When I go to a concert, I have two goals to fulfill.  I want to have a good time, and I want to be able to get all the information I need to write a review for Country’s Chatter.  I was able to accomplish both of those goals last night when the Shenandoah concert at the Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tenn., came to an end.

Having a great time was the easy part.  But, when the band stepped on stage, and Marty Raybon took the microphone, the inside of my head shot right back to the 1990’s. I was doing a whole lot of listening and enjoying, and a lot less concentrating on what I was going to have to remember to write. So many times I walk into a concert with pen and pencil in one hand, camera in the other – ready to be a concert reviewer.  It didn’t happen quite that way at this show.  I was one of the fans.  My job seemed to be to get excited and have an awesome time. I was planting a lot of great memories inside the brain that was doing nothing but having the time of my life.

Before we even talk about the great Shenandoah music you all remember, I need to give mention of those awesome musicians who make up Shenandoah.  While the vocals we hear on every song are from frontman, Marty Raybon, Marty will be the first one to tell you about the help he has behind him.  The bandmembers include Mike McGuire, drums and vocals; Jimmy Seals, the group’s original lead guitarist who filled in for Nicky Hines last night; .Paul Sanders, bass and vocals; Donnie Allen, fiddle, guitar and banjo; and Andrew Ishee, keyboard;

Steve Allen not only handles the duties of road manager, but he also works very closely with Eric Carlson to take care of sound for the group. The folks who handle the merchandise were as nice as the rest of the crew.  They all had a way of making fans feel important.

In this ‘rush, rush world’ we live in, Shenandoah is just as busy than the rest of us.  Yet, even with a very busy weekend travel schedule, Marty took the time to talk to us before the show.  He did an on-air interview with 96.9 WXBQ’s Marc Tragler, and took time to talk to fans, and let us snap a few pictures.  All this was after Marty and the band had just finished up a very long sound check.

But they weren’t done with the fans yet.  Before the show, about 50 fans got in line for a pre-show Meet & Greet.  That was followed by one of the best shows we’ve seen in a very, very long time.  AND, after the show – Marty came out to the merch tent to meet fans again, and pose for pictures with them.

Shenandoah is keeping our country music country.  They opened the show with “Next to You, Next To Me”, and followed it with so many of our favorites, including “Sunday In the South,” “I Want to be Loved Like That”, “Ghost in This House”, “Church on the Cumberland Road”, “I Got You”, “Two Dozen Roses”, “If Bubba Can Dance”, “The Road Not Taken”, “If Only”, “Then A Girl Walks In”, “Little Bit of Livin’,” “Make It Till Summertime”, “Darned If I Don’t (Danged if I Do)” and “I’ll Take Another One of Those”.

Not only were there more Shenandoah songs, but there was an awesome medley of covers like “Mustang Sally” (Wilson PIckett), “When A Man Loves A Woman” (Percy Sledge), “Old Time Rock & Roll” (Bob Seeger), “Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd), and a real audience favorite, “Family Tradition” (Hank Williams Jr.).

It was an evening that made the audience sing, dance, stand, applaud.  This concert was one we’ll be talking about this for a long time.  If any of you have not yet seen Shenandoah on stage, you just might want to put that on your ‘things to do’ list.  If you have seen them, I’m sure you will agree that you need to get them on your new list … just call that one “things I need to do again’.

You can keep up with Shenandoah by visiting their website.  Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, too.  We know you enjoy videos, so remember YouTube, as well.  On Shenandoah’s social media sites, you will find tour dates, news, new release dates, and all you need to know about what is going on with Shenandoah.

Now, more pictures from last night’s show, one or two from soundcheck, and one or two of our world famous WXBQ mascot, The WXBQ Rabbit.

 

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.countryschatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSCN6769-scaled.jpg?fit=660%2C495&ssl=1https://i0.wp.com/www.countryschatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSCN6769-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1countryConcert InfoFairsReviewWXBQAndrew Ishee,appalachian fair,Donnie Allen,Jimmy Seales,Marc Tragler,Marty Raybon,Mike McGuire,Nicky Hines,Paul Sanders,Shenandoah,WXBQ
When I go to a concert, I have two goals to fulfill.  I want to have a good time, and I want to be able to get all the information I need to write a review for Country's Chatter.  I was able to accomplish both of those goals last...