Some of the most buzzed about events in country music happened along the Atlantic City world famous shore this past week. DO | AC hosted two mega country concert performances by country music sensations, Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum. Both concerts took place on the beach between Caesar’s Pier and Central Pier.
On Thursday, July 31st, the beaches of Atlantic City opened at 10 a.m. for fans to grab the best spot as soon as possible for the concert. Nashville duo Dan + Shay opened up the show at 4 p.m. before Blake took the stage in front of 65,000 fans for his Ten Times Crazier Tour. The set list included most of Blake’s hits, as well as some cover songs, and not one but two surprise guests. Danielle Bradbery, winner of NBC’s The Voice, joined Blake on stage to sing her hit, Heart of Dixie, and another The Voice contestant, Gwen Sebastian, accompanied him in singing My Eyes. Just when we thought the concert was over, Blake surprised the crowd with two more encore performances. Blake Shelton started the weekend on the great note and he certainly left his mark in AC!
Though Atlantic City may be known for its Friday/Saturday gambling and nightclub fun, this weekend showcased that the shore town has plenty to offer other nights of the week too. To kick off Sunday Funday, winners of FOX’s The X Factor, Alex & Sierra, opened up the show. They played some of their originals tracks off their new album, It’s About Us, as well as some of their popular covers like Britney Spears’ Toxic and The Civil Wars’ If I Didn’t Know Better. After their set, Lady Antebellum came on stage to perform in front of 60,000 cheering fans. During the concert, two lovebirds featured their new engagement to the soundtrack of “Just a Kiss,” which won them whiskey shots personally delivered by frontman Charles Kelley. The rest of the show went without a hitch and included covers such as The Dixie Chicks’ Cowboy Take Me Away and Avicii’s Wake Me Up. The camaraderie and effortless teamwork of the trio, as well as their band, really shined during their live performances. They even showed a picture of Hillary (lead singer) and Dave’s (drummer) adorable baby. Of course, Lady Antebellum couldn’t resist performing an encore of their most popular hit, Need You Now, to end the night and close out the weekend.
Hopefully the success of these two shows will bring awareness to all the things that Atlantic City can offer, as well as the increasing popularity of country music in the tri-state area. To relive the weekend, use #BlakeAC and #LadyAinAC on social media.
