The WQMX Class of 2018: Ones to Watch Concert Series is bringing five national acts to two venues for four great shows. The series got started on Wednesday night (5/2) with Devin Dawson and special guest Matt Goodrich at the iconic Tangier in Akron, Ohio.
A local favorite, Goodrich was selected by WQMX to kick off the show. The Ohio native draws inspiration for his music from Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, as well as, Eric Church. He told the crowd an endearing story about how Aldean inspired him to learn to play the guitar. “Jason actually gave me this guitar pick that I keep in my pocket, and this is what got me to wondering if I could play the guitar” said Goodrich to the crowd.
Goodrich played songs the crowd loved, such as “Drink a Beer” by Luke Bryan, “Small Town Boy” by Dustin Lynch, and “My Church” by Maren Morris. He also performed a few originals including “Walk,” “Lovin You Ain’t Working Anymore” and “Run” which was also inspired by Aldean.
Next up was the man of the hour, Devin Dawson, and the man that the ladies came out to see. The California native just released his debut album, Dark Horse, earlier this year and has already had chart success with the first single, “All On Me.” Dawson performed the title-track yesterday and also provided the crowd with the story behind it. He stated that this song describes him and after he wrote it, he finally felt like the album was complete.
Dawson performed most of the songs that are on Dark Horse, but he also added a few songs by request during the night. He performed “Blind Man” during his pre-show meet and greet for two fans and later explained that the song was the first he ever released as an artist, and thus it means a lot when people request it. Later on during his performance a member of the crowd requested “I Can’t Trust Myself,” and he again happily obliged.
Dawson ran over the set time, but the crowd loved him so much they did not want him to leave. One fan even stated “He could sing me the Ohio tax codes and I would absolutely love it.” There are not many artists whose songs can get played over and over again and fans don’t burn out, but Dawson’s music is gaining momentum from them and he is definitely one to watch.
Set List:
“War Paint”
“Dip”
“I Don’t Care Who Sees”
“Symptoms”
“Second To Last”
“Asking For A Friend”
“Second Hand Hurt”
“All on Me”
“I Can’t Trust Myself”
“Dark Horse”
Devin Dawson w/Matt Goodrich (5.02.18) – Photos by Catelynn Rickenbacker
