Is It Friday Yet? Gord Bamford, Neal McCoy and Dan + Shay at Boots & Hearts 2014
On Sunday afternoon in Bowmanville, Gord Bamford took to the stage just ahead of young star Hunter Hayes and did exactly what we expected him to do – entertain a great crowd of country music fans.
Bamford has had a great last few years, winning 6 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, and is nominated for 4 more statues this year in Edmonton. His #1 single, When Your Lips Are So Close was a highlight of his Boots & Hearts set – and could very well bring him home the Single of the Year and Songwriter of the Year awards this fall.
Bamford has also had the chance to play with some of country’s biggest acts including Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers and Reba.
Gord Bamford is as Canadian as country music gets, an every man with a great hat, a guitar, a pure country voice and songs that can make fans dance or want to pull someone close and look deep in their eyes.
He did both of those things Sunday including hits Postcard from Pasadena , Farm Girl Strong, Is It Friday Yet?, Day Job, Drinking Buddy, Unreal, and more.
Congrats to Gord on all of his success so far, for putting on a great Sunday set and good luck at the CCMAs.
Check out more pictures of Gord Bamford on Trish’s blog HERE!
Earlier on Sunday a true country music legend took over the stage with the energy of a man half his age.
Neal McCoy has been playing country music for more than 30 years, first touring with certified country legend and pioneer, Charlie Pride. And when I was a kid in the 90s it was nearly impossible to listen to country radio without hearing McCoy’s songs – and singing along to them.
So it was extra special for me to hear The City Put The Country Back In Me, The Shake, and Neal McCoy’s very first #1 hit, No Doubt About It.
It was also cool to hear the band and McCoy put together a cover of The Beetles: Come Together. I did not expect that at all, and even when I heard the band start the music I thought they were just playing around.
33 years after Charlie Pride took him on the road, the 56 year old McCoy still takes the stage with a great energy, a sharp sense of humor (making fun of a fan for wearing a Luke Bryan t-shirt to a Neal McCoy show, explaining a mash-up to the “old people” in the crowd), and a smile on his face that makes you believe that he still very much loves to play country music for a living.
I’m a happy boy to have seen Mr. McCoy live, adding him to a list with Alabama, Joe Diffie, Phil Vassar, and Sawyer Brown in my 3 years at Boots & Hearts.
Also on Sunday, at the SiriusXM Front Porch Stage, was a loud (screaming), energetic (jumping), and excited (swooning) crowd for hot hot hot country duo Dan + Shay.
Those boys may be new to country audiences, they are not without a dedicated following. The girls in the crowd may very well have been louder for Dan + Shay than they were for Hunter Hayes, Luke Bryan or anyone else that played at Boots & Hearts 2014.
Note: After putting on a great set of her own on the main stage, Danielle Bradbery was side stage to take in the Dan + Shay show. She was totally into it, singing and dancing along.
Those same fans also love the music, singing along, and singing loud to the boys’ 2 biggest hits, Somewhere Only We Know and 19 You + Me – it was a cool moment to witness, and one of my favourite things in the world to see – I’m sure that Misters Smyers and Mooney felt the same way.
Do not be surprised if there are more hit singles to come from these 2… I won’t be.
Check out more pictures of Dan + Shay on Trish’s blog HERE!
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