C2C 2018

[PeterJD]

Little Big Town announced as a headliner. The rest to be announced tonight.

[livewire]

[Moshe]

If any, I would be looking at the day Tim & Faith headline. Interesting to see Emmylou Harris as one of the supporting artistes. I would always see her as a headliner. If Emmylou or Margo Price are on the same bill as Tim and Faith, that would be a strong lineup.
In spite of many returning artistes, seems a bit more interesting line up than in recent years and it seems that C2C are just beginning to tailor their lineups towards British tastes rather than a carbon copy of the American Country Radio formula. Maybe C2C is growing into a British event.

[livewire]

I wonder if Bob Harris and Baylen Leonard had a hand curating the list.
Saw Emmylou with her band Spyboy (and album of same name) back in 2002? at the Royal Albert Hall. A great show but when she played her old stuff I wished she had played a lot more. Not sure what she sounds like over 15-years on. I imagine she is more a theatre audience artist than an Arena same goes for Margo Price.
Lindsay Ell's album I was looking forward to but disappointed by how POP it sounded so just bought a few tracks. Maybe either she, Ashley McBryde or Lukas Nelson (playing Spotlight stage) will play additional shows just after C2C. Ashley Monroe and Cam did this playing Bush Hall both receiving sparkling reviews.
I really thought CAM would have been a cert for 2018 mainstage.

Ashley McBryde is the most exciting name on the list. A great album last year and 2 fantastic tracks released this year. Quite now Country Radio can only give her single "A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega" 1 ADD this week is quite frankly appalling and why country music in general in my eyes has gone in rapid free fall quality wise with the substandard floating to the top.

Midland could be the surprise package and steal the O2 faithful.

Quite a few seemed bored with Kacey last time round at C2C yet she sold out the Royal Albert Hall. Unless her new album slated to come out for 2018 is very good she might find herself (like Reba) playing to a 1/2 empty O2. C2C and Radio 2 think she's big enough in UK to warrant a headline spot.

Reaction is mixed online to the 2018 line up. Some very happy with it the rest saying its a shambles and feeling sorry for those that bought expensive Early Bird tickets!

[Moshe]

Maybe those who are disapointed are the Bro Country type fans. The line up for next year is, I feel, more atuned to broader British tastes.
I think Midland are OK and will go down with the Crates of Beer brigade, but a bit stereotypical for my tastes. Talented, but if they attempted to do country songs that sound like parodies of country songs ("Drinking Problem"), they could be much better.
I really like Ashley McBryde's new single. Good stuff

[kev]

Just when you thought it couldn't get more dull ... https://livestockcountry.co.uk/2017/12/ ... -c2c-2018/

[Moshe]

I think that Sunday 11th March at the 02 is the strongest one day lineup C2C has seen yet. I will want to see each of the acts on the list that day, which is very unusual for me. I am thinking of going this year, but may have to smuggle in a couple of drinks.
MIDLAND, MARGO PRICE and EMMYLOU make just the sort of country music I really enjoy. LITTLE BIG TOWN are ok, but I have seen them a number of times so I may leave early in their set & avoid the crowds.

[Moshe]

Anyone here been to C2C this year? I am going today, but I have been getting alot of bad feedback about sound problems in the Arena on Friday & Saturday. I just hope they get resolved by this afternoon.
I don't understand this policy of no readmission to the Arena for ticketholders who want to/ have to leave at some point. You paid good money to go in, you should be able to come and go as you want. Even heard of a woman who wanted to leave the Arena to feed her baby being rudely told she would not be allowed back in. How poor is that?
Anywy, great lineup in the Arena today & I will be hoping to catch Lukas Nelson, American Young & others at some of the other stages.

[Moshe]

REVIEW: COUNTRY2COUNTRTY 2018- SUNDAY 11TH MARCH 02 GREENWICH

This was an old hippie's country music dream lineup. Come on. And I must have been the bulls eye of their target audience.

Before getting on to the big arena acts, a few words about some acts I managed to catch at other stages. I cuaght British roots singer ELLES BAILEY at the Water Margin Bar and was mightily impressed. Her original take on Blues and Country touches all the bases and is convincing. I caught the tailend of JILLIAN JAQUELINE's set at the Radio 2 stage & I liked it (as Kary Perry once said) & I caught the tailend of American Young's set at the entrance stage.Nice to catch up with them again 2 years on!

After talk of sound problems in the Arena swirling round the internet Friday & Saturday, I am happy to report that today, at least where I was sat ( quite good seat) the sound was dandy and crystal clear.
Opening act was MIDLAND, a contemporary country act who visually and sonically are reminicent of the old hippy country acts such as the Flying Burritto Brothers and New Riders of the Purple Sage. Probably my first taste of country in my teens were the Flying Burritos, New Riders and the Grateful Dead.
MIDLAND impressed on every level- great songs, fine picking and singing and visually entertaining with their retro nudie suites and general style.
MARGO PRICE and her band of stellar musicians were musically pretty much in the same ballpark, bringing a 21st century spin to the cosmic country. Margo started off in high gear & things got even better when LUKAS NELSON joined her for a few songs, sounding very much like his dad (in a good way). He was still jamming with her when she went into a blistering rendition of her first hit, Hurting On the Bottle which segued into Whiskey River. A truly outstanding set.

