LIVE: MATT STELL – August 19, 2021

Venue: Kiefer Park

City: Port Huron, MI

Date: August 19, 2021

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Matt Stell and his band rolled through Port Huron, MI on a Thursday evening and brought a setlist full of hits, covers, and fan favorites from across Stell’s catalog.  Without any fanfare or announcements, the guys hit the stage ready to entertain the crowd at a local radio channel sponsored show.  The VIP seating was packed side to side and front to back, while the streets and adjacent lots and lawns were packed with crowds waiting for the music to take over the evening.  Kicking the evening off with “Better Than That,” Matt and his band – bassist Matt Morgeson, drummer Bryan Tewell, and guitarist Tyler Tomlinson set the pace and the bar for the evening.  The next couple songs kept the energy up and the music flowing.  After a great live rendition of “I Bet Whiskey Would,” Stell took a moment to thank Q107 and the fans for making the next song a hit and he broke into the runaway smash “Everywhere But On.”  Swirling newer tracks into the evenings set with older songs was fun for everyone, including the band, who were all smiles from song to song.  “Shut The Truck Up” one of those newer tracks that reared its head this evening and was followed with one-two punch of “Reason Why” and “Chase It Down.”  Not wanting to deviate from his normal performances, Matt kept some cool covers on the agenda including a medley of Kings Of Leon’s “Sex On Fire” and John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The  Grundy County Auction Incident).”  The band was locked in, especially the rhythm section of Matt Morgenson on bass and Bryan Tewell on drums anchoring the set song after song and giving the musical landscape the perfect foundation.  My personal favorite of Stell’s tracks hit the setlist about half way in when the broke into “That Ain’t Me No More.”  One of Matt’s favorites came next as the band shifted gears and played “Sadie” and another track before jumping in full barrel to another medley that had snippets of the Fall Out Boy hit “Sugar, We’re Going Down” which saw Stell snarling the lyrics while Tyler Tomlinson added some attitude and shred on guitar.  The guys worked cohesively together as if they could read each others mind as far as where to be, how to react with each other and the crowd.  Matt introduced “If I Was A Bar” and proceeded to work through the track with red solo cup in one hand and a can of beer in the other as he described what type of bar he would be.  I heard another new track tonight that has stuck with me when the four guys played “Blinding Lights” before diving into arguably his biggest hit to date “Prayed for You.”  They closed the set out with “Better I Drink,” but with some prompting from the crowd, the guys came back out and ended the evening with was Matt said was one of his favorite songs, Travis Tritt’s “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” which the bookended with Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.”  Forget your preconceived notion about country artists – tonight I saw a great rock show that had a country flare and tinge in the vocals and some of the acoustic driven guitar parts, but these guys rocked the park in their way and sent everyone into the night with a smile on their face and a song or two on their lips.

SETLIST: Better Than That – Boyfriend Season – I Bet Whiskey Would – Everywhere But On – Shut The Truck Up – Reason Why – Chase It Down – Sex On Fire / Sold (The  Grundy County Auction Incident) – That Ain’t Me No More – Sadie – Look At Me Now – Sugar / Peaches Medley – If I Was A Bar – I Love You Too – Blinding Lights – Prayed for You – Better I Drink – It’s a Great Day to Be Alive / Champagne Supernova

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries