You never know what to expect the week of CMA Fest.
It seems as if anything that The Red Clay Strays touch lately has turned to gold. After being one of the buzziest bands in the alt. country scene over the past few years, thanks to the success of Moment of Truth and Made by These Moments, the Alabama band has had nothing short of a massive past few weeks.
Continuing their hot streak, last month, they scored their first-ever ACM Award for Group of the Year, dethroning Old Dominion once again as they did back in November at the CMA Awards. Just a few weeks removed from that massive accomplishment, not only do they have their third studio album, Grateful, set to release tonight at midnight, they’re also preparing for this weekend’s slate of CMA Fest activities.
They got things started in style last night at their album release party, performing the entirety of Grateful to a sold-out crowd at the Pinnacle.
Unsurprisingly, the Strays all but blew the roof off the new venue. After wrapping up the new record front-to-back, which is undoubtedly going to be in the running for Album of the Year come Friday, they launched into their 3x platinum breakout hit, “Wondering Why.”
In case hearing the entirety of Grateful early and a killer performance of “Wondering Why” wasn’t enough, frontman Brandon Coleman would surprise the crowd by calling upon none other than the “savior of country music,” himself, Zach Top up to the stage.
Rightfully so, fans at the Pinnacle lost their minds when Top stepped out on stage. After fighting through some minor technical difficulties while getting the “I Never Lie” singer ready to perform, he’d thank Red Clay for letting him perform with them on their album release night.
“I was sitting here like, ‘This is incredible to hear the music live for the first time.’ It’s a special treat. Thanks for letting me crash the party.”
The Strays and Top would then launch into a familiar song for the pair, none other than Waylon Jennings’ 1990 single, “Where The Corn Don’t Grow,” which was later covered by Travis Tritt in 1996. Despite “Where Corn Don’t Grow” being Jennings’ song, it was Tritt’s cover that received more mainstream attention, peaking at #6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in March of 1997. More recently, Riley Green released a cover as an ode to both Waylon and Tritt.
If you’re a big fan of the pair, you might have noticed that they’ve teamed up to perform the song in the past, most recently covering it last year at Georgia Rodeo. Unsurprisingly, last night’s performance was another killer rendition of the track, arguably better than last year’s, with Coleman and Top providing some killer harmonies in between some truly impressive guitar work from the “South of Sanity” singer.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we need a song from these two in the near future.
Watch here:
Grateful Tour Dates
July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 5 – Laval, CA – Place Bell with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
August 7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb
August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb
August 16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse with Sweet Talk
August 22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Ceter with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
August 26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
August 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
September 2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheater at Caesars Republic with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 17 – Phoenix, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
September 20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk
September 30 – Toronto, CA – RBC Amphitheater – with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb
October 14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart
October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell
October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell
October 28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center with Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb
October 31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb
November 5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena with Travis Tritt & Brent Cobb
