COUNTRY BOOM WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST WITH A BOOST FROM THE FANS!
Written by Tony Schultz on July 17, 2023
Sometimes we talk about something for long that it feels like it takes an eternity to happen. Whether we are waiting for a wedding, a special vacation, or a huge music festival that happens locally. This last weekend was Country Boom out at West Salem at the Maple Grove Venue and it feels like we talk about Country Boom for an entire year before it finally happens. Truly it does start months in advance when the grounds are still covered in snow and would be better to hold a sledding party at. Each month the anticipation grows more and more as that snow melts and the temperatures give way to wearing shorts and going for boat rides while grilling burgers. Months become weeks, then days, and finally hours before it feels like it snuck up on us all. It’s different for each group involved with attendees making sure they have all the proper gear for the weekend, the venue making sure everything works at the highest level, and radio DJs making sure we let you know everything going on at Country Boom.
This year was no different with the crew at Boom getting a great lineup put together of artists that really are making strides at the rights time. Jo Dee Messina was a great signing! She has a huge following and is a classic artist that still sings as beautifully as she did when she first hit the airwaves. Friday was a day that Jon Holthaus, the guy that is the face of Country Boom and their committee took some chances on some up and coming artists and hit it big time.
Anderson Daniels isn’t well known but the Minnesota boy absolutely blew us away with his performance and we were hearing some good things about him from others backstage. Megan Moroney was an artist a year ago that not many people had heard of. She releases a little song called Tennessee Orange and that becomes a number 1 song on the charts which makes the crowd early on Friday huge and already in full party mode. One artists I was happily anticipating was Warren Zeiders and his set on Friday. His song Ride The Lightning has been popping up on my playlist and it is an acoustic version that I hear. I was not disappointed when I got to hear it with a full band behind it driving the crowd to pump their fists in the air and keep the energy flowing. These are two artists that will be having more huge moments in country music as their careers ascend. Then Dylan Scott took the stage and kept the fans fired up! His string of hits left no one surprised that the party was going to continue into the night. The night finished with one of the nicest guys in Country Music when Kip Moore took the stage. Even though he didn’t do his jumbo tron interview with our station we still handle all the production. After he was done with that he made sure to get all our names and thank us for the work we were doing. Then he got on stage and opened his set with his latest release Damn Love which is a great song! His session felt very warm and close to the crowd even though they kept the party atmosphere.
Finally, on Saturday and into the night things just kept going upwards! Lauren Watkins started the day as an opening artist and she had a beautiful voice. She sang her own songs, but also covered some Cheryl Crow and nailed it. Jackson Dean was as mellow as can be backstage and onstage except when the band was playing. They absolutely tore it up! He would give a very chill and relaxed intro to a song that made you think they might slow it down a bit and then would let loose with some great guitar riffs and driving melodies. The hype around him is real. He also handled a scary moment with the stage with respect for the fans as best as he could. That took us to another artist that like Dean and Zeiders has his toe dipped in some outlaw country, Larry Fleet. What a beautiful voice he has and wonderful show he put on. He and the other artists show a definite shift in what listeners are looking for. Chris Cagle rolled out his hits and put on a great show as well. When he shifted into Miss Me Baby the crowd shifted right along with him and then shifted right back into having a good time. This brought us to the Saturday headliner Dustin Lynch. Dustin was ready to party as much as the fans were! His interview on the big screen was full of energy and gave the fans a nibble of what to expect when he hit the stage. Once up there it became one of the more intimate performances of the weekend. Dustin was constantly interacting with the crowd without forgetting to put on a show. He came to the front of the stage and handed out beers and shots of tequila and sat on a cooler while talking with the crowd. He was the perfect bow on the present that was Country Boom this year. Everything else that comes with the Boom experience was wonderful whether you were a VIP or general admission you were well taken care of. Every year they learn something new and add or change things for attendees to have the best time possible. On a personal note: thank you so much to all the listeners that came up and said hello, took pictures with us, and enjoyed their KQ98 can koozies! From the first note on day one to the last one on Saturday night it was the most electric crowd I’ve ever experienced. The energy was so strong and positive it gave me a charge and the artists as well. So, fans of Country Music you made this weekend the best it could be. Thank YOU for that!
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