‘Polar opposite’ country superstar back on Las Vegas Strip
Brad Paisley is a precision musician. But he doesn’t need a detailed blueprint for his live performances.
“The last thing I wanted to do was something where it’s like, ‘Hit your mark, this song’s next, this is our set list, this is the video content,’” the country superstar says. “If you do the same thing every night, it can get mind-numbing, no matter how good a show you can put on. When you don’t have variables, it’s going to get stale.”
Paisley has loosened up for his upcoming Las Vegas appearances, returning Friday through Sunday at Encore Theater. “One Man Six Strings” is the show’s punctuation-free title, and also description.
Paisley considered a more organic-style approach during the pandemic shutdown. His return to the stage would be informal, highlighted by his singing, sense of the stage, and wicked guitar licks.
“What I love about it is it’s going to be the polar opposite, I think, of any other show on the Strip,” Paisley says. “We didn’t intentionally do it to be opposite, but it’s such a challenge to walk out there and do 90 minutes with no set list.”
Paisley has tried to keep a mental list of “must” songs, with “Mud On The Tires,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song)” and “Alcohol.” He has a deceptive, sly sense of humor, on the stage and away from it, once introducing a song with, “Speaking of relationships that are frowned upon …” then singing, “You’ll Always Be My First (Cousin).”
Referring to Encore Theater, he cracks, “That venue is tailored for intimacy, of course. Wait, that sounded dirty, but still … .” He’s debuted “What Happens in Vegas,” with the educated lyric, “She had no intention, at the Mary Kay convention, of having that much to drink.”
Paisley has sometimes kept up the party for more than those 90 minutes, “Even though the casino doesn’t like you to do that,” as he’s organized his thoughts. His mind is moving even as he’s singing and playing.
“There are nights when I walk off and realize ‘Oh, man, I forgot to do ‘The Fishing Song,’ because somebody yelled out something else,” Paisley says. “I mean, in my mind, I’m singing the song. What’s really fun is, I’m in the second verse of a song and I think, ‘You know, it would be really great to break into that song.”
Paisley says he has a handful of unexpected songs in his holster for a rodeo crowd “that’s gonna be fresh off their horse.”
“I’m thinking, ‘How am I gonna keep them on the edge of their seats the whole time?’” Paisley says. “I’ll be ready to sort of lighten the mood and surprise them. Sometimes it’s just stream of consciousness, going with songs and stories I hadn’t planned. Doing this has been incredibly fulfilling for me.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.