Last night the breathtakingly beautiful Beacon Theatre in New York City was transformed into a rowdy, country throwdown. Nash FM held its annual “Nash Bash” featuring Mo Pitney, Dylan Scott, Rodney Atkins and Lee Brice. Nash DJ’s Jesse Addy and Kelly Ford hosted the event introducing each artist to the packed house.
New artist and country crooner Mo Pitney opened the show and immediately amped up the energy in the crowd. Pitney sang his current single “Girl and a Boy Thing” which highlights the stages of a lifelong relationship from being convinced the girl has cooties and the boy is gross, to saving each other seats at lunch and finally getting married and having babies. Pitney then told the audience that his next song, “Clean Up on Aisle 5” was the one that he performed the very first time he took the stage at The Grand Ole Opry and earned him his first standing ovation. Closing his set with his debut single “Country,” he changed one of the verses to “Country can even be in New York City” eliciting a hearty cheer from the audience.
Next up to perform was Louisiana native Dylan Scott. Welcomed by a thunderous applause, Scott played his debut single “Lay It On Me,” followed by his 2013 hit “Makin This Boy Go Crazy.” Slowing things down a little, Scott told the audience that he wanted to share a new song that he had put the finishing touches on a new song only two days ago called “Living Room.” The tune is a sad and haunting story about not knowing what you have, until you have lost it. “A little living room / some space to breathe / I can spend my Friday nights doing what I please / It’s mine all mine / and honestly, I can’t figure out just what to do with all this living room.” Scott thanked country radio for playing his newest single “Crazy Over Me” and sang it to close out his set.
Hit maker Rodney Atkins took the Nash FM stage next opening with his 2010 single, “Farmers Daughter,” and the audience sang along to every word. Atkins took time during his set to thank our military saying “Land of the free, because of the brave” before dedicating “It’s America” to all those serving in different nations across the world.
Special guest Rose Falcon, who happens to be Rodney’s wife, also joined him on stage. As he introduced her he told the audience that she was born in New York City. They sang together a sultry and beautiful version of his song “Cabin in the Woods“. Singing the end acapella they sang “I wanna hold you and listen to the crickets sing / And a coyote howlin at the midnight train / While were doin our thing / Yeah I wanna lay down with you / In a cabin in the woods.” Finishing his energetic and fun set, Atkins sang “Going Through Hell” where he interacted with the fans, throwing his mic to members of the audience to sing the chorus along with the band.
Last but definitely not least, Lee Brice took the stage ready to headline an already incredible evening of great music. Opening with his blue collar anthem “Drinking Class” the fans raised their beers, singing and dancing along. They remained on their feet throughout his entire set even during his slower ballads. Brice gave some romantic advice to all the men in the crowd during “Woman Like You,” saying, “sometimes it is better to whisper to a woman, the lower the decibel the better.”
Also taking time to thank our military, fire fighters and police officers Brice asked the audience to light up the venue while he sang the heart breaking “I Drive Your Truck”. This made for the most memorable moment of the night. Brice sang all of the songs that have established him in the genre over the last few years. His covers of a pop hits, “Locked Outta Heaven” recorded by Bruno Mars and “Rude” by the group Magic showed Brice’s versatility and had the fans on their feet dancing.
Lee Brice ended the show with his most recent number one, “I Don’t Dance” the love song he wrote for his lovely wife Sara. Overall the night was a resounding success proving the tri-state area has a strong interest in the genre and appreciates having a country radio station.
Check out more photos from Nash Bash below and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for future event coverage.
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All photos by Christina Bosch for The Shotgun Seat.