Author: andrewatwal

Beach Concert Review

REVIEW: Concert leaves country fans dancing, singing on the beach

Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2014 8:20 pm

By ANDREW ATWAL Staff Writer

ATLANTIC CITY — Thursday was not your typical weekday on the Atlantic City beach.

Not even close.

Thursday was a day when thousands of music lovers gathered to see Blake Shelton perform a once-in-a-lifetime free show on the beautiful Atlantic City beach.

Fans gathered to see one of the hottest artists in country music perform and they weren’t disappointed.

The party went all day and really kicked off when country duo Dan + Shay took the stage in the late afternoon to open up for Shelton.

Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney make up the country duo who are quickly approaching superstar status ever since their hit tune “19 You + Me” reached No. 11 on the US Country Airplay charts. The crowd absolutely loved the group and, even after drinking and partying on the beach on this beautiful, sunny day, were up dancing around and loving every minute of the opening set.

Their set also included many of their other songs, including “Show You Off,” which is quickly rising up the chart. The duo also broke out an amazing cover of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” making it one of the best moments of the opening set.

In addition, they covered tunes by Guns N Roses and Bruno Mars. The crowd seemed to love every song they performed.

The party was just getting started. Then Blake Shelton took to the beach stage and things reached a whole other level.

“I didn’t come here to play volleyball, go swimming, or build sand castles,” Shelton exclaimed, to the delight of the crowd. “I came here to drink beer and play country music.”

Shelton’s set kicked off with the tune “All About Tonight,” and the hundreds of thousands of people on the beach were loving it already. The set continued with “The More I Drink,” one of his older singles, along with “She Wouldn’t Be Gone,” a hit that was certified gold.

Even though the crowd was already energized, Shelton really got them going with his smash hit “Doin’ What She Likes,” one of his many No. 1 hits. You could see the crowd dancing along the beach and having a blast singing along with every word. He followed that song up with “Mine Would Be You,” yet another one of his No. 1 songs and the crowd continued to dance and sing with Shelton.

He also continued to talk about how much he loved how many country fans were on the beach to see him perform.

Shelton also performed his song “Some Beach,” fitting for a show on the beaches of Atlantic City. The crowd went wild.

Shelton had the crowd engaged, energized and dancing right from the beginning of the show — something few other musicians today can claim. To put it simply, he is a star and he proved it on the beach Thursday.

A few surprising moments of the set, which lasted about 90 minutes, came when Shelton covered a few popular songs.

During his encore, really got the crowd dancing when he performed Kenny Loggins’ hit “Footloose.”

A surprising moment of the set came when country star Danielle Bradbery performed her hit “Heart of Dixie.” She is performing in AC this weekend.

But the crowd loved Shelton performing hit after hit of his country music tunes.

One of the best moments of the set came when he performed three of his more popular songs, “Hillbilly Bone,” “Sure Be Cool If You Did” and “My Eyes,” the third of which is a more ballad-type love song.

Three of his final four songs were more of his with “Honey Bee,” “Boys ‘Round Here,” and “God Gave Me You,” which closed off his fantastic, crowd-pleasing set.

On Thursday people flocked to the boards all to see one of the hottest country music stars performed. And they weren’t let down.

Instead of wearing baseball caps to the beach, people wore their bathing suits but with cowboy hats and country boots.

And it was a day no one will soon forget.

Contact Andrew Atwal:

609-272-7190

aatwal@pressofac.com

@andrewatwal on Twitter

Darius Rucker Review

Darius Rucker remembers his Hootie roots during show at Borgata

Posted: Friday, July 25, 2014 11:09 pm

By ANDREW ATWAL, Staff Writer

ATLANTIC CITY – Darius Rucker is one of the hottest names in country right now. But the path he took to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa’s Event Center Friday night wasn’t always a country one.

Rucker was the former lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band Hootie & The Blowfish, which recorded several pop-rock hits in the ‘90s.

It wasn’t until 2008 that he released his first solo album as a country artist, “Learn to Live,” which went No. 1 on the United States country charts and was certified platinum.

The first single off the album, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” shot up to No. 1 on the hot country songs charts, making it the beginning of a successful country career for the former rocker.

22-year-old country singer Joel Crouse opened up for Rucker and provided a good opening act, playing several songs, including his biggest single, “If You Want Some.” Only some of the audience knew his music, but all of the audience seemed engaged and in tune with his set, especially when he performed a great rendition of The Eagles’ “Take It Easy,” with the crowd singing along line for line.

The crowd also went nuts when Crouse covered Adele’s hit “Someone Like You,” putting a country spin on the pop song.

Rucker opened up his set, which lasted about one hour 45 minutes, with the hit single “Radio,” and the crowd was immediately energized and up out of their seats. The tune has reached No. 4 on the United States country airplay charts, and the crowd sang along with every lyric.

