June 18^th (Michigan Lottery Amphitheater – Clarkston, MI) – As we pulled into the venue to park and do a little tailgating before the show, all I could think was damn, what a perfect day for a country concert outdoors. The sun was out, and it was a perfectly comfortable 75 degrees which was just right for cowboy boots, jeans, a button-up shirt and cowboy hat. We had about ninety minutes before I was scheduled to go interview Lee, so we hung out in the parking lot, met some cool new people and just sat by the car having some drinks and cranking out some country music. The opening act went on right as I was heading over for the interview so unfortunately, I didn’t get to catch any of it. I need to give a big shout to Lee Brice and his tour manager, Philip, for being so accommodating. Lee was a blast to talk to, the interview went great, and he seemed to really enjoy the questions that I had along with a few fan questions that I collected from social media a few hours before I left for the show. Click the link to head over to Soundcloud and hear the interview I did with Lee that night.

Direct support for this tour was Michael Ray. I’ve been a fan of Michael for a little while now and a few of his songs in particular really resonated with me and related so much to events in my recent past so while I enjoyed it, it also hit me in the feels on several occasions and brought back some memories. Michael and the band were full of energy that night and everything sounded so good. The guys were definitely feeding off the crowd and the crowd was feeling it right back. Highlights for me were ‘Kiss Me in the Moonlight’, ‘Whiskey and Rain’ and of course, ‘Her World or Mine’. This was my first-time seeing Michael and I was very impressed. Really great set from Michael Ray and the band. 

The sun started to slowly disappear, and the venue was back to filling up with everyone who stepped away to grab a drink, go have a cigarette or mingle with others before the last act of the night. Kill the lights and it’s time for the headliner of this tour, it was time for Lee Brice. Lee and the band came out on stage and with it came an explosion of cheers and screams from the audience who I couldn’t help but notice was heavily stacked on the female side. Lee sounded great and the band was simply on fire. I honestly think that Lee has one of the best bands out there. The only other time I’ve noticed just how talented a band is would be Cody Johnson’s band. Lee and Cody’s bands are absolutely some of the best out there on the road. These guys had incredible energy, they had such a good time playing off and interacting with each other and their talent was just impossible not to notice. Especially the drummer and the lead guitar player. Incredible musicians. As they went through the set you sometimes forget how many great songs and how many hit singles he’s had in his career. ‘Boy’, ‘Memory I Don’t Mess With’, ‘I Drive Your Truck’, ‘Hard to Love’ and the list goes on and on. I loved hearing ‘I Don’t Dance’ live and seeing his actual wedding footage used in the background and of course ‘One of Them Girls’ which is especially meaningful to me for several reasons. Other big highlights for me were when the big ‘Oxford Strong’ backdrop came up, that was in regards to the school shooting in Oxford, MI at the end of last year, and the crowd went crazy, and when the band busted into their version of Boston’s ‘Foreplay’. As I looked around at the crowd reactions to that, everyone was blown away and it once again showed off just how talented his band is. What a great night of live country music and what a perfect end to a damn good day.

To wrap this all up I need to say that while this was my first-time seeing Lee Brice play live, it won’t be the last. I’m not sure why I waited get so long to finally see him in concert but regardless, he and the band did not disappoint. If you get a chance to catch him this summer, I highly recommend it. Great set list this tour and an all-around amazing concert experience from start to finish. Thanks to Lee and the rest of the gang for such a great evening. Cheers!

-Howie