What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/962463
8 WHAT'S UP! APRIL 8-14, 2018 COVER STORY Country rocker, AMP lineup both defy expectations JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette T alking to Brantley Gilbert on the phone is like calling up any one of your down- home buddies — he's friendly, casual, charming. His easy warmth and laid-back disposition are abundant, even though he's busy completing his "honey do list" while home in Georgia for only a few days. He talks about his wife and his new son, and you can hear the pride through the phone. "Right now, having a 4-month-old is what my whole world revolves around, but I have to remind myself music is what people care about," Gilbert says with a chuckle. And people do care about his music. As one of only four country artists with back-to-back platinum certified albums, Gilbert has a passionate fan base where his music — all written by him, telling the stories of his life — resonates. This tour "is all about the people who know there's more to me than tattoos and chains," Gilbert says of his outlaw exterior, which can distract people from what he's really about. "All of [the songs] are stories; all the records are chapters of my life. There are some songs that are more intimate and may be hard to play live, and I've found that [those] songs that are closest to the chest for me are the ones people relate to the most. "Those are songs about my faith," he goes on. "I'm a rowdy dude, I hang with a rough crowd, but I'm a believer first." Gilbert recognizes some people may come to his shows because "this guy sings songs about fighting and drinking," or because the swagger and the motorcycles make them think he's a real partier. And while all that might be true — "When they see us perform, [the audience] is going to get the high energy, testosterone side [of the music]" — fan connection is and always has been the most important thing to Gilbert in his music. For "The Ones That Like Me Tour," Gilbert reached out to his fans, asking what they wanted to see and hear. As a result, what opens the 2018 season at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion on April 28 promises to be one hell of a night of music. WALMART AMP Coming into the AMP's 13th season, many live music fans in the area have noticed this year's Cox Concert Series is, by volume, the most diverse lineup the venue has hosted. Brian Crowne, vice president of the AMP, assures that's not by coincidence. "We've established a venue nationally which is being received very professionally by the artists, and the managers, and the agents. And we're selling tickets for most of the shows, and that makes us an attractive market. So while we're not a major market, we're a market that people are looking at. "I've purposely tried to book for the diversity of our community, not diversity of cultures. I book for our tastes," he goes on. "At the end of the day, we want to be successful and be part of what makes it great to live in Northwest Arkansas." One or two more shows may sneak their way into this year's schedule, but for now, check out the full announced season. Clayton Taylor Photography Brantley Gilbert