Corey Kent Rides Rocky Mountain Low In The Arena
“That stack of vinyls slow-hand speaking right to my chest been clean for a while but now I'm back like I never left a good man can only take so much, man until he's had enough and damn I've had enough it's up in smoke but I ain't high There she goes No goodbye Yeah, she's running right back to his arms again I'm sitting all alone in the cold Rocky mountain low.” - Rocky Mountain Low - Michael Tyler Spragg, Thomas Archer, Austin Goodloe, Corey Kent. It was a surprise invite to a meet and greet with headliner Jason Aldean that ignited this night of rocking country music at the famed Rod Laver Stadium.
Aldean signed my concert set list print-out as he peered from under his Stetson at attendees in the bowels of the arena.
He told me he didn’t plan to emulate his peer Lukas Nelson – one of Shotgun Willie Nelson’s eight children – by planning to fly a charter jet to Uluru.
The Willie Nelson link soon surfaced when Oklahoma born latter day Texan Corey Kent hit the stage running with his hot country rock band.
Kent, now 31 and father of four, proved how he had learned from being pulled out of an audience by Shotgun Willie Nelson as a high school student to perform and moved to Nashville at 17.
“This is our first time in Melbourne and we welcome all you beer drinkers,” Corey shouted, “we first toured with Jason Aldean in 2023.”
He urged the audience to drink up – “I enjoy drinking beer with my Aussie friends.”
Kent also asked fans to clap their hands as he opened his set with Highways that segued into Ain’t My Day which he revealed was inspired by drinking in his car at night.
He followed with unreleased song Empty Words and Rocky Mountain Low that he performed live on some shows and on an album with fellow singer-song-writer Koe Wetzel – also an Australian tourist.
Corey then fired up This Heart from his fourth album Black Bandana.
They performed an Oasis cover Champagne Supernova before igniting Wild As Her that amassed over 300 million streams after he released his second album 21.
Wild As Her reached platinum status in March, 2023, and #1 on country radio in May of that year.
Kent and his band followed with Somethings Gonna Kill Me – second single off his third album Blacktop that was released on June 2, 2023.
They closed their set with Beatles hit Come Together after Corey revealed it was his guitarist Johnny’ s birthday.
No-one emerged in a birthday suit so I can’t give you any further details.
Jason Aldean Tops The Scene And Screens
“Sucker punch somebody on a pavement
carjack an old lady at a red light
pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store
you think it's cool, well, act a fool if you like
cuss out a cop spit in his face
stomp on the flag and light it up yeah, you think you're tough
well try that in a small town
see how far you make it down the road
around here we take care of our own.” - Try That In A Small Town - Kelley Lovelace-Neil Thrasher-Tully Kennedy- Kurt Michael Allison.
Georgian gaucho Jason Aldean and his hot band hit the stage with vivid video screens behind on both sides of the stage catching their every move.
They opened with Hicktown and Lights Come On as fans lit up the mosh pit and way beyond with their camera phones catching every move.
“There will be no encore,” Aldean, who celebrated his 49th birthday on February 28, advised fans, “we’ll be playing all our songs for you.”
The audience found its voice and sang along with Aldean as he worked both sides of the stage as they ignited Any Time Soon, an unreleased song from his 12th album Songs About Us out on April 24.
They rose to their feet as Aldean and his band revved up hits including When She Says Baby, Whiskey Drink, Night Train and Burning It Down.
“Country music is big down here in Australia and the rest of the world,” Aldean told fans.
“We thank you for coming out tonight to support us playing in Melbourne.”
Aldean lived up to his Full Throttle tour title as he roamed the stage with the agility of Geelong star Bailey Smith as fans lifted their glasses and cans after he reminded his audience they may have seen him on his 2016 debut Australian tour.
They slowed the tempo for How Far Does A Goodbye Go and The Truth as pedal steel guitarist and keyboard king Mike Frey added to the melancholia.
Fans didn’t need much encouragement from Aldean as they clapped after he announced there had been a brief technical issue.
They responded with gusto as he invited the crowd to sing along as he ignited major hits including Crazy Town, Big Green Tractor and Trouble With a Heartache.
Tattoos On This Town was illustrated with small western towns, equestrians and fodder mills on the video screens.
The crowd erupted when he performed his rural anthem Try That In A Small Town with fans throwing Australian flags, Stetsons and scarves onto the stage to be autographed and worn.
Aldean displayed the flags as he worked both sides of the stage before segueing into You Make It Easy.
“We’re taking this bitch into overdrive,” he announced as they revved up Colt Ford’s country rapper Dirt Road Anthem and If I Didn’t Love You.
It was no surprise he honoured fans who provided him western footwear for the obligatory shooey before his fiery finale My Kinda Party – a Brantley Gilbert song.
Review by David Dawson – Producer – Nu Country TV
Photos – Justin Mrusek
