Gary Allan performs at CRS 2013.
Capitol and MCA hosted lunch for CRS attendees Thursday (Feb. 28) to showcase performances by Jon Pardi and Gary Allan. On display were two unique artists with very different, yet equally engaging sets.
Jon Pardi onstage at CRS.
Pardi’s energetic opener was a rockin’ mix of upbeat, radio-ready fare. “His music is frat-party meets Buck Owens. We won’t stop until we break Jon Pardi,” proclaimed Mike Dungan. Pardi has already scored with his debut hit “Missin’ You Crazy,” and proudly offered his equally catchy next single “Up All Night.” The laid-back vibe that makes Pardi such an accessible artist didn’t linger for fellow California native Gary Allan’s performance—but it turns out that’s a good thing.
Allan brought a captivating intensity to the stage, his recognizable voice full of conviction and believability. The set was a thorough reminder of the hit-stacked catalog he’s been compiling for 17 years including “Watching Airplanes,” “Smoke Rings In The Dark,” “Nothing On But The Radio” and “Right Where I Need To Be.”
Lesser-known tunes such as “It Ain’t The Whiskey” went over just as well with the audience. Allan has been singing the powerful song of heartbreak on the road and hopes it will one day become a single. The emotion oozing from his facial expressions makes every song seem autobiographical, including current single “Pieces.” He closed the set with the biggest single of his career, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” and was joined onstage by Hillary Lindsey, who co-wrote the song with Allan and Matt Warren.
Gary Allan and band.
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