Kip Moore and his band played for an enthusiastic audience at The Burt. /DWAYNE LARSON
TicketMOMster Review: Kip Moore @ Burton Cummings Theatre
When I was very young, my family had a cottage in Ontario. To this day, whenever I hear Johnny Horton, I’m reminded of that cottage.
I wouldn’t say we listened to a lot of country in my family, but I do remember Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and definitely Johnny Horton. My Mom also liked The Oakridge Boys and Alabama but that was about the extent of it. OH WAIT! And we watched “The Dukes of Hazzard” religiously. But seriously, that was it. Heh…
I morphed back into country when Shania Twain exploded on the scene. I enjoyed her girl powered pop-influenced country and bought all her CD’s as well as Alan Jackson, Dixie Chicks, Keith Urban, and I thought Brad Paisley was pretty cute. Then after a few years, I slipped back out of the genre again and haven’t had any contact with it since.
Kip Moore. /DWAYNE LARSON
Last night, my buddy Jerry sent me a text asking if I wanted to see Kip Moore to which I replied, “Who the heck is Kip Moore?” He responded, “Country artist”. I agreed and dug out my cowboy hat.
I’m pretty sure I was the only person there wearing a cowboy hat. I don’t know if you know this or not, but country has changed. A LOT. The new attire is baseball caps, of which I have PLENTY. Musically though, there’s been big changes since Johnny Horton…
River Town Saints opened the show and I know that because their signage was excellent. I could see it clearly from the last row in the second balcony. They started their set and I was totally confused. It sounded just like rock, except I think they were singing about tractors.
Then to confuse matters more, they played a medley which included Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”, 2Pac’s “California Love”, Outkast’s “Hey Yeah” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. What?! Where am I?
Despite my confusion, I really enjoyed this band. They were tight and very comfortable on stage and performed a headliner worthy set. Vocalist, Chris Labelle intro’d the band members as part of the Winnipeg Jets, which was pretty funny.
Kip Moore and his band came out to Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks” and the young crowd went nuts. As a matter of fact, the crowd went nuts most of the time, singing loudly with many of his hits.
I enjoyed watching the audience during “Beer Money”. I was in the very last row and I could see everyone in the second balcony swaying and lifting their drinks high in the air; the glow of their cell phones as they recorded pixelled, bouncy videos of music that mattered to them.
I was surprised to hear Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle”. Kip and his band played it well, but if you want to hear the real thing, Jimmy Eat World is playing at The Garrick on May 1.
Kip Moore delivered an exciting, vibrant show. /DWAYNE LARSON
Obviously I’ve never heard any of Kip’s music before, but I really liked it. He had a pleasing gravely voice and he was fun to look at. I think he forgot a few lines here and there, but it wasn’t a big deal. The band, lighting and the flow of the show were great, I was never bored and there was no lull in the middle.
Near the end of the show Kip performed acoustically as people shouted out songs he didn’t want to play, but did anyway. He also played a new song from his upcoming summer album. I didn’t catch the name of it, but it was definitely a rock song.
Kip sang John Hiatt’s “Have A Little Faith In Me” before launching into “Hey Pretty Girl”, which the crowd appeared to love.
Kip Moore and band was a hit at The Burt. /DWAYNE LARSON
Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” was a nice surprise even though it looked like Kip was reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper on the floor.
“Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” ended the show and Kip danced into the audience, which they also loved.
Just before the one song encore, Kip expressed his appreciation for the audience and told us we reminded him why he loved music. He then said not to leave after the show because he was going to the merch table. At which point, three teenage girls in front of me shrieked and one fainted. Kidding. But their eyes did bulge out and they all hugged each other.
In the middle of his last song, he sang Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and to my surprise, the kids sang it back to him. Most of them were so young, I’m surprised they even knew the song.
During the show I kept thinking about genre lines and how those lines are becoming increasingly blurred. Before, there was a clear distinction between rock and country. Now? “Come & Get It” could easily be a Kings of Leon song. As the show progressed, I began to wonder if I shouldn’t be looking in the country genre for new rock music because this was basically a rock show.
Country star Kip Moore was well received by a boisterous crowd at The Burt. /DWAYNE LARSON
As I was driving home I turned on QX104 FM and some guy was singing about Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City”. What an educational night…
That was fun and I’m glad I went. Thanks again for the ticket, Jerry!
Good night!
P.S. Special thanks to Dwayne Larson for the use of these drool-worthy pics of Kip. For more great shots of tonight’s show, check out It’s A Music Thing.
TicketMOMster is a Rock and Jazz-loving Mom; single-handedly keeping Ticketmaster alive in Winnipeg. Follow her musical journey here: www.facebook.com/TicketMOMs
