They kicked off their set with the new tune “Boomerang” and they immediately broke into the upbeat and refreshing “My Front Porch Looking In,” prior to following it up with “Mr. Mom” and yet another new song “I Want a Love.”
Richie McDonald told the poignant story behind “I’m Already There,” which he co-wrote, and delivered an impressive rendition of the chart-topping single. Equally superb was their version of “Walking in Memphis,” which was a Top 10 hit for Lonestar as well in the country genre.
McDonald introduced “Never Enders,” the title track of their newest studio effort, as well as their latest single, and they closed with “What About Now” and “No News,” the latter of which he dubbed as their first No.1 single as a band. “Ya’ll still with us,” McDonald said. “It’s the 7th inning stretch. Get up on your feet,” he added, encouraging their Long Island fans to stand up.
The Lonestar front-man went on to give a “huge thank you” to the radio stations for playing the following song, their signature hit, “Amazed,” which propelled them to worldwide super-stardom, and it was especially moving for the group since they performed it in Iraq and Kuwait for the men and women that are serving our military. Their performance of “Amazed” was spell-binding and McDonald’s vocals were dynamic and smooth as silk. He paraphrased the lyrics to “New York we’re amazed by you,” thus making it personal to the fans.This song garnered them a standing ovation from the festival audience.
Following this warm reception, McDonald noted that he has “one more” song for the crowd, which was a medley of rock songs, where they had the audience clapping along with them.
The Verdict
Overall, Lonestar was exceptional at the Great South Bay Music Festival on Long Island. McDonald’s voice is like fine wine, where he only gets better with age. Michael Britt nailed the lead guitar, Keech Rainwater rocked the drums and Dean Sams was delightful on the keyboard. Their show garnered an A rating.
To learn more about Lonestar and their tour dates, check out their website.
