CARSON BEYER

Tuesday May 30, 2023

@ Bobby’s Idle Hour in Nashville, TN

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis

As Nashville continues its boom, often growing faster than it can handle, the shiny and flashy new is upsettingly overtaking the classic feel that laid the foundation for the “Music City” branding, bulldozing away the charm and tradition that carry the stories of music legend within’ their hallowed walls.

However, there still does exist historical pockets spread throughout the city that hold an iconic distinction and provide the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere of the past while experiencing strikes of country music’s future.

Though they’re now on the second revitalization of their decades long foothold after the aforementioned boom forced them to switch locations, Bobby’s Idle Hour has occupied their space on Music Row at 9 Music Square South since 2019, bringing the original charm of their quintessential songwriter haven into these new walls with a relaxed vibe, simplistic bar, and a blending of songwriters who are just cutting their teeth in town and trying to find their way with those who have written some of the songs you already know and love.

Over the past year, Paducah, KY native Carson Beyer has emerged on the back of well-received singles such as “Outdated,” “Natural Disaster,” and “Rush,” while catching the industry eye as he’s continued to hone his songwriting craft, pumping out new songs by the plenty while solidifying his buzzworthy status on high profile stages such as those at The Bluebird Café, The Listening Room, and more!

Outlined by walls covered in autographed dollar bills and faded 8X10’s of country music legends, and surrounded by a crowd of close friends and fellow songwriters, Beyer allowed the groove of the tempo driven guitar lick to first entice the crowd before pouring the smoothness of his voice into “Highway Heart,” painting pictures of his falling for the one who’s grabbed hold of his racing heartbeat, cleverly using comparative imagery of a late night drive together while he pines over her taming of his rambling man ways.

“This is my favorite song from 2022,” Beyer told as he softened the pace with “In The Dust,” allowing the emotions of his voice to perfectly waver over the addictive melody as he approached from a rearview perspective that spoke to not finding your happiness in the material things that will assuredly always fade away, but to instead find it in the aspects of life that are most important and never changing; a friend you can trust, a woman who forgives like Jesus, etc.

Continuing to praise the one who has hold of his heart as he did when he opened his part of the round, Beyer dropped his heartfelt vocal into “Next To You,” endearingly singing of how perfect she is as he falls more and more for her with each passing line of the lyric, admitting that while he certainly doesn’t deserve her, she’s got him feeling that forever is something he can do with her.

“One time I got invited to a hippie festival and I didn’t know that’s what it was, and so I was the only there wearing boots…none of them even had shoes on,” Beyer charmingly mused. “But there was this girl, and she had a flower in her hair. She ended up breaking my heart after it, but that got turned into a country song,” he transparently shared as the room quieted to a complete standstill as he leaned into “Grateful Dead,” a poignant ballad that wrapped picture painting lyrics into the life altering lesson of living carefree in each moment that he learned while surrounded in her aura.

“Well, I’m gonna play you another love song,” quipped Beyer. “Love’s hard, right?” he asked rhetorically as he moved his voice into the emotional cry of the soft paced “One of Us,” closing his night by pulling tightly on heartstrings as he craftily brought the crowd straight into that nearly final moment just before a breakup as the relationship hangs on its last thread, masterfully using his voice to pour pleadingly into one last effort to keep the inevitable from happening.

FULL SET LIST
1) Highway Heart
2) In the Dust
3) Next To You
4) Grateful Dead
5) One of Us

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