Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2019 (Day 1), The O2, London

I don’t think I’ve ever been as committed to something as I am to C2C Country 2 Country festival, as I was now heading back for my seventh year. Arriving at The O2 on the Friday afternoon, I headed straight for the BBC Radio 2 stage in Indigo at the O2. Whilst there are many stages to choose from, I’ve always found the Radio 2 stage to host some fairly big names within country music who aren’t quite big enough to play the Main stage – take Old Dominion, Lauren Alaina and Charles Esten as examples of artists who have played there over the years.

First up were Fairground Saints, a three-piece trio I’d not yet heard of but was glad I’d made the trek in early to see. They reminded me of Family of the Year (you might recognise them from the Boyhood soundtrack) with their slightly indie vibe and beautiful harmonies; Eli, Mason and Meg using their three voices very well on songs like California and Somewhere Down The Line. I think this stage almost works better as stripped down as it can get, so just having the three on stage, Eli tapping out drum beats on his guitar worked marvellously. I’m a new fan.   

I was excited to see the next act, having been a fan of Raelynn since the release of her Wildhorse album and hoping that one day she’d tour in the UK. She arrived on stage with dramatic flair to Ariana Grande’s God Is A Woman, launching into her first single God Made Girls. It was clear from the get-go that Raelynn is quite the firecracker, sauntering about the stage in thigh high boots as she sang. With fun, high energy songs like Lonely Call and Tailgate, I really felt Raelynn could have fitted right in on the Main stage, and indeed may even have done better there as the band on the Radio 2 stage had a tendency of drowning her singing out, the setting being more apt for acoustic performances.

My favourite parts of her set were during the stripped down segments where you could really see her put her heart into her performance. Songs like Camo, written about being married to a military man, and Love Triangle, about being in the middle of her parents divorce, were real highlights and undoubtedly Raelynn at her best.

There was a lot of excitement for the next act, Jimmie Allen, most of which spurred from his hit single Best Shot which had been blasting out all over country radio last year. Jimmie is definitely on the ‘hip’ end of country music, as evidenced not only by his style (sporting a leopard print hat from the woman’s section at River Island) and bro-country lyrics (‘I don’t need my hands on the wheel / Cause I got both hands on you’ being a notable example). The crowd lapped this up, singing back the lyrics to American Heartbreaker and his covers of Trace Adkins You’re Gonna Miss This and Garth Brooks Friends In Low Places (are there any country artists who don’t cover this song?!).

Definitely what appealed to me most about him was his personality. He was a funny guy, causing the crowd to laugh when he realised he’d forgotten how to start one of his songs, and chatting us through some of his songs, like not wanting to play games with someone you’re interested in in How To Be Single and being one of the few black people in country music in All Tractors Ain’t Green. He seems like a lovely guy – even recording a video of himself for me to send to a big Jimmie fan who couldn’t make it – and for that reason I wish him every success.

I headed next into the Arena, where there was definitely the biggest production I’d ever seen at C2C with screens floor to ceiling – a necessity for those in the high seats. Chase Rice kicked off – or at least tried to, with his mic not working for the first minute or so, starting with the ironic On Tonight, as his mic definitely wasn’t. Back on track, he continued with Jack Daniels Showed Up, played in a much different setting to when I had last seen him at The Borderline (you can read my review of that here), the drum beats causing my heart to beat in an irregular fashion.

Things took a turn for the weird when Chase invited an audience member on stage during sexy track Ride, and basically encouraging her to get off with his bass player… Regardless, I much preferred the less rock-heavy elements of his set like Gonna Wanna and Eyes On You, which prove that as much as being a rockstar, Chase can also be a bit of a softie and tell good stories with nothing more than Three Chords & The Truth.

First on the Spotlight stage was singer-songwriter Adam Hambrick whose distinctive high voice reminded me somewhat of Max Schneider. He played own release Rockin’ All Night Long which quite frankly didn’t seem to fit his persona to me (‘Cause when you’re young, you hold on and / It’s bloodshot eyes, watch the sun rise / sleep when you die / phase of life’ – is it?) but did prove his songwriting prowess by performing Dan + Shay’s How Not To which he helped write. Quite honestly, I can’t fault a song like that.

How it was that Cam was only second on the lineup was beyond me – a voice like that needs to be much higher up – and she proved this from the very first note of Diane. She is a complete and vocal powerhouse, evident on already released songs that she performed for us, including Mayday and revenge track Runaway Train (followed by the words ‘Thank you to all the a-holes out there because at least they make for good music!) and sneak peeks into her upcoming album with the soul-wrenching Forgetting You When I’m Alone which I have no doubt will be just as big a hit as Burning House and the sexy Til There’s Nothing Left, about wanting to give everything you have to the one you love.

