Music City Nights LIVE! - June 3rd, 2008
June 3rd was an exciting night at Music City Nights – not only were attendees treated to the usual abundance of talent and diversity, but Jimmie Van Zant and newcomer Nikki Lee were visiting to kick off CMA Fest Week with individual meet and greets.
Dan Adams opened with a solo acoustic set, starting things off appropriately through a mighty delivery of his working class-oriented song, “I’ll Take My Time”. He followed through with “One Too Many Times”, “Leaving You for Me”, a notable cover of Robert Earl Keen’s “I’m Coming Home”, and his simultaneously amusing and somber single, “Drinkin’ Out Loud”. This amusing/somber flair was a common thread through Dan’s lyrics, which seemed to give his songs depth that extended past just the entertaining factor. Sure, he’s fun, his melodies are catchy, and he has the voice to back those words up, but at the same time his songs exude pure reality, which I can guarantee will leave a mark on even the most casual of listeners.
“I play folks songs.” That was how Adam Burrows introduced himself, this simplicity actually proving to be quite appropriate since his songs spoke for themselves in the purest form of the term. As the preceding act, Adam immediately struck me as a lyrical gem, but entirely in his own vein - I noticed that his songs are stories developed through a very specific aura that you can’t ignore, initiated by him and created within you. The words give you the visuals and details; his natural, mellow voice and finger-picked acoustic style helps draw the emotion. Some of the most notable bits he guided us through included “Had to Get Lost”, “Prison Break”, and “House That’s Not Right in the Head” – each song keeping the aforementioned allure, but also highlighted by a personal style.
Snow Black Sunday was up next with something completely on the other side of the genre world (of course!); in fact I would say this no matter who had preceded them, because their sound was
sufficiently separated from most anything I’ve heard. I suppose it’s human nature to compare artists to other artists, but I honestly couldn’t think of one group that Snow Black Sunday resembled! They opened with a dreamy, “Say Hello”, along with “Mislead” and “Escape”, which lead singer Kristen introduced as being “…about a really, really, really bad break-up…it’s about me just wanting to get away from everything.” Snow Black Sunday, although a fairly new set-up, was natural, fresh, and managed to give me a bit of gooseflesh too.
John Kiger was back at Music City Nights for the third time, headlining this time with his full band (sans a bass player, but they still managed to sound fantastic). It’s always a refreshing feeling when you get that distinct hint that an artist puts all of their passion into the songs they create, and sound good doing it. Needless to say, I definitely interpreted these things from John Kiger in clear, capital letters. He kept his performance varied with a mixture of tempos and styles, such as “Oorah Up”, which delivered an intense and heartfelt tribute to the troops.
We got to cherish a greater portion of the Van Zant legend when Jimmie got on stage and pleasantly surprised us all by delivering what could be considered a full set. “We’re just wingin’ it tonight, okay?” he said, emphasizing how relaxed he felt, despite the fact that he had just flew into Nashville. His classic, gruff, southern rock musical personality shined through “100 
Proof”, “Double Trouble”, “Reason”, and naturally, a spectacular cover of “Sweet Home Alabama” – which of course was especially appreciated from Jimmie’s mouth, considering it was made famous by his cousin’s band Lynyrd Skynyrd. And where would a southern rock star be without his fully charged band? Dave and Tim led the way to sweet guitar dreams, amplified with Sarge on Bass, Jeremy on drums, vibrant Zee and Lo Lo providing background vocals, and a special fiddle appearance by Gary Sommers. 
We wish this electric troupe the absolute best during their visit in Nashville!
On top of all these events, I also want to point out that week after week, Limelight’s “sound guys” – Rob and Crash – consistently provide pristine audio quality for the show. So thank you; you guys work hard and my ears are witnesses to this fact.
Let me sum up this review with something Mike, the MC, said during Tuesday night’s show:
“Come back and see us…or else.”
Check out more photos of Music City Nights at PLUGS
Links of Importance:
Music City Nights LIVE! Official Myspace
Dan Adam’s Myspace
Adam Burrow’s Myspace
Adam Burrow’s Official Website
Snow Black Sunday’s Myspace
John Kiger’s Myspace
Jimmie Van Zant’s Myspace
Jimmie Van Zant’s Official Website
Nikki Lee’s Myspace
Nikki Lee’s Official Website
