Brad Paisley brought his 2012 'Virtual Reality' tour to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI on Friday night. Fans would anticipate this show would be something special as they approached the venue to encounter 10-12 tour semis, and numerous tour buses, that were lined up outside the perimeter of the Alliant. Even without the stage production, Paisley has put together the perfect storm of talent for the tour. American Idol's Season 10 champion, Scotty McCreery, was set to open the evening while 2011 ACMA's 'Top New Artist', The Band Perry, would follow to prime the crowd for Paisley's set.
[See entire photo slideshow for Brad Paisley; or browse a photo gallery of all artists].
McCreery showcased his abilities in a brief 25-minute set (full review) that featured songs from his platinum 2011 release, Clear as Day. Paisley's road crew were equally impressive, getting The Band Perry onto the stage within 10 minutes of Scotty's departing wave to the crowd. Even more impressive was the fact that Paisley took the stage a mere 15 minutes after The Band Perry finshed their 45-minute set!
Despite the grandiose lighting and effects package that signify the tour, it was the other little touches that helped to define the evening. He frequently used a catwalk to approach the middle of the venue for increased interaction with the fans. He performed an acoustic introduction to 'This is Country Music', briefly paused to sign the guitar, then handed it to a woman in the audience. During 'Letter to Me' he moved to a smaller stage toward the back of the arena, "I thought I better come back and sing to the people sitting where I used to sit."
The entire show was dripping with Paisley's personality. Prior to Scotty McCreery joining Brad on stage to perform 'Celebrity', the background video was showing numerous faux tabloid articles, including one that suggested Scotty was Paisley's "Love Child." Early into the set he assured everone that "we're going to have a great time, I promise! I hope you're not too drunk to remember it though."
The Perry siblings also performed with Paisley for 'Whiskey Lullaby', both Neil and Reid came out with their instruments while Kimberly contributed on vocals. The vibe on stage truly made it feel as though it was more than just the Perry family touring together, more like an entire Paisley clan working together to bring a special kind of magic to each town they perform.
Then there were the special effects, the highlight being a virtual Carrie Underwood who appears at the rear of the stage in HD, possibly 3D HD, video for the Paisley duet 'Remind Me'. Obviously filmed on the same stage with similar lighting, there were a number of fans who were certain Carrie was on stage. He also tossed a soft football at the video backdrop of a winter setting which appeared to smash through the screen to expose a beach for 'Working on a Tan.'
Brad Paisley called out drummer Ben Sesar as a Madison native, which might provide some insight into Paisley's lyrical references to 'West Towne Mall' and other Madison locales within songs during the evening. The other members of his entourage include Gary Hooker (rhythm guitar), Randle Currie (steel guitar), Kendal Marcy (keyboards, banjo, and mandolin), Justin Williamson (fiddle and mandolin) and Kenny Lewis (bass).
"We're up here in the land of beer and cheese soup, leave it to Wisconsin to take two fantastic things and make them better!" That's most certainly the case, but leave it to Paisley to take a concert and blend it into an audio-visual spectacle that is certain to be taken as the reference standard for live entertainment. Fantastic indeed.
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Setlist:
Camouflage
The World
Welcome To The Future
Ticks
This Is Country Music
Waiting On A Woman
Celebrity (w/ Scotty McCreery)
She's Everything
Online
I'm Still A Guy
Then
Letter To Me
Mud On The Tires
Working On a Tan
Whiskey Lullaby (w/ The Band Perry)
Back To The Future
I'm Gonna Miss Her
Remind Me (w/ virtual Carrie Underwood)
Old Alabama
Water
Encore:
American Saturday Night
Alcohol
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