BRADLEY GASKIN

Tuesday August 29, 2023

@ The Basement in Nashville, TN

(Review By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

Most recognized for his Top 40 hit, “Mr. Bartender,” Bradley Gaskin’s story is an experience of ups and downs as the layers of his redemption took him from being signed by a major label and playing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry to being shelved by the label and repositioning his life into an elementary school custodian at his daughter’s school…before eventually reigniting his passion for music!

A story of inspiration and perseverance, the flagship artist signed to 30A Life Records brought his honky-tonk branded sound to the iconic Nashville venue The Basement this past Tuesday night, wrapping the “cellar full of noise” into his classic country, 90’s infused aura.

With an uber welcoming vibe running through the venue long before the show itself even kicked off, Bradley invited his friends (and soon to be friends) into an aura that would transcend into his performance as he hit the crowd with a blast of 7 new songs that transformed the venue into a Friday night dancehall, sliding between souped up, honky-tonk anthems and heart tugging ballads.

As a guitar onslaught smashed into the whine of steel guitar, Gaskin launched into his set with the kiss-off barnburner, “Cry Me A River,” instantly injecting the venue with an up-tempo blast while the richness of his vocal showered the crowd as their hips began to pop in perfect timing with the addictive rhythm.

“Accidentally Drunk,” then slowed the pace to allow the traditional flare to grip the crowd as Bradley slid his distinctive Alabama drawl into the pure emotions of the heart-tugger, crying through the struggles while trapped between moving on and falling back off the wagon whenever her memory creeps back in.

“I’m excited to death to be playing these new songs for you….and this is the biggest crowd that we’ve played them for so far, so y’all are my favorites,” he told with a smile, staying on the softer paced side while encouraging the crowd through the absolutely amazing “Stronger Than You Think,” pulling inspiration from pieces of his own backstory to remind us that we’re strong enough to make it through the tough moments when we’re up against the wall, when storms are coming at us, and when we’re at the point of wanting to give up.

Punching back into his rip-roaring, honky-tonk fire, “Bad Day To Be A Beer” hit into a quick two-steppin’ rhythm to get everyone moving and grooving, before he then used his precise expertise to tug hearts yet again as he dripped his traditional branded sound into the loneliness of the lyric on “My Side of Town.”

The show-stopping “Pray For God” turned the otherwise rowdy venue into a Sunday morning church as Gaskin perfectly tilted his voice into the emotional lyric, singing of an inspirational moment kneeling down next to his daughter as she prayed, not only for her whole family, but also very poignantly for God to find peace and comfort when carrying the whole world on His shoulders.

After gratefully thanking the crowd for coming out and taking their time to listen to his new songs, Bradley hushed the room when he closed his set with “Without You,” drawing everyone in with just his acoustic guitar and the power of his voice as he transported us to a dusty old barstool, drinking away her memory while lamenting that he’s no longer himself without her by his side, leaving the crowd in a stunned silence before the final strums of his guitar had them erupting in a huge ovation.

FULL SET LIST
1) Cry Me A River
2) Accidentally Drunk
3) Stronger Than You Think
4) Bad Day To Be A Beer
5) My Side of Town
6) Pray For God
7) Without Her 

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