HARDY AT THE PEORIA CIVIC CENTER IN PEORIA
December started off with a bang for Sound Bites Media! I got the exciting opportunity to cover Hardy’s Mockingbird & the Crow Fall Tour in Peoria, Illinois on Friday, December 1st. Fans of Dylan Marlowe, Lainey Wilson, and Hardy gathered at the Peoria Civic Center to spend a night partying hard and enjoying some good music.
Dylan Marlowe kicked off the evening by performing some of his most popular songs such as “I’ll Keep The Country”, “Record High”, and “Grew Up Country”. The crowd got excited when he asked if we had any dirt roads in Illinois and as you would expect, we have a plethora of those here! Marlowe used this as an introduction to “Dirt Road When I Die”. Another notable song he performed was “Boys Back Home”, which was his first radio song.
Next, Lainey Wilson kept the energy going with a set that oozed classic country. Wilson released her hit album Bell Bottom Country last year, which is primarily what she played with the exception of “Things A Man Oughta Know and Never Say Never”. This country star knows exactly how to rock the stage and interact with fans to keep the energy going. Throughout her set, she stopped to sign autographs, take selfies with fans, and speak with them. In fact, a little boy had a sign that stated his teacher wouldn’t make his class take a final test if she brought him up on stage so, in typical Lainey Wilson fashion, she brought him up on stage to save his class from a final test! Another thing I appreciated was her encouragement to little girls and women. Wilson was well-aware of all the little girls running around the arena in little bell bottom jeans and singing along to her songs. She paused her set to state her affirmations; here was her speech:
“It’s something I’m doing. I’m getting up every single day and I’m looking at myself in the mirror and saying… I am beautiful, I am smart, I am talented, I am Godly, I am fearless.”
She also encouraged all the girls in the room, both young and old, to prove people wrong when they tell you that you can’t do something. She used this as her transition into “Atta Girl”. Other notable songs she played were “Smell Like Smoke”, “Heart Like a Truck”, and “Watermelon Moonshine”.
Hardy opened his set with suspense like no other. His first song was “Mockingbird and the Crow”, which he waited a long time to come out to keep the crowd on the edge of their seat. Once the chorus hit, he shocked the arena with fire and a crazy light production for his set. He performed popular songs like “One Beer”, “Red”, and “Give Heaven Some Hell”. Hardy’s energy was insatiable throughout the entire set. It was obvious how much fun not only the crowd was having, but how much fun he was having on stage. Something exciting that he did was perform a cover of “God’s Country” by Blake Shelton. He closed off his set with some other popular songs by him and the songs that everyone was waiting for: “Truck Bed and Wait in the Truck”, which features Lainey Wilson.
The trio of artists touring together is something you do not want to miss. There are only a few dates left in the year, and I am grateful to have gotten to experience it! If you’re looking for a fun country outing, this is it.