Carly Pearce Live in Manchester
Carly Pearce has become a beloved and frequent visitor to the British Isles since her debut at C2C: Country to Country seven years ago. In addition to a second appearance at the festival, Pearce has returned twice for a pair of headline runs and also was a part of the British celebratory event to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry at the Royal Albert Hall.
London and arguably the world’s most iconic venue is a venue that she will return to on Saturday to headline Highways Festival in her own right as part of her sixth visit to these shores where she is joined by North Dakotan sister duo Tigirlily Gold.
Since her first trip across the pond in 2019, a lot has happened for the Kentucky native both professionally and in her personal life where she would get married and later divorced. She released three further studio albums, with the most recent “Hummingbird” now approaching two years old, collected a Grammy in addition to a hat trick of CMA Awards and four ACM wins including Female Artist/Vocalist of the Year by both organisations.
Whilst the opportunity to see her perform close to home at such a special venue was truly irresistible, there is something highly magical about her as a performer that we had to take the opportunity for a further show on the run by attending the second night of the tour in Manchester.
Whilst England’s third city is becoming an all too regular haunt for me when artists like Jackson Dean, Brothers Osborne and Carter Faith have warranted attending multiple shows over here, the Academy is a venue which I had not attended since my uni days in Chester over two decades ago. The venue has a mid height ceiling and is a perfectly square room with a flat floor and has really good sound and is well viewed from across the room (also £5.80 a pint inside a venue needs to be applauded as there is definitely no ripping fans off) where Islington Assembly without the extended upstairs would be the most similar venue in London.
We would have to wait until 9pm for Carly to grace the stage but the Slaubaugh sisters were both the perfect complement and a truly fitted opening act. The all too short set from Tigirlily Goldshowcased everything that there is too love about the duo by the way of Kendra’s vocal prowess, her sister Krista’s skills as a guitarist, their mix of fun and vulnerability in their songwriting, the way they engage with the crowd and really highlighting the warmth and energy that they bring to their live shows. I was able to hang out with the girls before their set where amongst the fun and witty banter about how they pronounce the word “roof” (which sounds more like the way a puppy barks) we had talked about the new record that is DONE from the recording standpoint and the newest offering “I Do Or Die” along with “I Tried A Ring On” gave a taste of what is to come but sadly Barb and Sheila didn’t make the trip to the UK due to the length of the set to really push the Country & Midwestern era to the audience. They are really fun to watch, they are incredibly genuine, they love what they do and they do it so well in a way that is impossible not to love where I really hope it is not long before they are able to come back for a fourth time and with a full band.
SETLIST: Forever From Here, Leroy, I Do Or Die, I Tried A Ring On, Hold On/Man In The Mirror (Wilson Phillips & Michael Jackson cover medley), Shoot Tequila
When Miss Pearce herself entered the stage at nine o’clock, there was the curiosity of where the “Inside The Dream Tour” drew its inspiration from and the fact that there is a new album on the way in the not too distant future was really, relly clear through the entire one hour and forty minute set. One of Carly’s best attributes as a live performer is the way that her set lists are always put together because the songs are arranged in an order that paces the tempo with an even spread of the slower numbers but also the way that she places the brand new songs which fans will not have heard before in a way that the entire set flows perfectly and every track feels like an old friend.
The first of these new songs would open the proceedings and “How Long” is a good entrance melodically and having another uptempo song is a welcome addition to her arsenal for the live shows but also a good way to set the tone of playing a lot of new songs and this new project is going to be big on multiple levels. More familiar numbers like “rock paper scissors” from her “hummingbird” record and the platinum selling “Next Girl” got the audience on board early with a pair a bigger songs that are crowd favourites which fans were able to quickly get on board with singing along to.
In terms of the “HITS” in inverted commas, through her catalogue, she has a lot of ballads and I mean that as anything negative by any means but the strength of them is they tend to be big power ballads with a key change and more importantly what makes her stand out from other female artists with ballad heavy repertoires, hers don’t all sound very similar which again is another weapon in her armoury to split up and pace the show.
A mashup of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and Olivia Dean’s “Nice To Each Other” was really cool how it was arranged and went down really well with the audience (also whilst I love Olivia Dean, I feel like I have now heard a thousand different people cover “Man I Need” so it was really nice to see someone drop in a different song of hers into the set) as did the country music staple of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” which Pearce also interpreted as nice unexpected moments within the one hundred minute performance.
Whilst there are a strong array of powerful ballads that fans crave for, Carly is also the queen of duets and in the absence of Lee Brice, Riley Green, Chris Stapleton and Ashley McBryde it is firstly very special to hear songs in a more raw format but more importantly to the casual fans, these are the moments where her prowess as a vocalist really stands tall and gloriously delivers these hits in a way that feels even more magical.
