Photo by Brian Chilson.


Tim McGraw / Lady Antebellum
April 9, Verizon Arena
 
Lady Antebellum probably infuriates country purists, if there are any of those left. On record, the trio of Nashville young bloods only occasionally pretends to have something to do with country music and live they don’t even pretend. At Verizon Arena on Friday the band brought no fiddle or pedal steel to dirty up their clean, simple, ultra-melodic pop.
 
As the second of two opening acts for Tim McGraw (the first, The Lost Trailers, sort of sound like the Goo Goo Dolls and will be lucky if they every catch on another major tour), Lady Antebellum is in any interesting place — two albums into a career that find them one of the hottest acts in all of music. Their set, which was about an hour and ought to be the last they’ll have before they are headlining, was filled with their hits and the ones they hope to be hits and a cover of John Mellencamp’s “Rockin in the USA.” About an hour is all Lady Antebellum needs right now, giving them just enough time to showcase why they have rocketed to the top in such a dramatic fashion.
 

Arkansas Times: Your voice in the fight

Are you tired of watered-down news and biased reporting? The Arkansas Times has been fighting for truth and justice for 50 years. As an alternative newspaper in Little Rock, we are tough, determined, and unafraid to take on powerful forces. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, we are making a difference. But we can't do it without you. Join the 3,400 paid subscribers who support our great journalism and help us hire more writers. Sign up for a subscription today or make a donation of as little as $1 and help keep the Arkansas Times feisty for years to come.

Previous article Here come the talking points Next article Behind the pay wall