ASHLEY MCBRYDE

w/ Kasey Tyndall

Thursday November 30, 2023

@Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA

(Review Written By: Chad Carlson)

Throughout its elaborate history, the city of Pittsburgh has been known for its grit, integrity, and perseverance.  From the times of its origins through its rich backstory to present day, the Steel City has been a foundation created by its people, who are passionate about their work, their sports, and their music.

As is the case with many other facets of life, Pittsburgh is a melting pot for music fans, from rock to hip hop and, of course, country music.  So, on a cold night on the final day of November, it was no surprise that droves of fans were waiting outside Stage AE, forming a line that wrapped nearly halfway around the premier music venue on the city’s north shore.

In one of the more highly-anticipated country shows of the fall, Ashley McBryde brought her “The Devil I Know” Tour to town on Thursday night, marking the 13^th date on the trek and the first since November 12^th in Mississippi.  The Grammy-award winner and Grand Ole Opry member has been widely regarded as a well-respected songwriter and musician since her self-released debut record in 2006, and now, 17 years later, is touring as one of the more talented and celebrated performers in country music.

From the moment she took the stage on Thursday, donning black pants and a blank tank top, Ashley was in command of the audience, but not in a way one may think.  Rather than looking up watching the performance, the ambience felt throughout the audience is that we were all a part of the show.  Just as the people of this blue-collar city work hard and play hard, Ashley represents a culmination of that lifestyle as a musician, working her way from songwriter to singer to award-winning artist.

McBryde is a songwriter at heart, which is where her illustriously successful career began, and it’s obvious how important the thought behind the song is to her.  Throughout the night, she took a moment to share the inspiration behind the music.  Emotional at times while comedic at others, the Arkansas native naturally created an atmosphere similar to a songwriters’ night…except on this writer’s round, it included thousands of screaming fans.

Her 90-plus minute setlist had something for every fan – slow, symphonic ballads followed by upbeat, edgy rockers and everything in between. 

Of course, her most successful singles drew an overwhelming applause as the first strums of “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”, and “Light On in the Kitchen” kicked in. 

‘Devil I Know’, her fourth studio album released in September, was well represented throughout the evening.  The upbeat rockers like “Coldest Beer In Town” were tempered by the likes of “One Night Standards” as well as the album’s mid-tempo title track, which may have drawn the biggest audience response of the night.

Ashley’s vocals were perfectly on pitch throughout, and the band behind her was tight and cohesive from start to finish.  It’s clear they have a genuine affection for one another and love doing what they’re doing night after night.  McBryde paid homage to her band and crew, before turning the praise to the audience.

“I love country music and hell, I love ya’ll too!”

The deafening roar that followed solidified and confirmed what was already certain – the feeling is mutual.

Kicking off the night to a heavily-populated audience for early in the evening was Kasey Tyndall.  The 28-year-old songstress made her Grand Ole Opry debut this past July, and looked cool, calm, and collected at Stage AE on Thursday.  Rocking through a highly-energized set, the Greenville, NC fit the bill perfectly as a special guest on this tour. 

“Jesus and Joan Jett” drew the crowd into a frenzy, as did “Dirt Road To Hell” and “Nothin’ Wrong With Being Country”.  Ever since officially making Nashville home in 2015, Kasey has been honing her craft with well-crafted, emotion-inducing tunes like “Babies” and “Middle Man”, both of which brought a hush over the crowd, hanging on every word of the invocative lyrics.  While she certainly satisfied her role in warming up the energized crowd for the night’s headliner, she also turned plenty of heads and surely added some new followers to her quickly-growing fan base.

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