For the second night in a row, menacing storm clouds loomed over PNC Music Pavilion threatening a highly anticipated summer show. The night prior, hurricane worthy winds blew away thousands of fans to their cars and nearly caused Muse and Thirty Seconds To Mars to cancel the latter half of their concert and adhere to the curfew laws. Fortunately, thunderstorms that circled the University area evaded the pavilion and Lady Antebellum took responsibility for blowing away the crowd on this particular night.
Prior to embarking on the You Look Good Tour, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley revealed that the Grammy award-winning trio planned to raise the bar in production department. He wasn’t kidding. Even before Lady A ceremoniously entered the forefront, a trumpeter and a trombonist signaled their entrance with the introductory notes for “Downtown.”
Photos by Jared Allen
The added band members and additional brass bolstered almost every track and brought the performance to life. It’s one thing jamming out to the mp3 version of “You Look Good,” the standout track from the trio’s 2017 release Heart Break, but it’s a whole different type of amazing played live.
Rolling with the momentum, Lady A offered a unique twist to the pop-infused “This City,” displaying an extra-large pink and blue “Welcome To Charlotte” insignia on their overhead LED screen. During the song’s climax, Hillary Scott pointed to two fingers towards the sign hinting that there wasn’t a better place on earth. On this night, there probably wasn’t.
Moving through a deep set list of beloved country tracks, Lady A’s newest band members allowed the group to flawlessly perform a set of covers that included Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” and Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That.” With the help of country stars Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young, Lady A offered a well received, yet rather unexpected twist.
Photos by Jared Allen
While the majority of the night showcased the trio’s high energy and fun, easy-going attitude, there were moments when all that was dialed. Midway through, Scott took a minute to showcase her solo beauty with “Thy Will.” With Dave Haywood on the keys, Scott offered some insight into the deep meaning behind the song. The jaw-dropping, haunting performance felt like the peak, had it not been for “Need You Now,” the initial wind behind Lady A’s sails.
Despite Ballerini and Young’s nominal experience on the big stage, both handled the spotlight graciously and confidently. Each offered a distinctive approach. While Young sat front and center and crooned into his microphone, Ballerini promenaded from end to end after making a grand entrance to “Love Me Like You Mean It.” She even gave the audience a taste of her unreleased new music that’s guaranteed to move up the charts once her sophomore album hits shelves.
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