Craig Campbell @ Duke's--Portland, Oregon--10-18-12

Craig Campbell made his way back to the Pacific Northwest with a show at Duke's Bar & Grill, In Portland, Oregon,  October 18, 2012.

Lock, Stock & Barrel were orginally scheduled to open for Campbell; though at the last minute local favorite, Kurt Van Meter, filled in for the band instead.

You could tell, even though it was last minute, Van Meter was up to the task, and happy to be there.  He and his band played original songs scattered between cover versions of other tunes.  The whole band was having a great time playing, and joking around with each other on stage.  They fed off each other, and the crowd, and in return the crowd picked up their energy as well.

Towards the end of his set, Van Meter brought Tyler Titus, one of the co-founders of Lock, Stock & Barrel on stage to sing with him.

As it turns out, Titus is leaving Lock, Stock & Barrel, and Portland.  He's heading back to Texas and forming a new band.  This was mentioned on stage, after he and Van Meter sang together.

When Van Meter's set was done, there was a short break while the stage was set for Craig Campbell.   When it was time, B-Dub from KUPL introduced the "Family Man" singer to the audience.

Campbell performed a mix of music from his first CD, as well as new music, and covers of other country songs.

Whether it was tearing through a rocking number; or performing a ballad; Campbell gave each song his all.  Though at times Campbell's voice did get drowned out by the music; during the ballads he shined.

As with Kurt Van Meter, the crowd gathered at Duke's fed off the energy being given from the stage. When Campbell would ask for audience participation, he got plenty of it; which in turn fed his energy level.

Craig Campbell may not be as well known as other country artists; however, don't be fooled, the man has tons of talent, and is very professional at what he does.  He more than proved this at Duke's that night.

Craig Campbell @ The Bing Lounge-8-3-11

The only thing I knew about Craig Campbell before seeing him at the Bing Lounge were his two singles, "Family Man" and "Fish".  I like both songs, so I was interested to see and learn more about Craig; I wasn't disappointed. 

 

 

Acoustic shows are great, because you get to really hear an artist's voice, without all the other things that can clog up a recording or performance.  Craig Campbell definitely has a great voice.  His style and sound harkens back to the country music of the late 80's, early 90's.  Not a big surprise when you learn that was Craig's favorite era for country.  When asked, he said his biggest influence from then is Travis Tritt.  Just my opinion, I think Craig could easily reach Travis' level of fame, or higher. 

Watching Craig in the Bing Lounge, it was easy to see he has a great sense of humor, as evidenced by a couple of songs he did, "I Bought It", and "When I Get It".  As much as I love the song "Fish", I think these two songs have become my new favorites of Craig's music.

Speaking of "Family Man", Craig knows about this first hand, as he's a husband and dad to two little girls.  Craig told a story about how before his first child was born he was positive the baby would be a boy.  With that inspiration in mind, Craig wrote a song about his yet unborn child, "My Little Cowboy".  Of course, when his first child was born, it was a girl, but Craig was okay with that.

After the concert, Craig took time to sign autographs and take pictures with anyone wanting one; even though he did have a plane he had to catch.  Sometimes, when you see and hear someone on a stage, they're different when you meet them in person; not Craig.  Even though he was under a time crunch, Craig took the time with each person, and was very nice to everyone who met him.

To be honest, I've seen a lot of great performances in the Bing Lounge, and met a lot of artists who are really nice.  Of all of them though, I think Craig Campbell is the one that's impressed me the most so far; enough that I went and bought is CD on my way home that day.

If you ever get a chance to see Craig Campbell in concert, do; you won't be disappointed!