Tuesdays are quickly becoming the new night for country music in Glasgow as the OVO Hydro welcomed three major country artists on what also happened to be the venue’s 12th birthday!
Kicking off the night in their graceful and strong-rooted Nashville-to-Britain sound, The Shires were the perfect opening act for the evening – the pair treated the Scottish crowd to tracks such as Lightning Strikes (which this track alone is enough to get you on your feet), State Lines, All Over Again, and one of my favourites, A Thousand Hallelujahs. The Shires have the most wonderful stage presence; whether they play a smaller venue or a huge arena like the Hydro, they emphasise their talent and delved into stripped-back acoustic sets and more up-tempo throughout. If you’re heading to any of the pending dates, make sure you’re down early for these guys.
An artist who needs no introduction is Jake Owen. Bringing the Honky Tonk back to Glasgow in a bedazzled blazer – it was like he never left the stage at C2C last year. There was a real crowd shift when Jake came on; that man can flip a crowd within a few bars. Giving us everything from Barefoot Blue Jean Night to Beachin’, Dreams to Denim, Homemade, and of course, rounding it up with The One That Got Away. What’s impressive about Jake is his ability to switch up genres mid-set. I think it’s safe to say the crowd is ready for a Jake Owen headline tour.
It wasn’t long before the man himself, Mr Darius Rucker, came out.
It was nice looking round the crowd, the range of fans – from Hootie to solo material, there were a range of ages and what they all had in common? Here to see good ol’ country music live and direct in Glasgow.
Kicking off with Forever Road, For The First Time and a song which sits in my top 10 country songs ever, THIS.
Darius revealed he’s recently relocated to the UK and is getting used to the changes from over the pond. It was a set list jam-packed full of the classics and covers; Beers & Sushine, Better Place, Don’t Think and more.
You’ve got to give it to Darius, transferring from a band focusing on rock to a solo country gig, he OWNS the stage, and you can tell he just loves every second he’s on stage, and we’re all loving it in the crowd.
It was great to also hear some Hootie covers including Only Wanna Be With You, Hold My Hand and Let Her Cry which had OG fans singing at the top of their lungs.
Rounding up the gig with Come Back Song and Alright, Darius returned to the stage with a set of strings and bagpipes. “I recently had the honour of appearing at the UKs first ever Grand Ole Opry and I’ve made so many friends, so I wanted to bring them out for this final song”. And honestly, there was such a pride from the entire audience hearing bagpipes live on stage it was such a special moment before breaking into Wagon Wheel – the song we’d all been waiting for.
Darius Rucker is a showman. He knows how to hold a crowd, work them to each genre and give a fantastic concert. An absolute powerhouse lineup and another dream country night in Glasgow – showing that country has no plans to quieten down here in Scotland.
Review by Lauren Page
Photgraphs by John Brown Photography
