RESTLESS ROAD

w/ Erin Kinsey

Friday January 12, 2024

@ Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, TN

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

With the combined success of wedding playlist favorite “Growing Old With You,” highly-touted opening dates with country superstar Kane Brown, and an insatiable three-part harmony that enticed listeners to perk their ears, Restless Road has set their course on becoming one of the hottest trios on the country music circuit today.

The release of their debut album this past fall, Last Rodeo, was naturally met with heightened anticipation, and it more than delivered with its ambitious 18-track output that strategically placed the spotlight on their unique, signature qualities through an offering that mixed their well-received teaser tracks and several blasts of intriguing new; “On My Way,” “Bar Friends,” “Go Get Her,” “You Don’t Have To Love Me,” etc.

In support of the album, they kicked off the new year by setting out on their Last Rodeo Headline Tour, hitting 9 states this January that included a sold-out stop at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl.

Donned in their Restless Road t-shirts, exuberant fans steadily filed into the venue a full hour ahead of the official starting time of the show, eliciting a noticeable buzz as the line to the merch table hovered in the looming excitement of adding a new memento to their collections to commemorate this tour and this particular night.

As the house lights dimmed, the crowd lit up with enthusiasm as Erin Kinsey bounced onto the stage, instantly getting shoulders grooving and heads bobbing with the melody of her recent single, “Boys In Boots,” showcasing an energy that would hold throughout her half-hour set as she displayed the attributes that make her one of the genre’s most promising young talents.

Taking us through a yearbook full of relationships, break-ups, and learning who you are through each twist and turn, Kinsey kept most of her half-hour set on the purely upbeat side with “Stayed A Summer,” the sassy brand-new tune “Matchmaker,” set closer “Just Drive,” and the playfully soulful “Handful.”

However, she stunned the crowd to a deafening silence when in the middle of her set she stood center stage with only her voice, an acoustic guitar, and a transparent vulnerability, inviting us into a Polaroid snapshot moment that reminisced back to when she was 12 years old and learning to first play guitar in her childhood bedroom, heartfeltly dedicating “I Got You” to her sister as well as to anyone who’s home town feels more to them like a person than an actual place.

Kinsey exited stage left surrounded by a showering ovation that signaled job well-done, but more importantly, she showed a firm understanding of her direct supporting role in that she amped the crowd’s excitement for things still to come from Restless Road.

FULL SET LIST

1) Boys In Boots

2) Stayed A Summer

3) Handful

4) Matchmaker

5) I Got You

6) Different Us

7) Just Drive

As blue lights hued the entire stage giving glow to the white writing of the RESTLESS ROAD banner, the popping of several flashes of light across the backdrop shined out across the venue as the drums pounded, igniting the bubbling anticipation. And when it all went completely dark over the stage and the layered, three-part harmonies soared through the venue, the crowd erupted as Restless Road kicked into their set with “Bar Friends” and “Sundown Somewhere,” both which immediately had everyone singing along as they danced their arms over their heads in perfect rhythm.

“We’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time,” Zach said excitedly. “NASHVILLE!!!! Welcome to the Last Rodeo Tour,” he enthusiastically stamped as the western kissed flare of “Leave Them Boots On” kept the crowd moving in tune with its irresistible melody, singing along with every word as the trio continued to lift their crisp signature harmonies through the chorus.

While majority focus was on their latest release, by throwing it back to their self-titled EP early in their set, they masterfully displayed the songs that brought them to the dance while satisfying their OG fans; “One Step Ahead,” and “Take Me Home,” the latter which delivered an only in Nashville moment when country superstar Kane Brown (who duets with them on the studio version of the song) stepped onto the stage, completely surprising the group as well as the rabid crowd.

With a balance in their setlist that proved know-how of veteran performers, Restless Road held the crowd in the palm of their hand by never staying firmly placed on one styled tempo or the other, but rather mixing it perfectly so that each new turn provided a lasting impression song by song.

Bringing couples closely into one another for a lost in your eyes slow dance, songs such as “Go Get Her” and “Growing Old With You” both provided the backing tracks to a continuation of love stories playing out across the dancefloor in tender snapshot moments.

In a similar, slower paced realm, the trio also very caringly spoke straight to the hurting, broken hearted through heartstring tuggers “Easy For You To Say” and “Tell Me Not To.”

Providing an extreme amount of versatility as they explored the edges of their wheelhouse, they added quick shots of different vibey feels; pulling from a dusty barstool country flare on “10 Things,” hitting an ultra-modern kissed aura on fan favorite “Headlights,” igniting a Friday night dance party as they bounced arm and arm center stage into the drive of the rowdy “Head Over Heels, and offering another memorable moment when Erin Kinsey joined them on stage for their duet of “Most Nights.”

“We’ve learned a thing or two about perseverance, staying true to ourselves, and not letting anything stand in our way,” Garrett spoke as the crowd showered appreciation. “If there’s one thing that you take away from tonight, we hope that it’s the message of this next song,” he finished as the encouragement of “On You Way” delivered a much needed hope that reminded everyone that it’s all going to be okay as we take our own personal road in life one step at a time, celebrating that while we aren’t where we want to be, thank God we’re not where we used to be!

Their carefully selected covers not only initiated audience inducing excitement through the familiarity of the quick hit of songs in medley form midway through their set, but they skillfully used each cover choice in a showcase that highlighted how they’ve never forgotten who they are and where they come from.

We started this band 10 years ago, and this was the first song that we ever performed,” Zach exclaimed as line dancing in the middle of the crowd commenced while the opening notes of Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” flooded the venue.

Inspired by their green room warm-ups, an impromptu medley of “When You Look In My Eyes, “Bless The Broken Road,” and “You Don’t Have To Love Me” allowed each individual member to have a personal shining moment in the spotlight, while their upbeat 1-2 punch to close the night, “No Can Do” and “Last Rodeo” gratefully raised a final toast to the fans while leaving them with the excitement that the latter, “because of you will be our first single to country radio later this month!”

Nashville is generally one of the tougher crowds to play for, but by commanding all corners of the stage as they bounced back and forth, Restless Road pulled the crowd in from the moment their first harmony rang out until they stamped their last note, delivering a stellar performance that held the entire venue in the palm of their hands - new fans and old - as they offered a full spectrum view of who they are.

Without much in between talking, the trio impressively allowed the songs to really speak for themselves…and speak they did! Loudly! The crowd provided backing vocals with every song throughout the night, often reverberating even louder than the trio themselves, bringing smiles to each of their faces in what can best be described for them as an awestricken moment that provided a clear definition that they have arrived!

 FULL SET LIST

1) Bar Friends

2) Sundown Somewhere

3) Leave Them Boots On

4) One Step Ahead

5) Could’ve Been A Love Song

6) Take Me Home

7) Go Get Her

8) 10 Things

9) Cover Medley: Seven Bridges Road, Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy), She’s Country, Beer Never Broke My Heart, Boondocks

10) Easy For You To Say

11) Tell Me Not To

12) On My Way

13) Most Nights

14) Look Me

15) Medley: When You Look Me In My Eyes, Bless The Broken Road, You Don’t Have To Love Me

16) Headlights

17) Growing Old With You

18) Somebody Like You (Keith Urban cover)

19) No Can Do

20) Last Rodeo

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