It seems likely that “Dream Come True” which was released last November will be a focal point for the next project as this brought about her most open and vulnerable storytelling within the show and also would fit perfectly with Inside The Dream being the name of the tour. “Church Girl” is the other recent release that I expect will have a home on her next album and once again in introducing the song, she really highlighted her craft as a storyteller which she does with real honesty, warmth and openness.
As well as showcasing her catalogue of hits both as a songwriter and performer, her strength as a vocalist and the way she is so natural on stage because her shows are entertaining to watch and the truly a sense of likability about her, she also is someone that is grateful for what she has achieved and wants to do her bit to pay it forward. The sisters in Tigirlily Golf are friends of hers that have been in the road with her in the United States and she not only brought them back to the UK to open for her but Krista and Kendra would also return to the stage to join her for crowd favourite “Hide The Wine” shortly before the end of the set.
Although “I Hope You’re Happy Now” concluded the main set and “What He Didn’t Do” was a further mass crowd singalong to wrap up her encore, it was the second brand new and unreleased song that was the most special moment of the set. Sometimes when you hear a song for the first time, you just get that sort of spider sense inside of you which tells you you are hearing something that is on another level and I really think that when released, “Same Circus” could possibly be the best song that Carly Pearce will have ever put out! Straight away at a live show, the lyrics stood out so boldly with how witty, clever, real and relatable they are with the idea and the notion of finding different clowns but staying in the same circus is something that so many of are all too familiar with. Assuming she doesn’t tinker with her setlist for Saturday night, this is a song that will really create one of the most magical and memorable moments that country music fans in the UK will experience at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Carly Pearce clearly loves playing in the UK and the UK loves having her where when you think she can’t too her last tour, she finds another level every time and knowing that we may have a new record somewhere on the horizon, I’m sure her love affair with the British Isles will continue to grow more and more because there really is something extra special about her shows and she is able to maximise the energy of the crowd to its fullest extent.
SETLIST: How Long, Rock Paper Scissors, Next Girl, Easy Going, Should've Known Better, We Don't Fight Anymore, Never Wanted to Be That Girl, Dreams / Nice To Each Other (Fleetwood Mac & Olivia Dean cover medley), Every Little Thing, If I Don't Leave I'm Gonna Stay, Church Girl, Truck on Fire, Same Circus, Jolene (Dolly Parton cover), You Can Have Him, Dream Come True, Hide the Wine (with Tigirlily Gold), I Hope You're Happy Now, Happy for Myself, What He Didn't Do
Carly Pearce continues the European leg of the Inside The Dream Tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday night, with further dates in Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast, where you can find full details along with any remaining tickets on her WEBSITE whilst you can check out all that she is up to by following along with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
London and arguably the world’s most iconic venue is a venue that she will return to on Saturday to headline Highways Festival in her own right as part of her sixth visit to these shores where she is joined by North Dakotan sister duo Tigirlily Gold.
Since her first trip across the pond in 2019, a lot has happened for the Kentucky native both professionally and in her personal life where she would get married and later divorced. She released three further studio albums, with the most recent “Hummingbird” now approaching two years old, collected a Grammy in addition to a hat trick of CMA Awards and four ACM wins including Female Artist/Vocalist of the Year by both organisations.
Whilst the opportunity to see her perform close to home at such a special venue was truly irresistible, there is something highly magical about her as a performer that we had to take the opportunity for a further show on the run by attending the second night of the tour in Manchester.
Whilst England’s third city is becoming an all too regular haunt for me when artists like Jackson Dean, Brothers Osborne and Carter Faith have warranted attending multiple shows over here, the Academy is a venue which I had not attended since my uni days in Chester over two decades ago. The venue has a mid height ceiling and is a perfectly square room with a flat floor and has really good sound and is well viewed from across the room (also £5.80 a pint inside a venue needs to be applauded as there is definitely no ripping fans off) where Islington Assembly without the extended upstairs would be the most similar venue in London.
We would have to wait until 9pm for Carly to grace the stage but the Slaubaugh sisters were both the perfect complement and a truly fitted opening act. The all too short set from Tigirlily Goldshowcased everything that there is too love about the duo by the way of Kendra’s vocal prowess, her sister Krista’s skills as a guitarist, their mix of fun and vulnerability in their songwriting, the way they engage with the crowd and really highlighting the warmth and energy that they bring to their live shows. I was able to hang out with the girls before their set where amongst the fun and witty banter about how they pronounce the word “roof” (which sounds more like the way a puppy barks) we had talked about the new record that is DONE from the recording standpoint and the newest offering “I Do Or Die” along with “I Tried A Ring On” gave a taste of what is to come but sadly Barb and Sheila didn’t make the trip to the UK due to the length of the set to really push the Country & Midwestern era to the audience. They are really fun to watch, they are incredibly genuine, they love what they do and they do it so well in a way that is impossible not to love where I really hope it is not long before they are able to come back for a fourth time and with a full band.
