Bentley rocks the stage at annual WYRK 'Toyota Taste of Country' at Coca-Cola FIeld
After five impressive opening acts to the WYRK's Toyota Taste of Country, it was hard to think that the energy could still increase in the sold-out crowd of 25,000 at Coca-Cola Field. But then, Dierks Bentley took the stage.
Bentley was fantastic, engaging the audience throughout his entire performance at the 16th annual concert that has become a must-attend for country music fans in Western New York.
Having the entire ballpark sing lyrics, pointing out fans he thought deserved a 'shout out', and even joining the crowd in the first row, Bentley highlighted a non-stop party that also featured Joe Nichols, Frankie Ballard, Craig Campbell, Cannan Smith and the band A Thousand Horses.
From the first song he sang, it was clear that Bentley was here to bring a party to Buffalo. He performed all of his most popular songs, "Drunk on a Plane," "5-1-5-0" "What Was I Thinkin'" and "I Hold On."
One fan in particular made a special appearance on stage with Bentley. A young boy who had a meet and greet earlier on in the day joined Bentley on stage. Holding a sign that said, "I held on"- a creative play on words to ''I Hold On." Bentley revealed that the little boy had recently fought cancer, which caused the entire stadium erupt into applause.
Bentley's amazing performance put the cap on a five-hour party four thousands of the area's country music fans. Opening the show was the band A Thousand Horses. Playing their most well known song, "Smoke" as well as a their new song "(This Ain't No) Drunk Dial" the band opened the show with a lot of energy and set a good tone for the rest of the evening.
Cannan Smith was next on the festival's lineup. Bringing even more energy than A Thousand Horses, Smith rocked a baseball cap and rocked the crowd, singing his most popular song "Love You Like That." Smith also performed later on after the festival was over, giving a free after party at the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, just down the road from the ballpark.
The energy in the crowd continued to grow with each new act that took the stage. Craig Campbell performed after Cannan Smith and put on an impressive performance. Campbell worked the stage and crowd, singing some of his more popular songs, "Keep Them Kisses Comin'" "Fish" and "Outta My Head."
Frankie Ballard not only brought country music to the stage but some Rock N' Roll as well. Ballard covered "Old Time Rock and Roll" originally sung by Bob Seger. The song included a fantastic piano solo - a refreshing change from the ever-popular drum or guitar solo. The only thing that could have made Ballard's version any better was if he slid across the stage in a button up shirt and socks. Just like the performers before him, Ballard made sure the crowd was dancing and engaged in his performance.
Despite the clouds and occasional raindrop from the skies above Coca-Cola Field, "Sunny and 75" performed by Joe Nichols kept the audience in good spirits. Not only did Nichols perform "Gimmie That Girl" and "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," he also treated the crowd to a country rendition of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A lot and the crowd seemed to love it.
Overall, the Toyota Taste of Country music festival was nothing short of a good time for fans of all ages. Friday night, Buffalo may as well have been a city south of the Mason Dixon line, for it was clear that its people have a strong love for country music.