The Smooth Tour came to Blossom Music Center on August 11, and what seemed so wrong actually turned out to be all right. Florida Georgia Line, the country duo and Nelly, the pop music rapper, brought a fun show that crossed musical borders and the crowd loved every minute.
Florida Georgia Line, or FGL to their fans, came out in a burst of flames, literally. The duo welcomed the crowd with the title track from their 2014 album, “Anything Goes.”
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Country Music Association (CMA) award winners, Brian Kelley from Florida and Tyler Hubbard from Georgia, didn’t come out wearing traditional attire for a country act. Instead, Hubbard opted for an all black outfit down to his snap back and thick gold chain around his neck and Kelley was dressed in sleeveless jeans shirt with a brown brimmed hipster style hat.
They kept the energy going pulling some older songs out including “Itz Just What We Do” and “Round Here.” Kelley and Hubbard then had a chance to show off their harmonies on “H.O.L.Y.,” which was a great contrast for the high energy set.
One of the highlights of the evening came on “God, Your Mama And Me,” which FGL originally recorded with the Backstreet Boys. The song was accompanied by a video that included footage of both Kelley and Hubbard’s wedding. The intimate peak into their personal lives just made the crowd seem so more invested in the performance.
The evening opened with sets by Ryan Hurd and Chris Lane. Hurd, who released his self titled debut album earlier this year and is best known for his songwriting credits that include a #1 hit, “Lonely Tonight” that was recorded by Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe. Lane, first hit the Billboard Country Albums Chart in 2012, and last year hit #1 with his song “Fix” from his Girl Problems album.
But, the artist besides FGL that everyone wanted to see was definitely Nelly. It almost seemed improbable when it was first announced that Nelly would be touring with FGL, but the pop-rapper took the crowd down a tour of memory lane with hits such as “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” “Ride Wit Me,” “Only Just a Dream” and “Over and Over.”
Kelley and Hubbard brought back both Hurd and Lane for their song “Sun Daze,” that was another #1 hit for the duo in 2015. FGL also did a few songs with Nelly, and it only took a few beats for the crowd to know it was “Hot in Herre.”
The 2-hour set by FGL ended with what you would imagine would be the closer on a Florida Georgia Line and Nelly tour. The 2012 hit “Cruise,” that was also remixed and released with Nelly in 2013. The song was a chance for all of the artists to take the stage together and again proved that crossing some musical borders isn’t always a bad thing.
