Brad Paisley
8th October 2022
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Charlotte Lightbody, with photography by Doug Peters.
Country music fans packed out Spark Arena on Saturday 8th October for the Brad Paisley World Tour, with Morgan Evans and Kaylee Bell in support.
First to take the stage was Waimate-born firecracker Kaylee Bell. Though she fully owned her country-pop style, she reminded me of a younger Taylor Swift. You might recognise her from The Voice Australia, where she had all four judges turn their seats for her powerful audition. Fast forward to today, and she’s sashaying around the stage bringing her fresh, youthful spirit and energy to belt out tracks like ‘Small Town Friday Nights’ in her silver tasselled jean cutoff shorts. Kaylee swapped between singing like a southern belle with a kiwi-tinged Aussie accent between tracks. When it came to chatting about crowd participation she had us in the palm of her hand, lit up and waving phones to dazzling effect.
From the moment she started performing I had this weird sensation that I wasn’t in New Zealand anymore – we were transported to the US south through the incredible power of country music. It felt like the music would at some point give way to a rodeo! Because everyone loves a multi-talented performer, she also whipped out her guitar in a few tracks lending her skills to the strings, while her male backup vocalist complimented her in duet.
Next up was Australian Country star, Morgan Evans whose wholesome, sing-a-long style got the crowd grooving in their plaid shirts and blue jeans. Morgan’s wholesome, infectious lyrics gave notes of Ed Sheeran and One Direction but with strongly ingrained country sensibilities inlaid. This was his second time visiting NZ, having started like many smaller artists, performing nearby at The Tuning Fork, he welcomed and thrived in the much larger Spark Arena this time around. At one point he started playing the keyboard – while thanking all the medical staff and first responders for their work over the past few years, before launching into ‘Things That We Drink Too’ a slower ballad written for his ex-manager who has passed away. The lead guitarist and bassist looked absolutely stoked to be on stage, smiling constantly and generally having fun – that kind of energy you can’t fake that adds to the overall experience: It’s impossible not to enjoy watching musicians who truly enjoy what they do – just doing their thing.
Brad Paisley is a global country music veteran hailing originally from West Virginia who brought his smooth, southern vocals to Kiwis for the very first time tonight. Casually walking out on stage wearing that signature cowboy hat, he served up a Grand Ole Opry-style smorgasbord for the enthusiastic crowd. If the other two acts had presented their own brands of Australasian-inspired country, this man was the real southern deal. He was joined onstage by his seasoned bandmates, as well as longtime violinist sidekick, Justin Williamson who absolutely crushed it, duelling the band leader’s electric guitar on tit-for-tat solos. Brad treated the crowd to nonstop action swapping between upbeat, toe-tapping tracks through to slower ballads like ‘Perfect Storm’ while tossing his guitar picks into the eager crowd. He mentioned in his thick accent between tracks how special New Zealand is “Middle earth is as advertised, don’t tell anyone about this place” – his sense of humour and crowd interaction has to be part of why this man is so popular.
This was a country music show that ticked all the boxes and I was stoked to head along and get to experience it. Paisley’s blend of classical yet contemporary country and western lit up the stage and brought the crowd together to their feet swaying. He picked up the crowd and transported us all straight to Nashville for an evening of down-home delights.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this Country extravaganza? Or have you seen Brad Paisley perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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