While some country fans were out in
Birmingham on Friday night to see Chase Rice, the sequinned Stetsons were out
in force at the Alexandra Theatre to see Dominic Halpin and the Hurricanes
perform in the stage show tribute to Nashville and its music. Looking every
inch the archetypal country star, Dominic takes centre stage, alongside
his glamorous leading lady Shelley Quarmby. Shelley proves though that she is
more than just a pretty face, taking lead vocals on songs from the queens of country as well as playing keyboards for
some numbers.
Lights down, music up loud as we open with a recording of The Devil Went Down
to Georgia and already the audience are clapping
and fiddling along. Lit by a single spotlight the show opens with a haunting
stripped back chorus of Dolly Parton’s Jolene from Shelley before Dominic
enters kicking it up a gear with a very authentic rendition of Johnny Cash’s Ring
of Fire. Behind the pair of them is Donna Marie on keys and backing “oohs”
clearly already having fun. In his
introduction Dominic promised to bring a bit of Nashville to Birmingham before
launching into the fast paced The Auctioneer.
The “girls” introduced some newer
country with a simply stunning acoustic rendition of Shania Twain’s Still The One with Donna Marie on guitar and
vocals alongside Shelley. The Dixie Chicks’ Travelin’ Soldier really
showed how powerful their vocals are, and also showed that this is not a covers
show, or a jukebox musical – this is a performance by very talented musicians
of Country Greats.
With act 1 closed by a very spirited
Eddie Cochrane’s Summertime Blues, you were left wondering how they
could possibly follow that, whilst queuing for ice cream…
Curtain up for Act 2. The excitement was built with the theme to
the Magnificent 7 as the band took the stage to wow us all once again. One Night In Nashville reminded us that the show is designed to transport
us to a Nashville Honky Tonk (as if we needed to be reminded!),
followed by more of Dominic’s humour and stagecraft telling stories about
Johnny Cash before a medley of the Man In Black’s songs.
Donna Marie singing Gretchen
Franklin’s Redneck Woman, Shelley accompanying herself on the keyboard
for a solo of Little Big Town’s Girl Crush and Dominic singing Don Gibson’s
Sea of Heartbreak alone on stage before singing one of his own
compositions - Fire and Smoke - really underlined that individually all
three performers are very talented in their own rights, expertly supported by
bass, guitar/lap steel and drums.
Highlights then included Kacey
Musgrave’s Follow Your Arrow for a modern twist, Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler
for a sing along, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 for a dance, Jon Denver’s Country
Roads for the traditional torches in the air and a medley to finish. Even the drummer was encouraging an encore,
duly delivered by the whole band lined up at the front of the stage and the
audience on their feet and dancing
Nobody wanted the show to end – least
of all those on stage, but the party continued with a mass meet and greet in
the foyer, allowing everyone a chance to tell all concerned what a great time
they had!
Whether a die-hard country fan, or
just someone who loves the well-known songs, A Country Night In Nashville
has something in it for everyone, evidenced by the huge variety of ages and
headwear in the crowd.
In the future changes may be made to the set list, I loved
the show as it is but am excited to see what classic and contemporary songs
they add in future
The tour continues, and if there is
a date near you, you shouldn’t miss your chance to catch Dominic, Shelley,
Donna Marie and the rest of the Hurricanes on stage!
