Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2017 (Day 1), The O2, London

This being my fifth year attending C2C: Country 2 Country, I had high expectations, with the festival having gotten bigger (and hopefully better) each year. Admittedly, I had been a bit disappointed by this years line-up, with a number of returners, and almost no major acts who hadn’t toured the UK within the last few years. Nevertheless, last year’s festival ranks among one of my favourite weekends, so I was excited nonetheless.

Just a few hours after catching the train down from Durham, I headed into the O2 on Friday 10^th March and made a beeline straight for the Indigo2. Kicking off the festival was Charlie Worsham, an act I hadn’t heard of before the festival, but wanted to check out having discovered some fantastic acts playing Indigo2 last year (notably Brooke Eden). I wasn’t disappointed. It was just Charlie and his guitar on the stage, but he didn’t need anything else. He played a mix of vibey guitar riff filled songs mixed with a few party tracks like Lawn Chair Don’t Care from his upcoming album. I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie’s set, and consider myself a new fan. 

My legs already tired and knowing that I would be standing for the next 8 hours (and most of the weekend!), I headed up to the balcony before Ward Thomas’ set, who were next to take to the BBC Radio 2 stage in the Indigo. The sibling duo maintain their British charm, which I like in comparison to some UK country acts who tend to add an unnatural drawl to their songs rather than staying true to their roots. The girls melodies blended together well and although they didn’t interact with the audience too much, they kept the audience happy with a number of crowd-pleasing songs off of their number 1 album Cartwheels. 

I was thrilled to have been given Press Accreditation for the first time this year, which meant backstage access to artist Press Conferences, so my next stop was to check out Brad Paisley’s conference – no doubt throwing myself in at the deep end in choosing perhaps the most famous star of the festival as my first Press Conference! Even making my way to the Press Room was an adventure itself, flashing my Media wristband to various security guards and walking down the hallowed halls where signed posters from famous acts who’d played the O2 before hung. Keep your eyes peeled for a write-up of the questions from Brad’s Conference coming soon to this blog! 

It was then time for the main event, so I made my way into the Arena, although probably should’ve given myself some extra time given the massive queues to get in. The first act of the night was Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland fame whose voice is pure country. What I enjoyed most about her set was the life she brought to the stage – Jennifer seemed to be having the time of her life performing, which made it very difficult to not enjoy yourself, even if you didn’t know all of the words to each and every song. I felt she particularly shone on Sugarland songs like Baby Girl and Stay which allowed her strong vocals to echo throughout the Arena. 

Having Floor seats had the added advantage of making it pretty easy to run to the smaller Yamaha stage located towards the back of the Arena, where some up-and-coming acts played acoustic sets while they set up for the next act on the Main Stage. First up was Chase Bryant who, although I think may have struggled at first with technical issues, with the beat sounding slightly off due to the reverberation around the Arena, nevertheless rocked out to tracks off his EP such as Take It On Back and Little Big of You, and provided a pleasant filler as we waited for the next act.

Chris Young was next on the Main Stage, and again, had a distinctly different style from all of the other acts I’d already seen play over the course of the day. Chris sounds more traditional country rather than much of the pop-infused crossover we here on the radio, as was clear on tracks such as Sober Saturday Night and Lonely Eyes. A huge cheer went up around the Arena as he brought Cassadee Pope on stage for their recent hit Think Of You – I always enjoy it when acts bring others onto the stage as something of a surprise.

I was looking forward to the next act to take to the Yamaha Stage, Cam, whose track Burning House is a staple on my radio show, although admittedly I didn’t know too many of her other songs. Like Jennifer Nettles, she just seemed to be having a great time on the stage, smiling and connecting effectively with the audience. I enjoyed all of the songs she played – My Mistake, Half Broke Heart, and of course, Burning House, and will definitely be getting my hands on her album as soon as I can.

The night finished with C2C returning headliner Brad Paisley, with this festival marking the 4^th time I’d seen Brad play live. As much as I enjoy Brad’s music, as stated above, I would’ve liked to have seen some fresh blood for headliners this year – think Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney – but there’s always next year. Brad closed the night with his usual satirical charm, with many of his songs enjoyably poking fun at their subjects and not taking themselves too seriously. This was clear on Celebrity, as Brad sang in front of a large screen with various celebrities drawn South Park style, including himself. He also worked the crowd very effectively, often taking fans phones to take selfies and film himself on stage, which made for a funny transition into a song from his upcoming album called Ashamed of Your Selfie. He also completely wowed the crowd by taking a Sharpie, signing one of his guitars, and handing it to a little girl in the front row. You wouldn’t find that happening in another genre! It’s difficult not to like Brad Paisley. 

Stay tuned for my review of Days 2 & 3 coming soon to Ciara’s Country! Stay tuned on reviews and interviews by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry and be sure to let me know your thoughts!