A Georgia native, Gilbert kicked off his set with the rocking “It’s About To Get Dirty,” and it was refreshing to hear his take of Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party,” which he wrote himself. He took his fans on a trip down memory lane to his first No. 1 country single with “Country Must Be Country Wide,” and equally fun was his soaring rendition of “Dirt Road Anthem,” which yet again became a major hit for Jason Aldean, with songwriting credits from Gilbert.
He continued with “My Baby’s Guns N’ Roses” and his second chart-topper “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” prior to getting the country party started with “Small Town Throwdown.”
One of the highlight moments of the night, which was his empowering rendition of the patriotic tune “One Hell of An Amen,” where everybody was reciting the lyrics of the chorus verbatim. It was one of those songs that could sends tingles down one’s spine, and Gilbert shined in this situation, as he brought out the raw emotions in the lyrics.
His set was highly-eclectic (with a nice mixture of upbeat, mid-tempo and softer ballads), and it featured such uptempo hits as his radio single “The Weekend” and the spitfire “Kick It in the Sticks,” prior to closing with “Bottoms Up.” Gilbert returned for an encore, with an unapologetic version of “Read Me My Rights,” which is a tune that any country bad boy can relate to. It is evident that Gilbert was born to perform.
The Verdict
Overall, Brantley Gilbert was badass from start to finish at the Jones Beach Theater on Long Island. His energy level was infectious, and he rocked in the best country way possible. Ever since his debut in the country scene, Gilbert has reshaped modern country music and has molded it into the genre it is today. His headlining set at Jones Beach garnered an A rating.
