By Teresa O'Cassidy

For the Gazette

Those who were lucky enough to get a ticket to Jason Aldean's sold-out show at the Municipal Auditorium were treated to a rare evening indeed!

As the week began, Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" was in its fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Today, the song fell two spots to No. 3, but opening act Justin Moore's "Small Town USA" moved to No. 1.

As the folks from WQBE pointed out, it's rare to get an act's tour date in town fall when their song is tops on any chart, but to have the opening act and the headliner have back-to-back No. 1 hits is something few crowds get to share.

This show had the whole house rocking in that old-fashioned guitar-heavy style that falls somewhere between straight country and Southern rock. Even intermission was not dull because people were scurrying to make the most of it so they would not miss a minute. OK -- some people missed bits of the show running back and forth to the beer concession because the Municipal Auditorium sold out of beer about halfway through Aldean's killer set.

Before Moore appeared, the crowd was on their feet screaming because the band took the stage to the sounds of the harmonica riff from Blackfoot's classic, "Train Train," and immediately tore into their hit "Back That Thing Up." People sang, people danced and they were wowed by Moore's band, who at times would sound reminiscent of The Allman Brothers and at other times threw a shade of funk guitar into the mix.

Moore's vocal range is excellent. There's a lot more to Moore than "Small Town USA" or "Back That Thing Up." His musical choices show that he is rooted in the rebel side of country music, including a song called "Hank It" (referring to Hank Williams Jr., and outlaw country.)

Moore embodies it: you will see more of this guy. As a matter of fact, he has a show coming up in Paintsville at the Kentucky Apple Festival on Oct. 3, and he's worth the trip.

By the time Aldean took the stage, the audience was rocked to a frenzy and ready for more. Aldean and his band delivered with gusto. The band emerged through a haze with lights streaking in all directions, and they immediately dove into the title track from his CD, "Wide Open," and the crowd went wild.

From that, they went straight into "Crazy Town." The crowd seemed to know every word. Grown men were singing and dancing with abandon. Country men. It was beautiful to see spirits lifted to such freedom by the power of Aldean's music, which clearly speaks to them in a way that rings true to their lives. I couldn't begin to count the number of men's cowboy hats that Aldean signed while never missing a beat or a note or the key of any song. He is an exceptional entertainer; to get two bands with front men this talented is a rarity to say the least.

Aldean even took the time to recount meeting Nashville songwriter Jeff Stevens, and how the Alum Creek native helped him in the music business as well as writing "Asphalt Cowboy," just before Aldean tore into the song. The crowd went wild. I could easily list almost every song Aldean played and follow it with "and the crowd went wild." His often guitar-heavy brand of country was thoroughly enjoyed by all that I could see.

His encore was surprising because he and two of his guitarists came back to do an acoustic version of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and the entire band returned to play Adams' "Summer of '69," both of which were part of the CMT Crossroads episode featuring Aldean and Adams.

It was, from start to finish, an excellent show.

By Teresa O'Cassidy

For the Gazette

Those who were lucky enough to get a ticket to Jason Aldean's sold-out show at the Municipal Auditorium were treated to a rare evening indeed!

As the week began, Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" was in its fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Today, the song fell two spots to No. 3, but opening act Justin Moore's "Small Town USA" moved to No. 1.

As the folks from WQBE pointed out, it's rare to get an act's tour date in town fall when their song is tops on any chart, but to have the opening act and the headliner have back-to-back No. 1 hits is something few crowds get to share.

This show had the whole house rocking in that old-fashioned guitar-heavy style that falls somewhere between straight country and Southern rock. Even intermission was not dull because people were scurrying to make the most of it so they would not miss a minute. OK -- some people missed bits of the show running back and forth to the beer concession because the Municipal Auditorium sold out of beer about halfway through Aldean's killer set.

Before Moore appeared, the crowd was on their feet screaming because the band took the stage to the sounds of the harmonica riff from Blackfoot's classic, "Train Train," and immediately tore into their hit "Back That Thing Up." People sang, people danced and they were wowed by Moore's band, who at times would sound reminiscent of The Allman Brothers and at other times threw a shade of funk guitar into the mix.

Moore's vocal range is excellent. There's a lot more to Moore than "Small Town USA" or "Back That Thing Up." His musical choices show that he is rooted in the rebel side of country music, including a song called "Hank It" (referring to Hank Williams Jr., and outlaw country.)

Moore embodies it: you will see more of this guy. As a matter of fact, he has a show coming up in Paintsville at the Kentucky Apple Festival on Oct. 3, and he's worth the trip.

By the time Aldean took the stage, the audience was rocked to a frenzy and ready for more. Aldean and his band delivered with gusto. The band emerged through a haze with lights streaking in all directions, and they immediately dove into the title track from his CD, "Wide Open," and the crowd went wild.

From that, they went straight into "Crazy Town." The crowd seemed to know every word. Grown men were singing and dancing with abandon. Country men. It was beautiful to see spirits lifted to such freedom by the power of Aldean's music, which clearly speaks to them in a way that rings true to their lives. I couldn't begin to count the number of men's cowboy hats that Aldean signed while never missing a beat or a note or the key of any song. He is an exceptional entertainer; to get two bands with front men this talented is a rarity to say the least.

Aldean even took the time to recount meeting Nashville songwriter Jeff Stevens, and how the Alum Creek native helped him in the music business as well as writing "Asphalt Cowboy," just before Aldean tore into the song. The crowd went wild. I could easily list almost every song Aldean played and follow it with "and the crowd went wild." His often guitar-heavy brand of country was thoroughly enjoyed by all that I could see.

His encore was surprising because he and two of his guitarists came back to do an acoustic version of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and the entire band returned to play Adams' "Summer of '69," both of which were part of the CMT Crossroads episode featuring Aldean and Adams.

It was, from start to finish, an excellent show.