Brothers Osborne Heat Up Charlotte With The We’re Not For Everyone Tour
America’s hottest country music duo, Brothers Osborne, made a stop in the Queen City at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Ampitheatre bringing their high-spirited and zestful live show to Charlotte area fans. The brothers, and yes they are actually brothers, are touring in support of their third studio album Skeletons on the We’re Not For Everyone Tour and brought rising star Travis Denning and Canadian singer-songwriter Tenille Townes along for the ride.
The first act up was Tenille Townes who hit the stage with her guitar in hand and her band following as the crowd was just starting to make their way into the venue. Those that arrived early enough to catch her set were treated to a short but beautiful set. Hailing from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, Tenille’s music is deeply personal, thriving on the connections between us all that music helps bring out. The talented songstress won her first Canadian Country Music Award back in 2011 at the age of 17 for Female Artist of the Year and four subsequent awards in 2019 with “Somebody’s Daughter” winning Single, Song, and Video of the Year as well as adding another Female Artist of the Year to her resume.
It seems that Townes has taken all these accolades in stride as her persona comes across as down to earth and easy to approach. We got to hear the award-winning “Somebody’s Daughter” as well as “Jersey on the Wall (I’m Just Asking)” both of which appear on her 2020 full-length debut album The Lemonade Stand and even a new tune, “Girl Who Didn’t Care.” Her smile and personality lit up the stage and her vocals soared through the ampitheatre with ease. There was a spark of joy in her that was captivating to watch and I for one could have listened to her for the rest of the evening and gone home satisfied. She reminded me a little of a young Shania Twain in many ways and I fully expect to see and hear great things from Tenille in the not too distant future.
During the stage changeover, I was waiting inside the VIP club when I heard really hard rock music being played over the venue’s speakers and it was LOUD. It took me a little by surprise because we were at a country show after all. I mentioned it to one of the staff and they said “oh, you should have heard what they were playing at soundcheck-really hardcore stuff.” Of course, anyone who knows me knows that while I enjoy and appreciate all genres and types of music, metal is what pumps through my veins so I was instantly intrigued as to the next act coming up, Travis Denning.
The stage was dark and as Travis and his band came out, a bevy of red lights and strobes lit up the stage. They launched into “Call It Country” and my gut reaction was to say call it anything you want because this is awesome! The only way I can describe Travis is to age myself completely and quote a little classic Donny and Marie Osmond. He’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. He’s a little bit of Memphis and Nashville with a little bit of Motown in his soul. OK, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic because there’s no doubt Travis Denning is one hell of a country singer-songwriter but there’s also no doubt that he can wail on an electric guitar with the best of them. Plus, I’m giving him added bonus points for wearing a Pantera tee-shirt. Denning has a fantastic band along with him and they definitely had the crowd’s attention, getting them up and out of their seats. Their set was fantastic and over with far too soon. We got to hear “After a Few,” “A.B.B.Y.(Anybody But You),” and “David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs” which is based on a true-to-life story from Denning. I mean who hasn’t dabbled in the art of obtaining a fake ID at some point in their youth, right? If you have not heard of Travis Denning, stop reading this right now and go give his music a listen. Go on, I’ll wait…pretty great stuff, right? Denning definitely made a fan out of me and I’m sure a ton more who got to witness his set. The next time you get a chance to see him, don’t miss it! You can thank me later.
If that wasn’t enough to wet your whistle so to speak, we had a whole other act just waiting in the wings to shake things up and get things moving. It was finally time for Brothers Osborne to hit that stage. A black curtain was draped at the rear of the stage with Brothers Osborne printed on top and a large keyhole cut out in the middle much like the cover of their latest album Skeletons. The music started and you could make out two silhouettes emblazoned in red behind the keyhole and then boom! The curtain dropped and the Brothers Osborne were revealed playing the title track to the new record. They made their way down a center staircase and took their place at the two microphone stands in the front of the stage with lead singer and guitarist TJ stage left and lead guitarist John stage right. Their band was positioned behind them in front of a brilliantly lit LED light wall that would change colors and animations throughout the set.
The duo ripped through a few songs including “Shoot Me Straight” and a cover of Dierks Bentley’s “Burning Man” before slowing down a bit. The focus changed to their new song “Younger Me,” which was written by TJ amidst all the support he received after sharing his personal story. He took some time to chat with the audience and let everyone know that we are all going through something and we don’t have to do it alone. We are one together in the music. It was a touching moment and when the LED screen showed black and white images from their youth during the song. I’m pretty sure there were more than a few teary eyes in the audience at that point of the show. But the energy quickly turned up again as the Brothers had everyone on their feet, swaying their arms back and forth for a fun sing-along during “Rum.”
The next segment of the show focused on a sofa at the center of the stage where the duo and the band gathered on and around. It was a great down-home country feel and we were treated to a banjo and accordion among other acoustic instruments. This was time for “Weed, Whiskey, and Willie” as well as a cover of the late, great Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” I really enjoyed the vibe of this. Even though they were playing to a capacity crowd, it had the feel of gathering in someone’s living room and just hanging out, playing music with family and friends. And in a larger way, that’s pretty much exactly what it was.
The last part of the concert featured “I’m Not For Everyone,” the latest single off the Skeletons record, and a little homage to Charlie Watts with a terrific cover of the Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women.” After leaving the stage, the duo returned dressed in neon with giant neon skeletons for an encore performance of “All Night.”
All I can say is wow! The Brothers Osborne are calling this the ‘We’re Not For Everyone Tour’ but I think they are dead wrong. Their songs have such universal appeal and their live show was off the hook making this a concert indeed for everyone. If you get the chance to catch the tour, be sure and do so. You won’t be disappointed and you may even become a country music fan, just like me.
