Concert Review – Brad Paisley – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK

14 years ago Liv Carter 2

As I was recently reminded – waiting isn’t easy but when you get what you were waiting for, you realize it was worth it. For European country music fans who had been waiting to see Brad Paisley, another wait was over this month when Brad traveled back to the UK to play two nights at London’s famous Shepherds Bush Empire.

While there was a noticable buzz in the venue ahead of the first show, on June 23, what followed the opening song ‘The World’ was more polite applause than exuberant cheers (with the exception of the first few rows, of course). In Europe, you often don’t get cheered just because you turned up and, while Brad got every person in there on his side, he had to work for it. But it gave him a chance to show just how great an entertainer he really is. ‘The World’ may not have been the best choice for an opener though, and the second night the show kicked off with ‘American Saturday Night’.

After the first few songs (the set list is below), Brad started talking to the crowd; the stories, jokes and his effervescent personality drew people in and he stayed really engaged with all four levels of the theater. After ‘Catch All the Fish’ (which isn’t a favorite of mine but has a truly insane guitar solo at the end!), Brad slowed things down with an acoustic 3-song interlude. I’ve heard it said he is not really a strong vocalist, but until you’ve sat at his feet listening to ‘Letter to Me’ and ‘When I Get Where I’m Going’, you really shouldn’t speak. Those final few people who were still holding back now joined in and the tumultuous reaction to ‘Letter’ spoke for itself.

Many references to British things, of course – the Thames, the food, the beer, the Queen, the English football team and even a brave mention of the new government’s Budget which unsurprisingly was met with moans and groans. Brad seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the fact that he was playing in London, England (“I can’t believe I’m able to say “Hello, London!” It’s crazy…”) and must have thanked the crowd at least ten times for helping to make this possible. Right next to his setlist lay a piece of paper with LONDON on it which added to the ‘I can’t believe I’m here’-vibe.

Not having the full tour production meant a freedom he and the band don’t have in North America. No one needed to worry about being in the correct place for the videoscreen cameras and the setlist was open to suggestions. And so, they played ‘Long Sermon’ live for the first time in many years. This was followed by ‘Little Moments’, also a request from the crowd.     

‘Celebrity’ had the whole place dancing, ‘Mud on the Tires’ was a fabulous singalong and led into a beautiful version of ‘Then’. During closer ‘Welcome to the Future’, there was so much energy on stage and in the crowd, it was a real celebration and it brought the people in the seats to their feet. On their feet they stayed for the encores of ‘Ticks’ and ‘Alcohol’.

Along with all the amazing guitar wizardry going on, Brad Paisley is also really fun to watch. 10/10 on crowd interaction and understanding his audience. And like all the artists who have climbed up from playing bars and small clubs, he has an answer for everything. When at the end of the show a fan yelled ‘I love you, Brad!’, the reply came: ‘I love you, too… But I do feel the need to see other people, though.’ 

Set list – June 23, 2010

The World
Water
Online
American Saturday Night
She’s Her Own Woman
Catch All the Fish
Letter to Me
The Cigar Song
When I Get Where I’m Going
Long Sermon
Little Moments
Celebrity
She’s Everything
Mud on the Tires
I’m Gonna Miss Her
Then
Welcome to the Future
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Ticks
Alcohol

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Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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