August 2021

W hen I heard that Brad Paisley was coming to the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, in Tampa, FL, I knew that I had to be there for it to see the country music legend perform. Being one of the first shows back at “The Amp”, in over a year, it was amazing to be back working in this incredible venue. I got to reunite with some of my favorite photographers and venue staff, which was an amazing way to start the night off right. Opening up the night was Kameron Marlowe, who was a contestant on season 15 of NBC’s The Voice. Marlowe did a great job of getting the crowd pumped up and ready for a night of country music. He played some of his hit songs including “Sober as a Drunk”, “Burn ‘Em All” and “Giving You Up”. At one point, he even cracked open a cold beer and was toasting members of the crowd. Being only 24 years of age, Marlowe showed great talent and I expect to see a great career out of this young man. As I was waiting for the next act to take the stage, I noticed the seats were really starting to fill up as more and more fans made their way into the venue. Next to take the stage was Jimmie Allen, who like KameronMarlowe, also had his share of TV time, except Allen was on American Idol, in 2011. As Allen took the stage, the first thing that I noticed was his attire was sparkling head to toe and his energy was amazing right from the start of his set. He also played quite a few of his hits in- cluding “Make Me Want To” and “Best Shot”. He even performed a cover of the song “Shallow” by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The crowd loved it and so did I. If you haven’t checked out Jim- mie Allen’s music yet, I recommend that you do. When it finally came time for Brad Paisley to take the stage, the venue floor was shoulder to shoulder with people waiting to see the country legend perform. I remember looking back at the seats and the lawn section and thinking to myself how amazing it was for live music to be back full scale. When the lights dimmed and Paisley began playing “City of Music”, the fans went absolutely wild. You could definitely tell that everyone was excited to be back at a major concert and to see Paisley shred on guitar and perform a huge se- lection of his hits. Jimmie Allen joined Paisley on the song “FreedomWas a Highway” and the duo really did an incredible job performing together. Check out the rest with pictures HERE Brad Paisley Review Photos and Review by Jake Coughlin 25