Who Brought The Party? That was Florida Georgia Line

FGL brought their Here's To The Good Times Tour to NYC last week for three sold out shows. We were fortunate enough to attend two of them. The third and final night on Friday was a party from start to finish.

Canadian Dallas Smith opened the show. He has already had success with the Canadian rock band Default in the 2000s, but he really should be ready for another round in country music. Unfortunately, he was only able to perform 6 songs, but those six were filled with energy and electricity. He is an engaging performer with a powerful voice that is suited for country or rock. He knows how to work the stage, constantly moving and engaging the crowd whether it be with eye contact, points or smiles. He played songs from his Canadian country debut album Jumped Right In: "Somebody Somewhere" & "Nothing But Summer." He didn't forget his rock roots as he performed a cover of Audioslave's "Cochise" that actually went over well with crowd many of whom were nodding their heads and fist pumping throughout. Finally, he performed his latest single "Tippin Point" which is being played on Sirius XM's The Highway as a Highway Find. It is a fun song with a great energy that was a perfect ending to his (too short) set.

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Dallas Smith

Next up was Colt Ford. Having never seen him perform, I was unaware of what to expect. Colt may describe himself as a "300 pound redneck" but he definitely puts on a good show. His type of music may not be for everyone, but you can see he enjoys being up there and when you can see an artist having a good time, it's contagious. His band is extremely capable & again, fun to watch. They provided adequate vocals on some of the tracks Colt has done with other artists (Jake Owen, Jason Aldean) although this attendee was hoping he would bring Dallas Smith out to sing with him. He did however, bring out a very special guest:. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels joined Colt on stage for "Walk this Way" The energy was at a high as he danced around and raised his shirt to the delight of some in the crowd (side note: he's is in good shape). After Colt finished the lights went down and the crowd waited with anticipation for FGL. Many of the young ladies next to me were beside themselves waiting for the two young men to take the stage.

A bit after 9pm, "Radioactive" came on and that was the cue for the crowd to go wild. From the opening notes of "Party People" to the finale of "Cruise" there was an energy and excitement in the Best Buy Theater that lasted throughout the show.  The crowd was certainly mixed from a few kids under 10 to women in their late 50s. To me, this speaks to how many people can relate to & enjoy their music. FGL played everything from "Tip It Back" to "Hell Raisin' Heat of the Summer" & as I scanned the crowd, it seemed everyone was singing along to every word.

The duo, too, know how to work the stage, interact with the crowd and make eye contact with as many people as they can. They really never stopped moving during their entire set, except maybe to take a sig of Fireball. Tyler might give Luke Bryan a run for this money in the amount of gyrating he
did, but the ladies ate it up. Brian Bonds, their guitar player, is not only crazy talented, but definitely one to keep an eye on while he is on stage, whether he's playing the guitar with his teeth or licking it, he's a showman.

DMC and Colt reappeared for a medley of songs including Bruno Mars "Grenade." Tyler said that their final song, "I'm in A Hurry" took on a new meaning to them after spending four days in NYC.
The night ended with Brian and Tyler emerging in FDNY tee shirts, having some Fireball & then baptizing the first few rows of the pit with it, no one minding of course. The crowd went crazy for Cruise as confetti rained down to cap off a great night.

For tour dates visit:
www.floridageorgialine.com
http://www.dallassmithmusic.com/
www.coltford.com

Dallas Smith

Colt Ford

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Colt & DMC

Brian Bonds

Courtesy D. Silva