Kip Moore and Canaan Smith Bring the Heat to Madison, WI

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If you are constantly stricken with concert-fever, the perfect cure for you is simple: a Kip Moore concert. Kip and his band The Slow Hearts spent Valentine’s Day at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, WI—and let me tell you, these guys know how to show their fans love. But first, let’s start at the beginning.

Canaan Smith was the first artist to grace the Orpheum stage. Smith greeted the packed audience with enormously fun, bass-heavy tunes that grabbed everyone’s attention. Although new to the music scene, nothing but great things have been said about Canaan. Even if you are unfamiliar with his music, the passion he brought to the stage this weekend could make anyone an instant fan. Possibly the best part of his set was when he introduced his most recent single, “Love You Like That.” The already fired-up crowd erupted with cheers and happily sang along to every word. The look on the band’s face was priceless and made them that much more likable. If you’re a Canaan Smith newbie, I highly recommend you give him a listen. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of him in the future. FullSizeRender (3)

The sold-out crowd was entirely welcoming and full of energy for Canaan, but that was nothing compared to the cheers of anticipation they gave Kip Moore. When the house lights finally went down and a few blue lights hit the stage, the buzzing fans cheered as loud as they could, knowing they were just seconds away from the start of the show. As the music began, lights lit up the stage, spotlighting the band members who were clearly ready to rock. Despite the freezing temperatures outside, Kip took the stage in a cut-off shirt and his signature red cap, with a solo cup in hand.

Kip began his set with a handful of delightfully upbeat songs that let the fans know they were in for a rowdy time. Everyone was on their feet and having a grand time—well, almost everyone. Early on in the show, Moore stopped during a song to point out a group of people sitting in the balcony. “This isn’t (expletive) Finding Nemo, this is a damn concert!” Kip yelled, eliciting laughs and cheers from his fans. Being his stubborn self, he stood with his hands on his hips and stared at the sitting attendees until each one was on their feet. Satisfied that everyone was ready to party, he dove into the many beloved songs found on his “Up All Night” album, as well as those that will be on his sophomore album. As the night went on, it was clear that the Orpheum was filled with an abundance of die-hard fans; the crowd sang nearly every song back to him, even the unreleased ones.

Moore and his band took their fans on a musical roller-coaster, smoothly transitioning from in-your-face gritty tunes such as “I’m To Blame,” to incredibly heartfelt tunes, including “Everything But You” (seen below).

During the calmer moments of the show, Moore covered Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and The Cars’ “You Might Think,” to which the audience swayed to the rhythm of an acoustic guitar. At every point in the night, you could tell that this artist had a deep love and passion for his craft. Kip took the time to thank his fans for supporting him, despite it being a tough year for him and his band. His gratitude was sincere, and the fans showed their love by clapping and cheering as loud as ever. This touching moment gave the audience a peek at the softer side of Kip, who is typically busting out some quirky dance moves and light-heartedly poking fun at his fans. IMG_0767 (1)

By the end of the night, Kip left his fans (and myself) in a post-concert euphoria. Moral of the story: go to a Kip Moore show.

Check out kipmoore.net to find a show near you.

 

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