Blake Shelton “Friends and Hero’s” tour
Photos & Story By Michael J Mangano
There is a neon light at the end of the tunnel where some good ole boys were waiting to entertain the crowd at the SAP Center 25-year celebration. The three-day festival was outside and there were rides, vendors, classic cars, and live music from Talented Up. The night-time the event featured Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, and Devin Dawson. The following days had Kings of the West, Snoop Dog & Ice Cube, and Maluma, to close out Sunday.
But Friday was all country, and to kick off the night the Center flew in Grace Kelly, a sixteen-year-old New-Zealand born singer/songwriter, who spent time growing up in San Jose, and sang her song, “My Love Letter to San Jose”. Country singer and songwriter and Orangevale native Devin Dawson followed. He did a 30 minute set with songs like “Dark Horse”, and “All on Me” which reached the Top 5 on the Hot Country Songs. Michael Hardy came on stage with Dawson to sing his hit song “Rednecker”. Then the high-energy of Louisiana native Hunter Hayes charged the stage singing his hit like “Wanted” which has achieved over 1.5 billion on-demand career streams and two-time multi-platinum hit “I want crazy” and many more.
The night was all about five time CMA Male Vocalist of Year, 20 ACM nominations, and six-time winner of the Voice, Mr. Blake Shelton, and he didn’t disappoint. Blake Shelton kept the momentum going with a two hour set, starting off with “Neon Lights” and ending with “God Gave Me You” and a whole lot other hits in between that had the crowd singing along and dancing.
What made his performance enjoyable isn’t that Shelton can sing and write song we relate to and love to sing along to in our cars, but where he really excels is his personality and on-stage presence. Shelton is abundantly charismatic and witty. He knows how to engage a crowd. At one point he addressed a couple in the audience who just got engaged during the show and then another moment joking with a guy saying “she made you come to this concert didn’t she?” and then smoothly transitioning into the song “Doin’ What She Likes”. You leave a Blake Shelton show feeling like you spent a couple of hours with a good friend singing, and of course a whole lot of drinking. Yep, the neon light says BAR OPEN when Blake is around.
Neon Lights
All About Tonight
Doin’ What She Likes
Sure Be Cool If You Did
A Guy With a Girl
Mine Would Be You
Drink on It
I’ll Name the Dogs
Came Here to Forget
Gonna
Sangria
All My Ex’s Live In Texas
Home
(Michael Bublé cover)
Hillbilly Bone
Hell Right
God’s Country
Honey Bee
Some Beach
Ol Red
Austin
Boys ‘Round Here
God Gave Me You
(Dave Barnes cover)
[logo
View Raw Image]
michaeljdesigns.wixsite.com/-live-music-photos
