Brad Paisley Shuts Down the Party

One of the special guests performing at the annual Sony Music Nashville Boat Show cruise on March 5, 2009 was music hero Peter Frampton, whose set included a show-stopping performance of "Do You Feel Like We Do" with Brad Paisley. Pictured (l-r): Brad Paisley, Peter Frampton. Photo by Tony Phipps, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

March 16, 2009 — Brad Paisley’s one of the country music industry’s most popular figures; his current Play album features such guests as Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner and B.B. King; and a recent Country Radio Seminar performance found him trading guitar licks with Peter Frampton. So it was kind of expected that when he concluded his Paisley Party Tour in music-rich Nashville Saturday, he would bring out a few surprise stars for the tour finale.

It didn’t quite happen. Blues guitarist Robben Ford came out for dueling guitars on the finale, and among those who occupied seats were songwriters with some Paisley credits, including Lee Thomas Miller ("I’m Still A Guy"), Ashley Gorley ("Start A Band") and Chris DuBois ("Online"). Openers Darius Rucker and Dierks Bentley did pop back out to sing with Brad on "Alcohol," though that wasn’t exactly a surprise. Other artists’ faces were spotted, but they were only images on the massive video screen at the back of the stage: Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens and Alison Krauss, whose taped performance netted a volume of screams from the audience that should have been reserved for a real live person.

So without pulling in any big-name surprises, Brad had to command the night on his own. Which he did.

Brad’s Music City appearance might not have been timed specifically to coincide with voting for the "44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards", but he might well have scored a few votes for Entertainer of the Year with the concert, which deftly showed his multi-faceted abilities as a guitarist, songwriter, singer and even animator. He sold out the venue — not a guarantee in these economically challenged times — and he even trotted out a little moment that harkened back to entertainer extraordinaire Garth Brooks by running through a short acoustic sample of songs he likely sang in the clubs on the way up: Roger Miller’s "King Of The Road," George Strait’s "The Chair," Alabama’s "Dixieland Delight" and Eric Clapton’s "Layla."

June marks a decade since Brad released his first album, and of particular interest in Saturday’s set list is the absence of so many songs that were important early hits: "Who Needs Pictures," "He Didn’t Have To Be," "I Wish You’d Stay," "Little Moments" and "We Danced."

The Paisley Party might be done, but Brad won’t be shut down for long. His wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, is expecting their second child in a matter of weeks, and he’ll be off the road for the big event. But there’s plenty else going on: His next single, "Then," ships to radio on Monday; he performs it Wednesday on "American Idol"; his American Saturday Night Tour kicks off June 5 with Dierks and Jimmy Wayne; and the American Saturday Night album is on the way June 30.

Of course, there’s also the matter of that ACM ceremony. It takes place in Las Vegas April 5, and Brad — who notched a total of six nominations — squares off for Entertainer against Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.