming to the UK for us.
As Tim McGraw left the stage the first day of C2C came to a close and we battled out way back onto the tube to make our way home. We’d say the day was easily a hit and we left excited to see what Day 2 would bring with performances from Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and Brantley Gilbert. Tim McGraw was definitely the highlight of the day and we’re still pretty shocked to discover this was his debut UK live show [Apart from Top Of Pops many years ago]. Consider us well and truly in love with a bit of country.

Daily Star.co.uk - For his first UK show, this southern superstar walked the line between old and new, with plenty of tunes from latest album Two Lanes Of Freedom but also a raft of classics including “The Cowboy In Me” and “Everywhere”. And amid the ballads and perfectly polished hoedowns was a sly sense of humour. How else could Tim get away with an ode to hillbilly life called “Truck Yeah”

Fan Comments – (C2C Facebook)
George Watson - Best concert that I have been at, Tim McGraw rocked the joint!!
Brian Nott - Brilliant two days of class musicians. Didn't think Tim McGraw’s show Saturday night could be equaled but carrie underwood did just that tonight. Superb performance, ultimate professional.
Lisa Briggs Hardy - Regarding the sound, I have to agree somewhat. I love Tim McGraw and his singing was awesome however at times, the bass drowned out his singing and unless you knew what the words were you couldn't understand them.
Tim M... Rocking for the MTV generation. Quite a few older people round us left halfway through his set. Not quite country enough for some tastes tonight but still pretty good
Tricia Sage - I left early in the middle of Tim McGraw (my Idol!) cause I couldn't stand the noise anymore! I was seated, I believe above a speaker and my chair was vibrating violently, infact several people where I was left early. The 02 say the arena is accoustically sound! I disagree, maybe if your in the first few rows but elsewhere not! The stage lights kept blinding us, C2C officials tried to rectify it but fought a losing battle. 

Related Posts / Links
Making his Radio 2 debut, country superstar Tim McGraw was in session, showcasing numbers from his new album and chatting to Bob. - www.bbc.co.uk

The King of country music (?), Tim McGraw talks about his debut UK tour on BBC Breakfast.

LINKS

SOURCES - entertainment-focus.com , The Mirror, RCFA, BBC Radio 2,
CMR Nashville, VOC, YouTube
Photo Credits: www.xthefrog.com , The Daily Mail
Photo Galleries - Flickr ukcountrymusic

  ***  CONTINUE to separate Blog Post to read details of DAY 2 of the C2C Country To Country 2013 Festival  ***

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