As if the whole set wasn’t enough of a highlight itself, Cam treated us to a wonderful mashup of Miley Cyrus’ Nothing Breaks Like A Heart, a brilliant song in itself, and Dolly Parton’s Jolene, which meld together perfectly – a real treat and an example that she can take on other powerhouses songs just as well as her own. And yes, in case you’re wondering, she did end on Burning House, no doubt a song that will be paying her bills for as long as she lives!

Back on the Spotlight, we had the excitable Abby Anderson who exuded infectious energy that you couldn’t help but love. Her sassy songs I’m Good and Naked Truth reminded me of Maren Morris, and with a voice as good as hers, I hope she goes just as far. We had a special treat as Abby invited Jimmie Allen onto the stage to perform a cover of Shallow from A Star Is Born. Certainly a risky decision given how much praise Lady Gaga’s performance of the song has gotten, but Abby was good enough to do it justice. Yet another brilliant act I’ll be adding to my playlist.

Following on with the positive energy was Brett Eldredge on the Main Stage, whose personality and music is the definition of fun. He began with Lose My Mind and Somethin’ I’m Good At, the cutesy lyrics (‘I can’t change the world, no I can’t change a flat / If you give me your heart, girl, well, you may never get it back / You said you’d never smile again, but oh no, here it comes / Would you look at that? / I finally found somethin’ I’m good at’) making both us and him smile.

If you’re looking for some music to make you smile, look no further than songs like Don’t Ya, Long Way Round, Love Someone, and Drunk On Your Love, all of which we got to hear and bop along to. To me, Brett exemplified exactly what I want out of a festival, which is feel-good music I can dance and sing along to at the top of my lungs. This was a stellar set full of moments like this and ended on a high with Wanna Be That Song and Beat Of The Music.

Another impressive spotlight act followed in the form of girl band Runaway June who impressed me with their catchy songs, ranging from the upbeat and fun Lipstick and I Can Buy My Own Drinks to the calm love song Wild West; as well as their great voices. The female Dan + Shay, maybe? Again, I’m a new fan.

And then onto the main event. Friday’s headliner was Keith Urban, and undoubtedly the act I was most excited to see for the whole weekend considering that it had been 12 years since his last gig in the UK (excluding his intimate performance at the O2 Forum Kentish Town two days prior) We began with the high energy Never Comin’ Down, Keith appearing in silhouette form to the screams of the crowd. This was followed by Days Go By and Coming Home, with Julia Michaels appearing on the video screen for her parts.

Keith took a moment to greet the crowd with a ‘We finally made it back! It feels so good to be here!’ and invited a Scottish fan from the front row up on stage, hilarity ensuing as Keith tried to understand the man’s accent, and the man in turn called Keith out for taking so long to make it back to the UK.

We blazed on through Somewhere In My Car and Long Hot Summer, Keith shredding his guitar so hard he nearly fell of stage. The next section was stripped down for personal favourite Parallel Line and Stupid Boy, again with hugely impressive guitar solos, showing that Keith could easily have held the stage just by himself without the band a la Chris Stapleton. Somebody Like You and Blue Ain’t Your Colour kept the ballad vibe going before we picked up the pace again with Cop Car, a song I always like hearing to compare it with Sam Hunt’s version.

I had expected Keith to bring Cam back on stage to cover Carrie Underwood’s part in The Fighter as he had down with Kerri Watt at his Kentish Town show, but Carrie appeared instead on the video screens to sing. Partway through the song, Keith headed down to the Spotlight stage to perform a medly of Kiss A Girl, Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me, and You Look Good In My Shirt, much to the delight of fans further back.

Now here’s where things get shady. At this point, Keith explained that since we were giving him so much time and energy, he wanted to give us something back. Taking his guitar off, he pulled out a Sharpie, signed it, and looked around for one lucky fan to give his guitar to. Let’s say there were at least 200 fans standing around the Spotlight stage, including a bunch of screaming girls right in front of where Keith was standing – logical options for who he might want to give the guitar to, right? Instead, he turned 145’ round, back towards the stage. Okay, maybe someone from the front row there? Nope. He pointed a few rows back, and a girl was brought onto the stage. The exact same girl as who he had given the guitar to at O2 Forum Kentish Town, two days prior. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Now, either lightning really does strike twice and Keith couldn’t remember the girl he’d met two days ago (even though all of us who were at that concert could), or this was fixed. The latter being the more logical option (what is the likelihood she would be picked out of the 20,000 C2C attendees?), the magic for me and for many others who noticed was over, which was a shame as it was otherwise a really good show.

We finished swiftly with Gone Tomorrow, Here Today and Wasted Time, confetti raining down on the audience. Keith thanked his fans and promised he’d be back sooner than he was this time, and just like that, the show was over. No encore, really? I looked over at my seat neighbours and wondered if that was really it, never having known any headliner to have finished without an encore. All in all, it was a super fun set, but I feel the O2 Forum set had been superior as we’d got at least 5 more songs then and without the confusion of #guitargate.   

I hope you enjoyed today's review! Make sure to leave me a message in the comments and follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry for even more reviews and interviews coming soon - thanks for reading!