Also on the set was his tune “Heartbreak Road,” a high-tempo but lesser-known song that the crowd still enjoyed as if it were a No. 1 hit.

He performed hit after hit, including all of his No. 1 tunes, such as “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” “Alright,” “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” “Come Back Song,” “This” and others.

Rucker also took a risk by diving deeper into his catalogue of tunes for “True Believers,” the namesake of the tour that stopped in A.C. Friday.

He continued to dig deep in his arsenal of tunes when he sang “Southern State of Mind,” and “History in the Making.”

Throughout the show, Rucker took time from his country hits to pay homage to where his career began. And the crowd went wild when he played his first Hootie song of the night, “Time.”

Also on the Hootie portion of the set were “Let Her Cry,” “Hold My Hand” and “Only Wanna Be With You,” for a total of four of his biggest hits as the lead singer of the band.

There were quite a few surprises during the show, too.

One of the moments of the night, of which there were many, came when Rucker covered John Mellencamp’s hit “Pink Houses.” The crowd danced and rocked out with Rucker and his band throughout the song.

He also broke out covers of “East Bound and Down,” originally performed by Jerry Reed, and “Family Tradition,” originally made famous by Hank Williams Jr.

Two other memorable moments came during the encore.

Rucker busted out the catchy tune “Wagon Wheel,” which has been one of his most popular songs as a country artist. And he ended the night with an incredible rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

But the covers weren’t the only surprise of the night.

One man took a knee and proposed to his girlfriend during “True Believers.” She said yes.

Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum Tickets

Additional details on Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum free concerts announced

Posted: Tuesday, July 8, 2014 1:45 am | Updated: 1:02 pm, Thu Jul 10, 2014.

By ANDREW ATWAL, Atlantic City Insiders

More tickets to the free Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum Atlantic City beach concerts will be made available through Ticketmaster beginning 3 p.m. Friday, July 11.

Blake Shelton performs in Atlantic City July 31, while Lady Antebellum takes the stage August 3.

Special “fan zone” tickets will also be available through contests at DoAtlanticCity.com. More details about the contests will be made available at a later date.

The concert stage and seating area will be located on the north side of The Pier Shops at Caesars stretching from Arkansas Avenue to Kentucky Avenue. The venue will also feature vendors and misting tents.

Opening acts were also announced Thursday morning. Dan and Shay will open for Blake Shelton July 31 and Alex and Sierra will open for Lady Antebellum August 3. Each will perform beginning 4 p.m. on the days of the shows.

Dan and Shay is a country pop duo who recently released the smash hit “19 You + Me” which has released No. 7 on the country charts and No. 11 on the US country airplay charts. Their most recent hit “Show You Off” is quickly rising up the charts, as well.

Alex and Sierra is a pop duo who won the third season of The X Factor USA.

In addition to the concerts, the South Jersey Transportation Authority will sponsor fireworks on the beach in the evening.

Although the shows are free, you will need a ticket to attend. The beach locations for the shows will open at 10 a.m. and will not be accessible until that time.

Ticketholders can attend the shows at the Kentucky Avenue beach access. All other beach access points between Caesars Pier and Central Pier will be closed off and secured.

Hand stamps will be issued at entry to permit exit and re-entry. Wrist banding will also be in place for those seeking to purchase alcoholic beverages. Beverages, limited food options and merchandise will be available at the concert site on the beach.

Beach umbrellas must be taken down at 3 p.m. Towels are permitted in the concert area and sand chairs will be inspected and must not be more than 9 inches off the ground. Small soft side coolers no larger than 11 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 9 1/4 are also permitted. Non-framed backpacks and bags will also be allowed.

Not permitted in the venue will be hand surface coolers, beach blankets larger than towel size, high back chairs, patio chairs, or chairs higher than 9 inches off the ground, glass bottles and containers, alcohol with the exception of that purchased on site, tents or structures, flags and totems, strollers, any items that might block someones views and any grills or cooking devices.

Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup comes to Atlantic City July 17 and 18

 

Posted: Monday, July 7, 2014 3:05 pm

By ANDREW ATWAL, Atlantic City Insiders

Harrah’s Resort and Caesars Atlantic City will play host to the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe MVP Award, the Clarence S. Campbell Western Conference champions trophy along with MVP Justin Williams and Los Angeles Kings’ associate head coach John Stevens.

The event is open to the public and offers everyone the chance to view the trophies.

John Stevens and NHL champion team members will be with the championship hardware 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 17, at the Harrah’s Resort lobby.

The Cup will move to Caesars 4 p.m. Friday, July 18, where playoff MVP Justin Williams will be in attendance along with additional teammates.