On Saturday March 9th, C2C (Country to Country) Festival kicked off the second day of its mammoth weekend celebrating Country Music in the city of London at the O2 Arena.
I started the day off at the magical Bluebird Cafe which saw the O2 Blueroom transformed into the iconic Nashville cafe for a special in the round performance from US sensation Sarah Darling, legendary songwriter Jeff Cohen and Irish rising star Catherine McGrath.
The three singers performed three tracks each and talked openly about the inspirations behind the songs. Being from the UK it’s rare to have these types of sessions over here and it was a really intimate and special afternoon hearing how some of my favourite songs came to life.
Having Sarah Darling dedictat the poignant Wasted to me was also a real highlight of the day. This song in particular has a very special meaning to me and will always have a place in my heart.
After the Bluebird show and a few hours soaking up the incredible atmosphere around the venue it was time for the arena show to kick off.
Carly Pearce arrived on stage for her first ever UK show and totally owned the night with her biggest hits such as Closer to You, Careless, Every Little Thing and a hugely impressive cover of Shania Twain’s Man I Feel Like A Woman.
Pearce is a star on the rise and after this sensational live set at the O2 she will no doubt be heading back to our shores very soon for a headline tour.
Dustin Lynch also brought the audience to their feet with his chart hits including the sing-a-long anthem Good Girl. The crowd were instantly won over by his easy charm and soaring vocal tone.
His presence lit up the arena and it’s clear to see why audiences across the world are falling in love with him on a daily basis.
Hunter Hayes then blew the crowd away with his rock edged set which included an impassioned speech about fitting in and Country Music being a real family where everyone is welcome.
The emotional star also gave a spine tingling performance of Amazing Grace which resulted in deafening cheers for the US singer who also brought out Catherine McGrath for a performance of their impressive collaboration Don’t Let Me Forget.
The night came to a close with the headline act Lady Antebellum. They raised the roof with their 90 minute, hit filled set which included You Look Good, Heart Break, American Honey, and an intimate stripped back acoustic session which saw them sitting on stools performing a selection of songs just how they were written.
Their mammoth set which had the 20,000 crowd in full voice also included two brand new songs: the huge anthem Never Getting Over You and the heartfelt Please Be Patient With My Love.
While the evening took an exciting turn when Charles Kelley decided to go into the crowd for a sensational cover of Elvis’ Suspicious Minds.
Overall Lady Antebellum proved their headlining status and had the London crowd on their feet for a two song encore which included an arena sing-a-long of their global smash Need You Now before they closed out the set with a rousing version of We Owned The Night.
My first C2C was a magical experience. It was so amazing to see so many fans coming together to celebrate a genre that’s very close to my heart!
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