Dallas Smith and Florida Georgia Line Turn up the Heat for Packed Crowd

After some logistical challenges, I arrived late to Burl’s Creek Event Grounds. I had been looking forward to checking out sets by Madeline Merlo, James Barker Band, and Rivertown Saints, but that wasn’t in the cards. I did, however, arrive just in time to catch the night’s headliners.

Dallas Smith hit the stage with authority to crank up the party on the main stage, needing no introduction and not waiting for one. As the house system was playing to warm the crowd up, there was a sudden yell over the PA of “Boots and Hearts”, then the house music stopped as Dallas’s band launched into “If it Gets You Where You Want to Go”, then powered through” Nothing But Summer”, “Wasting Gas”, and “Side Effects” before even stopping for breath. Playing up to an estimated crowd of more than 80,000, Dallas and his band, led by very talented producer / left handed guitar player Darren Savard, delivered a tight, high energy show and had the crowd eating out of their hands. They even delivered a powerful rendition of” Sky Stays This Blue”, under a beautifully clear pre – sunset sky. Dallas Smith is one of those artists whose music is meant to be played live, and he and his band do it right. One of the highlights of the show was a surprise guest appearance by Madeline Merlo – who put on a great show of her own earlier in the day – covering Terri Clark’s part of the duet hit “One Drink Ago”.

Having seen Dallas a few times already, I was still impressed by this performance. I could tell his voice wasn’t 100%, but I’ll take Dallas Smith at 90% over most artists at 100% any day of the week. With a body of music spanning 19 years from his former band Default through his solo career, and many tours under his belt, it’s hard to believe that Dallas could continue to improve, but he just keeps getting better. Do yourself a favour, and catch his show next time he’s in your hometown. I know I will.

45 minutes later, the crowd was still buzzing when Florida Georgia Line cranked it up and kept the party going. After an introduction by SiriusXM host Buzz Brainard during which he chugged a beer as a toast to FGL, the band, led by front-men Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, jumped into “Anything Goes”, setting the tone for the partygoers in the crowd. I found the contrast in the dual front-men interesting, with Kelley in his usual torn jeans, cut off shirt, and cowboy hat, and Hubbard opting for more of a Ricky from Trailer Park Boys look. Track pants with what appeared to be gauze randomly wrapped around them and too big shirt worn over an undershirt. Unlike Ricky’s hairdo though, Hubbard was wearing a backwards ball cap.

With a tight performance of the band behind them, Hubbard and Kelley worked the crowd, throwing in a few mentions of how much they love Canada, as well as a tribute to first responders, as they wove through their catalogue of hits, with their fans singing along with every word. Maybe I was tired from my long drive, and maybe they were too, but I wasn’t feeling it as much as the crowd was, and at times, while technically sound, it felt to me like the guys were going through the motions a bit. My opinion aside, the show was lapped up by their thousands of fans in attendance, and that’s what counts.

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