Sugarland Founder Sues Band

I guess that it was only a matter of time until this happened.

According to the Associated Press, Kiersten Hall is suing the two current members of the group Sugarland for $1.5 million.

From the article:

According to a lawsuit filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Kristen Hall was to get a cut of the group’s profits even after she left in 2005 for a solo career. Hall says in the lawsuit that she has been excluded from the group’s profits since she left.

CMT also has an interesting blog on the lawsuit.

You have to wonder what is going through the minds of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush right now. The band has achieved so much in such a short amount of time. I was surprised when Hall left the band in early 2006 as they were just seeming to increase steadily in popularity at that time. Their songs have since been in heavy rotation not only on the radio, but on GAC and CMT as well. They have won numerous industry awards, Nettles has performed with the likes of Bon Jovi and their newest album, “Love On the Inside” just came out last month.

Time will tell how this plays out. My feeling is that if you wanted to receive a cut of the band’s profits, you never should have left in the first place. Thoughts?

Concert Review: Toby Keith/Montgomery Gentry "Biggest and Baddest Tour"

Shoreline Amphitheater: July 25, 2008

Perfect night, perfect crowd, perfect show!

The night kicked off with Trailer Choir. If you have never heard of this band, you soon will. Not only will they be on the soundtrack of the new Toby Keith movie, Beer for my Horses, they play some great music. "Off the Hillbilly Hook" and "Rockin' The Beer Gut" completed a short, but fun set. You should be able to catch their music on CMT and GAC so keep a look out for them.

Carter's Chord was up next. This was unfortunately the time when nature called and I answered. From what I could hear, they were talented (sounded like a young She Daisy).

The act which I was most looking forward to was Montgomery Gentry. I had seen them on two previous occasions and have yet to be disappointed. While they played a great set at this show, i was saddened to have them walk off stage before playing my two favorite songs, Speed and Lonely and Gone. I always thought those were staples of their set and was really looking forward to hearing them on this night.

I won't complain though. With so many hits, it was hard to find anything really wrong with the set. Montgomery Gentry are showmen and they know how to work the crowd. Back When I Knew it All, Hillbilly Shoes, Hell Yeah, Something to be Proud Of and My Town were all included as well as a new song called Long Line of Losers. This is going to be a hit for sure.

Overall, a great show and a great introduction to the main event of the evening: Toby Keith!

The last time I saw Toby Keith live was at the Petaluma Fair nearly 10 years ago. I can say that while his songs have changed, his stage presence has not. He had the audience eating out of his hand all night long. With no new recent album, Toby filled a set with a long line of greatest hits that would have made any fan happy. I Wanna Talk About Me, Shoulda Been a Cowboy, Beer for my Horses, How Do You Like Me Now, I Love This Bar, A Little Less Talk (And A Lot More Action), Who's Your Daddy, Whiskey Girl, She's A Hottie, As Good As I Once Was...The list goes on and on. Hit after hit played for over 1 1/2 hours. Let's not forget a great cover of Ted Nugent's Stranglehold! Yeah!

A funny moment during the set occurred when Toby was joking around with a guy in the front row who paid "$15 for a beer". Toby said "man you got F&^%#d!" over and over again. Seriously, the price of food and drinks is getting out of hand. But then again, I wonder when the last time Toby Keith had to pay for a beer was!

The night ended with two patriotic classics: American Soldier and Courtesy of the Red White and Blue. Great finale. The audience was pumped during the final song which always gets an audience singing every word. Three soldiers were brought up on stage who the crowd saluted. Great moment, great concert!

When the tour comes to your town, make sure to get your tickets. This is not a show to miss!

Phil Vassar Concert Review: April 24, 2008

Phil Vassar
April 24, 2008
Club Rodeo
San Jose, CA

As a bit of background, Vassar has written hits for Alan Jackson with Right On The Money, Tim McGraw with For A Little While and My Next Thirty Years and Jo Dee Messina's hits Bye Bye and "I'm Alright. Vassar released his debut album in 2000 which produced five hit singles in the U.S. and was certified gold. Helped by constant air play on country radio, GAC and CMT, Vassar has risen to stardom over the past decade.

This night was electric. Previously, I saw Vassar 3 weeks after 9/11 at the KZLA country bash in Irvine, California. This night was special because it was one of only two CD release party's for his "Prayer of a Common Man" CD. KRTY brought Vassar to Club Rodeo in San Jose for this one night event. Tickets were only $10 so this was a must see show of a great performer and song writer, not to mention that the $10 included an autographed copy of the new CD as well!

As the audience packed in, members of the KRTY team took the stage in preparation for Vassar's arrival. When he took the stage, the crowd went crazy! He opened the show with the first hit off his new CD, "Love is a Beautiful Thing" which got the crowd going and followed that up with a past hit "Six Pack Summer". The crowd was into this show! Vassar took audience requests the entire night which was a pleasant surprise. Many times, artists tend to fill their set list with new songs to promote the new album but Vassar took the approach of having a great time with the audience and let us choose the songs that were played. Class act!

The audience was into the show from the very start as Vassar mixed classic hits, with new songs and a few "special" songs courtesy of Grease. The highlights of the show included "Bye Bye", "I'm Alright", "Carlene", "Just Another Day in Paradise" and "Little Red Rodeo" which are always crowd favorites. Vassar concluded the show with a great finale with Billy Joel's "Piano Man" which was a perfect ending to a great show.

The show had very high expectations and did not disappoint. Vassar has an incredible stage presence which was obvious from the moment he first appeared. I have not been to a concert in years where every person in the audience was able to sing every word to every song and it was clear that Vassar was very impressed by the crowd.

In addition, my wife had her hat signed by Vassar after the show and that was an extra, added bonus.

If Phil Vassar comes to your town, make sure that you make an appointment to go see the show. You will not be disappointed. If you went to this, or any other Phil Vassar show, let me know your thoughts.