SETLIST: Forever From Here, Leroy, I Do Or Die, I Tried A Ring On, Hold On/Man In The Mirror (Wilson Phillips & Michael Jackson cover medley), Shoot Tequila
When Miss Pearce herself entered the stage at nine o’clock, there was the curiosity of where the “Inside The Dream Tour” drew its inspiration from and the fact that there is a new album on the way in the not too distant future was really, relly clear through the entire one hour and forty minute set. One of Carly’s best attributes as a live performer is the way that her set lists are always put together because the songs are arranged in an order that paces the tempo with an even spread of the slower numbers but also the way that she places the brand new songs which fans will not have heard before in a way that the entire set flows perfectly and every track feels like an old friend.
The first of these new songs would open the proceedings and “How Long” is a good entrance melodically and having another uptempo song is a welcome addition to her arsenal for the live shows but also a good way to set the tone of playing a lot of new songs and this new project is going to be big on multiple levels. More familiar numbers like “rock paper scissors” from her “hummingbird” record and the platinum selling “Next Girl” got the audience on board early with a pair a bigger songs that are crowd favourites which fans were able to quickly get on board with singing along to.
In terms of the “HITS” in inverted commas, through her catalogue, she has a lot of ballads and I mean that as anything negative by any means but the strength of them is they tend to be big power ballads with a key change and more importantly what makes her stand out from other female artists with ballad heavy repertoires, hers don’t all sound very similar which again is another weapon in her armoury to split up and pace the show.
A mashup of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and Olivia Dean’s “Nice To Each Other” was really cool how it was arranged and went down really well with the audience (also whilst I love Olivia Dean, I feel like I have now heard a thousand different people cover “Man I Need” so it was really nice to see someone drop in a different song of hers into the set) as did the country music staple of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” which Pearce also interpreted as nice unexpected moments within the one hundred minute performance.
Whilst there are a strong array of powerful ballads that fans crave for, Carly is also the queen of duets and in the absence of Lee Brice, Riley Green, Chris Stapleton and Ashley McBryde it is firstly very special to hear songs in a more raw format but more importantly to the casual fans, these are the moments where her prowess as a vocalist really stands tall and gloriously delivers these hits in a way that feels even more magical.
It seems likely that “Dream Come True” which was released last November will be a focal point for the next project as this brought about her most open and vulnerable storytelling within the show and also would fit perfectly with Inside The Dream being the name of the tour. “Church Girl” is the other recent release that I expect will have a home on her next album and once again in introducing the song, she really highlighted her craft as a storyteller which she does with real honesty, warmth and openness.
As well as showcasing her catalogue of hits both as a songwriter and performer, her strength as a vocalist and the way she is so natural on stage because her shows are entertaining to watch and the truly a sense of likability about her, she also is someone that is grateful for what she has achieved and wants to do her bit to pay it forward. The sisters in Tigirlily Golf are friends of hers that have been in the road with her in the United States and she not only brought them back to the UK to open for her but Krista and Kendra would also return to the stage to join her for crowd favourite “Hide The Wine” shortly before the end of the set.
Although “I Hope You’re Happy Now” concluded the main set and “What He Didn’t Do” was a further mass crowd singalong to wrap up her encore, it was the second brand new and unreleased song that was the most special moment of the set. Sometimes when you hear a song for the first time, you just get that sort of spider sense inside of you which tells you you are hearing something that is on another level and I really think that when released, “Same Circus” could possibly be the best song that Carly Pearce will have ever put out! Straight away at a live show, the lyrics stood out so boldly with how witty, clever, real and relatable they are with the idea and the notion of finding different clowns but staying in the same circus is something that so many of are all too familiar with. Assuming she doesn’t tinker with her setlist for Saturday night, this is a song that will really create one of the most magical and memorable moments that country music fans in the UK will experience at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Carly Pearce clearly loves playing in the UK and the UK loves having her where when you think she can’t too her last tour, she finds another level every time and knowing that we may have a new record somewhere on the horizon, I’m sure her love affair with the British Isles will continue to grow more and more because there really is something extra special about her shows and she is able to maximise the energy of the crowd to its fullest extent.
SETLIST: How Long, Rock Paper Scissors, Next Girl, Easy Going, Should've Known Better, We Don't Fight Anymore, Never Wanted to Be That Girl, Dreams / Nice To Each Other (Fleetwood Mac & Olivia Dean cover medley), Every Little Thing, If I Don't Leave I'm Gonna Stay, Church Girl, Truck on Fire, Same Circus, Jolene (Dolly Parton cover), You Can Have Him, Dream Come True, Hide the Wine (with Tigirlily Gold), I Hope You're Happy Now, Happy for Myself, What He Didn't Do
Carly Pearce continues the European leg of the Inside The Dream Tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday night, with further dates in Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast, where you can find full details along with any remaining tickets on her WEBSITE whilst you can check out all that she is up to by following along with her socially on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