Next up was EMMYLOU HARRIS and her very rootsy country band. Emmylou- at 70 years of age- is still in fine voice, but it was not so much the Emmylou of Hot Band era with her Gram Parsons inflected country, but Emmylou in very traditional country style, with more than a few nods to bluegrass. She did include a low key rendition of Luxury Liner and Poncho and Lefty was present, but uptempo hits such as Two More Bottles of wine were forgone in favour of more traditional country fare.

I left after Emmylou, having seen the hadliner, Little Big town, on a few ocasions before & I wanted an early night.

Overall, a very good day and one of my favourite C2C lineups so far.

[CRoutes]

Good Report Moshe.
Ask a different person get a different answer regarding Friday Night.
Some people enjoyed Tim & Faith whilst others were visibly angry by it all (How bad the sound was, how bad their vocals were, both as duo and solo slots).
Some have taken it out on Bob Harris it seems who may now not be allowed to transmit their show highlights unless it is vetted! The word is that they also didn't show up for the press conference though haven't had that confirmed.
Old Dominion before them was really great and Kelsea good.

They can get the sound right it seems when they want to. The first year when Kip Moore played it is was silly loud as it was for Gilbert, Aldean with people walking outside to escape the noise.
On Saturday the sound was perfect for Kip, Jennifer Nettles on top form with Sugarland and the crowd stayed on for Kacey Musgraves who bravely showcased a lot of her new album (out at the end of the mouth). Bit of a risk that when people not familiar with the songs. The songs were said to be OK (didn't sense real excitement) but more in POP direction now and she badly needs a stylist it seems with her chosen outfits!

Saw you enter the O2 Moshe as Keywest were rocking it out on Big Entrance Stage. I didn't stay for them but headed back into The Indigo to see the last halve of Mo Piteney.
I too saw last 20 mins of Jillian Jacqueline and loved her (only full band set she did at the festival).
Good to see you raise a plastic glass of red wine at the Big Entrance to American Young. That was the last music I saw as the queue was so long to try and see last 10 mins of Lanco on Town Square which being outside was always a trek to keep walking back to and less room weaving your way round the stalls to try and find the stage and the CD merch area.

Ashley McBryde in the Indigo O2 was sensational. The crowd loved her, thunderous applause for every song and a long standing ovation at the end, what a performance! Worth being there for Saturday just for that alone. She was mingling round the O2 yesterday with fans posing for photos.
Although even less action on Festival stages then previous years but doing 2 days you did manage to catch acts you'd missed on first day.
Overall a great weekend and thankful for it.

[Moshe]

I was excited to see American Young, having really enjoyed them at the Nashville meets london do a few years back. I only caught a couple of songs by them. I then went to have a selfie done with them but my phone battery died!

I had waited ages to get into the Hub at All bar one but gave up. I wanted to see Luke Nelson, but saw him anyway jamming with Margo Price on the main stage. I am really impressed with the guy.

A pity the Town Square has moved to a seperate bui;ding. I never got there as it seemed a bit of a hastle & there was a que.

As to Tim McGraw, he collapsed Sunday night at the Dublin show! Faith said it was dehydration! Always carry a bottle of water!

As to the plastic glass of red wine, drinking wine out of a plastic glass just seems wrong! It was leftover after Jillian's set at the radio 2 stage

[CRoutes]

ICYMI: Nashville Meets London Music Festival will return for its third consecutive year.Saturday & Sunday, July 28-29, 2018.

Elles Bailey I missed on Sunday as was down at Busking Stage. The Water Margin got very full in there on Saturday and you couldn't get that close to the stage. Elles comes across as more a blues/rock artist but is someone that both the country and Americana communities like to call their own, as is the case with The Wandering Hearts.

Was there at Hub at All bar One at 3pm on Saturday but queues were so long for Ashley McBryde and remained so for the Wandering Hearts. When the queue went down they wouldn't let any more people in as it was at capacity. Never got in there whole weekend. Last year got in early but sadly no live music in there or anywhere else from 17:00 - 22:30 apart from the Arena.

I knew the Town Square Stage was being erected outside but when you got there you wondered where it was as hidden behind the hoardings. Some people presumed it was still inside. I don't know what's happening exactly with the Town Square redevelopment which started in October and what might become if it and if its a space the C2C can return too? I think the knock on effect was that few people walked down that way and hence small numbers watching the Busking Stage. There were queues for Building Six but I think that must have been for media for the press conferences as the Festival music Close Up events had finished.
I think the biggest loss was the closing of the Brooklyn Bowl in Feb 2017.
Having done very little of the Indigo in past C2Cs so tried to pack in as much as could this time around, even sitting through 30 mins of Walker Hayes, to wait for Danielle Bradbery.

[PeterJD]

Elles Bailey was played on the radio 2 blues show last night, fairly generic female blues singer. A poor Elkie Brooks I thought.

[LoneShark]

Nail on the head there for me Peter. They are ALL generic. I challenge anyone to give me a singer with original voice/delivery and I will reference them to someone else and no doubt better. B

[Moshe]

Disagree about elles Bailey. Her song about Janis Joplin, "Girl Who Owned The Blues", is an example of very good songwritting. Better than Elkie Brooks ever achieved