Monday night, October 6th, the grounds of the Grand Ole Opry house were heaving with people, even though the Opry itself was dark that night.
The crowds were drawn by three major Country music events all occurring on the same evening. In the main hall, Wynonna was taping a Christmas TV special. The stage was decked out in Yuletide finery as the crowd made its way in. Demand for tickets to see the taping had been so high that they had to be rationed by the TV producers.
Meanwhile, in a small adjacent theatre on the Opry grounds, Taylor Swift was crossing musical swords with rock heavyweights Def Leppard in a collaboration put together by CMT for their Crossroads series. Bringing to mind the earlier show pairing Sugarland and Bon Jovi, we're expecting another explosive musical result when the gig is aired on CMT later in the autumn.
But it was at the third gig of the night, in Opry TV Studio A, that the VoC staff witnessed a blistering set by Canadian Country star Adam Gregory. The studio was furnished like a nightclub, with tables & chairs, sofas and cushions, rugs and soft lighting. A top notch buffet was on offer (Barry managed to sample the pulled pork without "getting a barbeque stain on his white t-shirt", as immortalized by Tim McGraw.)
Big Machine Records and PR heavyweights AristoMedia organised the event and provided an excellent environment to enjoy Adam's music. Although sometimes shy in his off-stage persona, when the spotlight hits the stage, Adam morphed into a rocking Country music god. Pitch perfect vocals were delivered with a muscular energy that brought Springsteen to mind on more than one occasion.
There is no question in our minds that if enough people get a chance to see Adam work his magic live, he is going to be a major star for a long time. He's got the look and the talent. With a little luck, there will be no stopping him.
Dierks Bentley - Home
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