Jana Kramer made a stop in Grand Rapids, MI, on Thursday night, to kick off the much anticipated CMT Next Women of Country Tour.
The Intersection in Grand Rapids, MI, was the location for the first night of the CMT Next Women of Country Tour, a month long, ten city journey. The tour consists of co-headliners Jana Kramer and Kelsea Ballerini, along with local support along the way. This evening’s show opener was the Dani Jamerson Band.
Dani Jamerson and her band opened the show with one of her original songs, “Dirty Boys,” which is also the name of her debut EP. Â From that point, there was no stopping her; she kept the crowd on their feet with her up-tempo selection of songs. This self-taught songwriter and guitar player displayed why and how she has become one of the top local performers in the area. Although the night was based on women of the country music genre, it didn’t stop Dani from breaking out a song from Lady Gaga. She ended her performance with a crowd favorite by Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder and Lead.”
As the crowds were still entering the venue, next to take the stage was newcomer Kelsea Ballerini. Even though she is new to the scene, that didn’t stop her or the crowd from keeping the night going strong. Besides playing classic covers that everyone knew and enjoyed, she also introduced songs from her ffull-lengthdebut album, The First Time, which is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2015. As if the crowd wasn’t warmed up enough, Kelsea heated it up a little more with a hip hop dance medley of Britney Spears top hit songs. She even dropped down off stage at one point and started dancing with all the ladies at the front of the stage. She finished her time on stage for the evening, with her Top 20 hit song, “Love Me Like You Mean It.”
Jana Kramer entered the stage with “Boomerang,” as the crowd approved in a heart-felt, welcome frenzy. The song is slated to be the first single to her forthcoming sophomore album. With the stage front being clean of monitors and wires, it was possible for Jana and her band to come right up close with their fans. It even allowed Jana, at one point, to sit down on the edge of the stage and sing a song.
Along with her own originals, Jana also shared some of her favorite covers from other artists. During songs “Feel Like A Woman,” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” she showed off her impressive dancing skills, adding even more fun to an already incredible performance. From one side of the stage to the other, there was not one corner that hadn’t been covered; Jana even jumped down off stage and traveled along the front barricade to sing and share selfies with the young ladies in the front of the crowd, really interacting with her fans and making the night a memorable experience.
The evening concluded with Jana singing her latest single, “I Got The Boy,” and her platinum debut single, “Why Ya Wanna.”
These three young, beautiful, and talented ladies each displayed a strong performance on stage. With the intent of this tour being to encourage and celebrate women in country music, it is obvious that the future looks strong for female country artists, and the genre as a whole.
Jana Kramer
Website | Facebook |Â Twitter
Kelsea Ballerini
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Dani Jamerson Band
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Intersection
Website | Facebook | Twitter