Lambert and Moore thrill Little Rock crowd

The main act wasn’t exactly the main event for the Friday night show at Verizon Arena.

The attention and adoration of the eleven thousand plus fans fell to Justin Moore, native of Poyen, Arkansas, coming back to his home state for an opening spot on friend Miranda Lambert’s tour. Moore, decked out in white cowboy hat, boots, blue jeans and belt buckle (an old-fashioned country outfit that’s practically a rarity these days), had about an hour to play his hits while basking in the love and hog calls. An avid Razorback fan (he took the stage after a montage of Paul Eells’ signature touchdown calls), Moore brought out none other than the president of Arkansas, i.e. coach Bret Bielima to help him help the Razorback faithful in a cheer.

Moore also of course did play a few of his hit songs including “Bait a Hook,” “Point at You” and “Small Town U.S.A.” Equipped with a voice that has more power behind it than one would suspect, Moore demonstrated why he’s poised to rise right to the top of country music. While Moore’s preoccupation with his small town roots fits in well with current country, he could stand to find or write tighter and brighter material. A big ol’ novelty hit would fit him to a T.

“You can’t step to this backyard swagger” is a tongue-in-cheek brag from “Little Red Wagon,” the best song on Lambert’s stuffed-to-overflowing album Platinum. As the saying goes, it ain’t bragging if you can back it up and Friday’s night concert was Lambert proving that she could brag as much as she wants.

Backed by a seven-piece band, Lambert took the Verizon stage wielding a pink guitar and sporting a pink headband and black fishnets. Starting with “Fastest Girl in Town,” Lambert spent only a little time with stage patter and instead peeled off one great song after another. “Kerosene” was fiery, “Baggage Claim” was all infectious sass and “Over You” was windswept heartbreak.

Toward the end, the band took a break and Lambert was alone on stage to sing “Dear Diamond,” a song that does the almost impossible in taking the old subject of cheating and making it feel new again. Lambert had more concert to go and she would reach more peaks. It’s hard to imagine another country concert this year topping this one.

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