Brantley Gilbert & Kip Moore Backstage Story in Owensboro

Two words: surfing and microphones. Those are the two things I distinctly remember from an Owensboro concert that happened over fifteen years ago. Do you remember when Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore came to town?

Believe it or not, it was July 22nd, 2011 that McConnell Plaza downtown played host to the first (and last) Big O Music Fest Kickoff Party. By that time, the Big O Music Fest was established as a premier summer concert held annually at Reid's Orchard. It was Jason Aldean who originally put 'The Big O' on the map when he headlined back in 2009.

Well, in 2011, promoter Steve Terry decided to stage a pre-party to get country music fans amped about that summer's Big O lineup, which included Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, David Nail, and more. So, nine days before the big show, The Big O Music Fest treated fans to performances by Brantley and Kip.

I was already the emcee for the Big O Music Fest and was asked to emcee the kickoff event too. Naturally, I said "Yes!" and rolled up backstage to get ready for the show. Kip rolled up too.

Kip showed up without any fanfare at all. I thought it was awesome. He actually drove himself to Owensboro, pulled his guitar out of the back of his vehicle, and got ready to perform. I had not met Kip before, so I introduced myself and we started to talk. Here's where the 'surfing' memory comes in.

Kip was a really nice guy and shared some surprising personal stories. My favorite that he shared with me is how, before he moved to Nashville to pursue his country music career, he lived in Hawaii. Kip essentially lived near (or right on) the beach so he could surf. Wait, what? Kip Moore - the guy that sings "Something Bout a Truck" - is a surfer? Short answer, YES.

He's also one helluva singer and songwriter. Shortly after that concert, 'Somethin' 'Bout a Truck' hit #1.

Now, here's my Brantley Gilbert memory from that night.

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I have emceed a bunch of concerts and events. I know my way around a microphone. Right before I went onstage to introduce Brantley (who, by the way, was far less accessible than Kip), I was told by his stage manager not to touch his microphone. I thought that was a really strange request/order. But, it was made very clear to me that I couldn't touch it, even though Brantley's mic was the one I was supposed to use to talk to the crowd. It was sitting center stage on a stand.

So, I went up on stage and walked toward that mic. When I got to close to it, I could hear how sensitive it was. The sound guys had the gain on that thing CRANKED.

Now, here's the deal. I have a booming voice and I knew that if I talked in my normal 'announcer' voice that I was going to blow those speakers apart. The settings for Brantley's mic were not intended for a guy like me - who always sounds like he's speaking through a megaphone anyway. LOL.

I realized, quickly, that I was going to have to stand far behind that mic stand and just project my voice toward Brantley's voice instead of into it. At that moment, it all made sense. THIS is why I couldn't touch the mic. If I had, there could have been some eardrum-shattering feedback. I kept my distance, rocked out Brantley's intro, and made my way offstage as he made his way onto it.

Brantley eventually powered out his hit "Country Must Be Country Wide" on that mic. Trust me, the gain on it was country-wide open.

Brantley and Kip put on a great show downtown that night. Like I said, it was the first and only Big O Music Fest Kickoff Party. They might not have 'kicked in the sticks' like Brantley sang about, but those two rocked the Owensboro riverfront.

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