What a better way for me to kick off Father’s Day weekend than with a wonderful Lakeview in…. Jackson, Michigan?
Yes, I said what I said, but not your typical lake view with waves, boats, and beaches. I’m talking about the guys in Lakeview hailing from “Nashville-by-way-of-Pittsburgh.”
Now, I will be the first to admit, I just heard these guys a few days before the show on TikTok where I came across them blowing up their latest single, “Home Team.” I heard 5 seconds of it and was hooked; then it just kept going. It hit me with their metal side and bam! It was love at first sound and I knew I had to go. Being a die-hard metal and country fan myself, this was legit.
Let me kick things into drive and tell you about the evening. This event was held in the parking lot of The Chase Sports Bar right in downtown Jackson and hosted by Country Boots & Bands. I’ve been following CB&B for a little bit now but have never made it to any of their events. They did a decent job keeping the crowd entertained with their choice of country and rock being played before the show. A LOT of Nickleback was played.
Kicking things off was local boy, Jason Cross. I’m pretty sure most of the general admission ticket holders were there for him, as a lot of them left after he finished, but I will get to that later. This guy knows how to party and have a good time on stage, until the sound cuts out. Yes, about 4 or 5 songs into his set, the speakers cut out and they had to take a short break so crews could fix it. About 10 minutes later, the party goes on — he played a lot his known hits like “Beer Ain’t Gonna Drink Itself” and a few new ones. Plus, he seems to enjoy playing covers. I can’t remember all of them but one that stood out was Alice In Chains “Man In A Box.” Its not everyday you hear country artists covering something like that. Their guitarist nailed the solo and Jason’s vocals were on point. This is a man I would be glad to see again.
Intermission time before Lakeview hits the stage. This is where I will mention the set up of the parking lot. It was split into two sections. The front portion was the VIP and took up about 70% of the utilized space. The other 30% was considered general admission, which is where I was. I have to be honest, it was not set up very well. GA only had 2 porta-potties (at a country concert where beer is heavily consumed). I just didn’t understand the need to have two separate sections because there wasn’t much of a difference except a few extra porta-johns. As mentioned earlier, GA also seemed to be were a majority of the Jason Cross fans were. By the time Lakeview kicked things off, about half of general admission was gone already. Halfway through their set, over half was gone. It was disappointing to see since they were the headliners of the evening.
Where do I begin for a band I just heard about a few days prior? Do I talk about their energy? Do I talk about their sound? Or the fact they were there to party, have a good time and give the crowd 110%. All of it. All of that was present. Right away, you can tell these dudes come from a metal background. Luke Healy spent ten years with Facedown Records, Those Who Fear, and Jess Denaro was with Von Wolfe. They came out swinging (literally) with some of their hits like “Drink With My Friends,” Loser,” Son of A,” and the latest single “Home Team.” I was headbanging, singing and just flat out having a great time during their set. So much so that I almost wanted to drive to Indianapolis the next day for a festival appearance.
All in all, this was a great experience. I expect these dudes to be massive and selling out show after show in no time. With the experience they already have, I have no doubts they can make it happen.
