Kassi Ashton opened the night with the grit that has made her one of the most distinctive voices in country right now. The Missouri native’s smoky, unvarnished delivery signaled early that Blossom was in for one heck of a night on Friday (July 24).
Gabby Barrett came out swinging with a country-rock intro led by her husband, guitarist Cade Foehner, then slid into a soulful “Pick Me Up.” During “Chapter & Verse” she didn’t miss a single note, her voice resonating all the way up the lawn. “The Good Ones” had the entire pavilion singing along, and those powerhouse pipes had even the stage hands and crew dancing side stage. She slowed things down with “Growin’ Up Raising You” without letting the energy dip an inch, then paid tribute to her love for this country with a Toby Keith cover “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” that drew a roar and a full-crowd singalong. Her band turned the last handoff into an epic transition, rocking straight into “I Hope” for the finale.
Parker McCollum knows how to make an entrance, including a full light show, he wasted no time with “What Kinda Man” to kick things off. What followed was anything but a quiet crowd. Blossom sang along to nearly every word, and McCollum played right back to them, working the front rows and the lawn in equal measure. He looked like a man having the time of his life up there, and he mixed the new material with plenty for the longtime fans. Digging back into his Limestone Kid days for “Meet You in the Middle” and “New Orleans” alongside current hits. “Burn It Down” was a clear crowd favorite, the kind of moment where you stop hearing the PA and start hearing thousands of dedicated fans. He kicked off “Like a Cowboy” on harmonica, and delivered a whistle solo on “My Own Worst Enemy”, unlike anything I’ve heard live.
What really set the night apart, was how much time he spent actually connecting with Northeast Ohio. He talked LeBron James, temperature checking the crowd on his Sixer’s news (it was an equal mix of emotions), took selfies, read homemade signs, and signed a leukemia survivor’s hat. He even dedicated “Hell of a Year” to all the Brown’s fans and, well, ain’t that (always) the truth. His vocals were strong throughout, but his stripped-back moments allowed his songwriting to take center stage. Every lyric felt personal, and the crowd sang nearly every word back to him.
