Miranda Lambert Embraces Her Don’t-Give-a-Darn at Country Jam 2018
"My job walking onstage every night is to make you feel all the feels," Miranda Lambert told her audience on Friday night (June 15) at Country Jam 2018. Her 90-minute headlining set bounced between introspective and fiery, with a thread of don't-give-a-darn attitude weaving it all together.
It's not that Lambert wasn't invested in the show; rather, it's that she sang with emotion, no matter what you might be able to infer from the lyrics. She pointedly delivered early hits such as hits "Kerosene" and "Baggage Claim," while the sentimental "Over You" and "The House That Built Me" didn't come with tears but did produce their fair share of goosebumps. Lambert dialed up the attitude, meanwhile, for "Pink Sunglasses" and the show-closing "Little Red Wagon."
She didn't say too much in between songs, but Lambert did make sure to acknowledge the crowd that had packed into Jam Ranch to see her. "You're all alive and kickin' and drinkin', right?" she asked a few songs in, to cheers of both the raised voices and raised glasses variety; later on, she thanked fans for "staying up really late and spending your hard-earned money on country music" and supporting women in the genre.
Throughout her show, Lambert's ace band elevated her delivery of each song. The superstar has assembled one of the best groups of backing musicians in the genre, and it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch them do their thing. Backup vocalist Gwen Sebastian in particularly is super entertaining whether she's vamping with Lambert at the front of the stage or dancing behind her own mic.
Lambert's cover songs of choice on Friday night were, appropriately, Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" and "Willin'," originally performed by Little Feat and later covered by Linda Ronstadt. "Vice," "Bathroom Sink" and "Tin Man," the latter performed by Lambert alone onstage, dotted her show as well.
Country Jam 2018 is scheduled to run through Sunday (June 17). Brett Eldredge headlined Thursday night (June 14), while Florida Georgia Line and Brantley Gilbert are Saturday (June 16) and Sunday's headliners, respectively.
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