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July 22, 2013, Issue 355 The Future Is Albright When it comes to the internet’s ability to redefine the workplace, Albright & O’Malley & Brenner’s Jaye Albright is bucking for poster child status. In an email sent to record labels Sunday, she writes, “Beginning in August, I will be living and working out of my wireless hot spot-equipped RV, traveling the parks and campgrounds of North America between consulting clients all over the continent.” Crazy Blakes: Warner Bros./WMN’s Blake Shelton (c) spreads Beyond what she calls “a dream come true,” Albright notes some “crazy” with WGH/Norfolk’s Mark McKay and wife that the decision was motivated, at least in part, by the untimely Christi prior to the open of Shelton’s Ten Times Crazier Tour in death of a fellow Country Radio Hall of Famer. And she says her Virginia Beach, VA Friday night (7/19). new address ... or lack thereof ... will not diminish her work within and connection to the format. “Part of it is due to [veteran consultant] Rusty Walker’s Blake: That Boy Is Crazy death,” she says. “Thank goodness he died riding a bike with The Ten Times Crazier tour lived up to its name as Blake friends and family on a Saturday afternoon doing something Shelton kicked things off Friday in Virginia Beach (7/19). he loved. But the shock and devastation of that is a reminder to WGH/Norfolk PD Mark McKay says it was the best Shelton all of us, and I have vowed since then to move more slowly and show he’s seen, spanning the multimedia performer’s entire savor things a little more. career ... headgear included. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time. The secret “He said at one point that he was going to do some of the older to consulting for 35 years is that I don’t do anything I don’t feel stuff,and ended up playing ‘Playboys Of The Southwestern World,’ good about. I only work with people I like in situations where I which kind of surprised me because it wasn’t a big hit,” McKay says. can make a difference. In that way, it’s not really work and I’ve “But when he finished, he paused and said, ‘You know, this just doesn’t become tremendously bonded to many people. The only bad feel right artistically; there’s something wrong here.’ And he reached thing about it is my best friends are all over America.” behind himself and grabbed a cowboy hat that was fully equipped with (continued on page 12) its own mullet. It was a flashback to his old look and just really funny. ©2013 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] July 22, 2013 Page 3 “He also addressed the fact that he was on a ‘little television show you might have heard of called The Voice. He talked about PAGE THREE PIC how it helped him meet people like [R&B artist] Usher, who he did a song with at the Oklahoma tornado benefit. Blake explained how he wanted to return the favor by doing an Usher song and launched into Usher’s ‘Yeah!’ He stopped mid-song, though, and said it didn’t feel right. So he brought his fiddle player out and basically ‘countrified’ the rest of it. He made sure to tell everyone to ‘YouTube the shit out of it’ and used the whole thing as an intro to ‘Hillbilly Bone.’” Fun and crazy aside, McKay says the best part was definitely Shelton’s singing, highlighted by a solo acoustic performance on Knows When To Hold ‘Em: Kenny Rogers (c) grips the stage thrust. “It was just him, a guitar and a stool, and he did and grins with the WFMS/Indianapolis brain trust what he said were the two most important songs of his career: circa 2001 – J.D. Cannon (l) and Bob Richards. Flash your vintage station-wear via pagethreepic@ ‘Over You’ and ‘Austin.’ It was just incredible. Based on listener countryaircheck.com. buzz, there were a lot of people who had never heard of him prior to The Voice who were stunned to find out just how good of a it the next night at the show as he went into ‘Home,’ which was singer he is. It was a really great moment.” huge. Lots of those families were at the show and it was their last There were other serious moments, as well. “As we were weekend together for eight or nine months.” watching the rehearsal the night before, it occurred to us that Even Shelton’s love affair with Twitter made the spotlight. the U.S.S. Truman would be leaving [the Norfolk Naval Base] “Leading into ‘Kiss My Country Ass,’ he had a Twitter [graphic] Monday (7/22), and it’s a big deal when that happens around on the screen and pretended to send some tweets that got the here,” McKay says. “We made him aware of it and he addressed crowd really revved up. Later in the night, he posted, ‘Thank you, Virginia Beach, for the biggest night of my touring career.’ “It was just a really cool show to watch,” McKay says. “It was the fourth of nine Country shows at the venue this year and, with the exception of Luke Bryan’s recent sold-out show, it was the biggest crowd so far. They were estimating north of 18,000 and it’s a 20,000-seat place. It was a lot of fun.” The tour hits St. Louis Friday (7/26). Get the full list of dates here. Keith’s Sweat: Fuse Tour For an hour and 40 minutes, Keith Urban fought off especially muggy Cincinnati heat to deliver a proper open to his Light The Fuse Tour 2013 with Dustin Lynch and Little Big Town at Riverbend Music Center Thursday (7/18). Not to be outdone, WUBE/ Cincinnati’s Big Dave & Chelsie sweated it out with him; first by doing their afternoon show live from the venue, and later, by taking Keith tour set in Cincinnati in the show as fans. It was hot, and in more ways than one. ©2013 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] July 22, 2013 Page 6 “It was close [to a sellout],” Chelsie says. “There were just a few places on the lawn that were open.” Dave adds, “The show would’ve MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE completely sold out had it not been 96 degrees and ridiculously KVOO/Tulsa morning personality humid! Keith opened with ‘Long, Hot Summer,’ which was fitting.” Rowdy Yates discusses his most influential Urban’s new set employs five vertical LED panels for video, artists, songs, albums and concerts: graphics and lyrics, which aided a sing-along on “Even The Stars 1. The Who, The Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Fall For You” from his upcoming album Fuse, out Sept. 10. The 1987: It was the summer after my senior show also featured video from Urban’s new Fret-Cam. “It’s a year in high school. There are several camera that’s mounted on top of the guitar neck near the tuning minutes that I can’t recall due to the left- keys,” Dave says. “He could adjust it so that sometimes it was handed Lucky being passed around, but this was quite possibly one of the most intense, pointing down at his fingers, or at someone else in the band.” Rowdy Yates He entered the crowd twice – once to sing a few a lines of fun and loud shows I’ve ever seen. “You Look Good In My Shirt” right in front of the stage, and the 2. Earl Thomas Conley/Holding Her and other as he was on his way to a smaller stage in the rear of the Loving You: By far my favorite country song of all time. I always pavilion for “Days Go By,” “Better Life” and others. loved his introspective style of writing and the soulful way he sang. An acoustic set included “Making Memories Of Us” and 3. Merle Haggard/Always Wanting You: This song tugs at my “You’ll Think Of Me,” and Urban played piano on “Tonight I heartstrings lyrically and musically. Whoever played guitar on this Wanna Cry.” Scattered throughout the show were snippets of was able to capture Merle’s inner anguish and get it on tape. covers including The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and AC/ 4. The Beach Boys/Good Vibrations: Always loved this DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top.” song. I read about what all went into making this piece of “Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch sounded great, too,” Dave musical history and not only was I amazed by what could be says. “Dustin even put on a baseball cap and sat out in the crowd conceived, but the layers and dimensions, the musicians, the to watch Urban’s set, with the exception of when he joined Urban harmonies, the instruments themselves. onstage for ‘Kiss A Girl.’ For an opening night, it went very well.” 5. Glen Campbell/Rhinestone Cowboy: Ran a needle Chelsie adds, “At least three people who’ve seen him a lot told smooth through it. That was the song I used to talk over and me it was the best show they’ve seen.” The tour picks up again in it really sealed the deal for me to be on the radio.