Jason Aldean, Eli Young Band Tip Off Final Four Weekend In Dallas

Artists countries highlight opening night of March Madness Music Festival NCAA



" If you live in Texas, you probably drive a big ass truck four-wheel drive. "

That's not a generalization : That's how Jason Aldean introduced "Night Train" - their hit crossover that tries to perform magic with that special person ( and " a fifth " Comfort " ) inside of that truck - half way through their headlining set Friday night in March Madness Music Festival NCAA . And the cries of approval received definitely proved that knows his audience.

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Like the man himself, the songs Aldeanson difficult to use and screaming and celebrating bad girls brown liquor, shot through a defiant “Do not Fence Me in " spirit and in place reinforced guitars that roar like John Deere engines .

And he played a lot of those songs Friday opening with stomping , swaggering "Crazy Town " and rumbling through hits like " When she says Baby," " Johnny Cash" , " My Kinda Party ," " Hicktown " and " the only way I know how. " Aldean sang them all with his Wing Resistol pulled down over his eyes, smiling as his band charge through chords and solos took provided by beating wrestling to the melodies. Even covered "Cowboy.” From Kid Rock



Jason Aldean performs live at the Music Festival March Madness NCAA in Dallas, TX.

But the attitude is only part of the secret of his success; the other is the ability of the bejeezus Aldean singing a ballad, and has noted with softer songs, too, like "Big Green Tractor" and “does not want to stay," his duet charts with Kelly Clarkson. He performed both Friday, to the delight of the couples in the crowd, which slowly danced and sang along in unison.

While Aldean has struck a defiant stance for most of his career, rising stars Eli Young Band have been successful in recent years with a string of hits - "Crazy Girl," “Guinevere " -

who take the opposite path. His songs are universal and overwhelmingly inexcusably seriously (his most recent clash, "Drunk Last Night”, vocalist Mike Eli is apologizing for a drunk dial), so it made an interesting counterpoint to the afternoon show foot line Aldean.



Eli Young Band performs live at the Music Festival March Madness NCAA in Dallas, TX.

Still, EYB were definitely in the mood to party. Songs like the muscled -up "10000 Towns" (which featured a little Eli - rapping about "Redneck hip- hop”) and low rubber "Level" were proof of that. And even got a couple of covers - Lynyrd Skynyrd "Gimme Three Steps" and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ' " Learning To Fly" - to help loosen the mood , but for a band that was formed within 40 miles away in Denton, this concert was to celebrate how far we've come , figuratively.

So Eli made several “follow your dreams” speech and repeatedly mentioned that the music had changed his life. And then he and his bandmates went and did achieve a maximum coverage of numbers work great heart as "On My Way” and "Always the Love Songs” as a whole. His themes are the test of time (love, infidelity, heartbreak), and his message was clear: this band could be you.