Big & Rich 2016 Rock the 2016 Taste of Country Festival

Big & Rich delivered 90 minutes of hits old and new at the first day of the 2016 Taste of Country Festival on Friday (June 10), to the delight of thousands and thousands of crazed country fans who had come from all over to see them.

The high-energy duo treated the crowd to a huge set consisting of a laundry list of hits. They gave the fans exactly what they came for, delivering an insanely loud and raucous set that echoed over the hills and far away as the sun was slowly sinking over Hunter Mountain. Earlier in the day Jana Kramer, the Cadillac Three and more got the party started for the three-day country music and camping festival, and Big & Rich ratcheted the energy up for a very enthusiastic crowd that had had all afternoon to get loosened up for a good time.

Big & Rich rocked the fans almost non-stop during their hour-and-a-half set, kicking off with "Comin' to Your City' and stunning the crowd with one hard-hitting track after another, not stopping long enough to let anyone even catch their breath before hitting them again. Their set list encompassed their entire career and represented all sides of their music, with up-tempo material including "I Came to Git Down" and "Wild West Show" all represented in the set.

They showed off their melodic chops, too, reaching back to perform their first No. 1 hit, "Lost In This Moment," as well as their most recent hits from Gravity, "Look at You" and "Lovin' Lately." They also worked in a stirring tribute to the military leading into "8th of November," which was followed by a patriotic crowd singalong of "God Bless America."

Cowboy Troy joined the duo onstage for several songs that featured him, including "I Play Chicken With a Train" and (of course!) "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)," which turned into a stretched-out jam encompassing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "American Pie," Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away" and "Uptown Funk" before a sonic crescendo that drew a huge ovation and left Big Kenny on the floor in a comic fit of exhaustion. The duo pulled out all the stops, even bringing Spider-Man onstage for a highly entertaining guest appearance while the crowd went crazy.

They ran through a blistering version of "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)" before leaving the stage at Hunter Mountain, with a full set of hits still ahead from Friday night's headliner, Kid Rock. Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen will headline Saturday and Sunday nights at the 2016 Taste of Country Music Festival, supported by the hottest stars and most promising up-and-coming acts in country music today.

Big and Rich Interview From the 2016 ToC Festival