With all the buses parked on the outside the Fillmore, Lee Brice invited his friends inside for a parking lot party.
Although there was a chill in the Detroit air on this Thursday evening, it doesn’t hold back the crowd lined up outside waiting for the doors to open. Some eager fans have taken their place in line, even hours earlier, armed with folding chairs and blankets. When the doors open, they run to claim their spots for the evening, some standing against the barricade in front of the stage and some in the front rows of seats.
The first to take the stage this evening is Rick Monroe. Rick, standing behind the microphone with an acoustic guitar, plays a few songs to warm the crowd for the evening. They sing along to “Midnight Rider” before being introduced to his latest anthem, “Great Minds Drink Alike” from his EP, It’s A Love Thing.
The second act of the night is Lee’s younger brother, Lewis Brice. With a guitar wrapped around his neck, he enters the stage pacing back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, making sure to connect personally with the crowd. Singing his widely publicized song, “Ordinary Girl,” the crowd show their enthusiasm and interest for more new music. This past contestant of CMT’s Can You Duet is currently working on his debut release in Nashville.
Detroit’s own Matt Austin is up next with his hit “Big Black 4WD,” bringing the crowd to their feet in support of this local talent. With the progression of Matt’s show, he sings songs from both of his EPs, Matt Austin and The Island. He ends with his current single, “Summer I’ll Always Remember.” As if his set was any indication, Matt shows he is on his way to becoming a talent capable of performing at the national level.
With the crowds still on their feet, Lee Brice takes the stage with his current hit single, “Drinking Class.” Lee pumps his fists in the air and reaches out to the crowd; his upbeat energy is addictive, and the crowd reacts by getting increasingly louder with their singing and screams.
At one point in the show, he walks back to what appears to be a guitar amp and acts as if he was adjusting his guitar. Instead, with a sudden flourish, he pulls on the front of the amp, and it swings open revealing it to be a refrigerator fully stocked with cans Bud Light and bottles of Jagermeister. Looking back at the crowd for their approval, he grins grabbing a few beers and offering it up to the crowd. With the word “beer” displayed on a digital screen behind him, the band starts playing again to the song, “Beer.”
With this being the third time playing the Fillmore, Lee tells states this is the best and loudest crowd he has performed for here and always loves coming back to Detroit for the love that is shown to him and his band.
He calls upon his friend, Nick Norman, to come to the stage and sing a song. Nick sings his hit song, “Love Don’t Fool Me Again.”
Lee then calls his brother Lewis back to perform the two co-wrote together, “Alabama.”
With numerous hit songs that include “Looking For A Woman Like You,” “Crazy Girl,” and “Love Like Crazy,” there are a few reasons for the responses from the crowd.
Lee takes a special moment to pay tribute to our military by asking for all the stage lights to be turned off and for the crowd to light up the flashlights on their phones as he sings “I Drive Your Truck.” As this tender moment, the crowd erupts with screaming applause. Lee pumps them back up to end his set with his hit, “Parking Lot Party.”
After a brief departure, Lee returns for an encore. Once again, he relays his gratitude and love for Detroit. He brings his show to an end singing, “I Don’t Dance.” With couples dancing in the aisles and singing aloud throughout the Fillmore, Lee and company congregate at stage center to take a bow.
Lee Brice
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Matt Austin
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Lewis Brice
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Rick Monroe
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Nick Norman
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Fillmore Detroit
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