By Mark Gregory
Staff writer
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
The CMT: Next Women of Country Tour came to Joliet’s historic Rialto Square Theater Sunday and did not disappoint fans.
The show promoted ‘girl power’ across the county genre and was built to show off not only an industry icon – but rising stars in the business.
The stage hands were on point leaving very little downtime between sets, keeping the fans engaged the entire evening.
Country music veteran Sara Evans headlined the show with an hour-plus performance that saw her belt out all the big hits from her award-winning career including “A Little Bit Stronger,” “Born To Fly,” and she got the fans out of their seats and dancing in the aisles with “Suds In the Bucket” along with covering Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You,” “Shut Up and Dance” By Walk the Moon and Chicago’s “Hard for Me to Say I’m Sorry” – which I’m not sure if it is a staple on the set list on the tour or if it was added because, well, Joliet is close to the city that gave the band its name – either way, it won the crowd over.
Evans also included a block in the middle of her set where she introduced fans to some new songs off her new album “Words.”
The set included her first single off the album “Marquee Sign” as well as “Night Light” and “All The Love You Left Me” a song about losing the love of your life in a song Evans called one of the saddest songs she has ever performed.”
Her performance was a family affair as she was joined on stage by her sister on backup vocals and her brother and her 18-year-old son Avery Schelske.
While Evans brought the star power to the 92-year-old theater, the concert was about showing off some of the rising stars in country music.
Texas native RaeLynn took the stage before Evans and showed her moxie as she came out to the high energy title track to her debut album “WildHorse.”
The 23-year-old “The Voice” Alumnae treated fans to all the songs they know her for including “Lonely Call,” “God Made Girls” and “Love Triangle,” her story of a child caught in the middle of a divorce – and she killed every one of them.
There is a reason she is one of the Next Women of Country.
RaeLynn also performed “Queen’s Don’t” a new song with a yet undetermined release date.
“I have really been loving these shows because I really love the theater aspect of really being able to talk about the songs and the reason we wrote them and what they mean to us,” RaeLynn said in a recent interview with the Bugle. “I am obsessed with theaters and being in a more intimate setting because fans can really hear the heart and why we wrote these songs and it has been my favorite part of why I have enjoyed this tour so much.
“There is so much history behind some of these theaters and they are just the prettiest things you have ever seen – they are just gorgeous.”
For this reviewer, however, the hit of the show was the unexpected way it opened.
Kalie Shorr, a country-inspired artist from Maine took to the stage with just her electric guitar and in her first Chicagoland performance gave fans the opportunity to be able to say, “I saw her when,” as they watch on TV as Shorr cleans up at an awards show.
The 23-year-old says she mixes country with rock and at her age, that is Shania Twain meets Curt Cobain, but it caught the attention of a guy who is a more into Waylon Jennings meets Megadeth.
Whatever it is comes out with a sound that is a little Maren Morris and a little Kacey Musgraves that just works on songs like “Candy,” Fight Like a Girl,” and the radio ready “Two Hands.”
Oh, and Kalie, that opening like of “Two Hands” – Challenge accepted.
(Don’t understand? I guess you have to listen to the song).
If you missed my feature story on RaeLynn or Kalie Shorr – click here to check them out.