Across all of the concerts I’ve attended, those I remember the most are the ones that told a story about the person behind the performance. Along with surprises and exceedingly special moments, Lee Brice’s “You, Me and My Guitar” tour took the audience through the experiences behind all of his best songs.
The evening started with an intimate, humble and shockingly humorous performance by opener Edwin McCain. In between jokes about his life as a dad, he sang songs “I Could Not Ask For More,” “Take Me” and “Solitude.” After a relatable quip about his daughter’s messy bedroom, he spoke about how it felt when his daughter first arrived before singing “Walk With You,” a song about his daughter getting married. Throughout each song, McCain shares his own stories, setting the stage for the upcoming performance.
Shortly after, the lights dimmed and a video showing clips from Brice’s former performances began to play while Brice sang “You, Me and My Guitar,” the title track for the tour. After a shortened cover of “Hotel California” by the Eagles, Brice began to share his story.
When talking about the idea behind the tour, he expressed wanting to share where he’s from and what he believes in. He pulled out his first guitar, now battered and used, to play “Picture of Me,” which tells the listener about where he’s from. He continued this explanation by telling the story of his Aunt Henrietta and how she taught him music through gospel. Taking a seat at the piano, he played his own rendition of “Oh How I Love Jesus,” showing us the chords and words that led to his discography.
Under the context of his gospel upbringing, the next song “Soul” took on a whole new meaning. Under lyrics like “And I’ll be singing Holy Mother of Moses \ I just wanna buy you roses,” one can hear the gospel inspiration. He followed this with his song “Cry,” along with covers of “Old Violin” by Johnny Paycheck and “Be Somebody” by Travis Tritt, which he was a songwriter for.
Unlike many other concerts I’ve been to, the covers didn’t stop here. For those who are unaware, Brice was a songwriter for many years while trying to create his own name as an artist. To truly share his life story, he played covers of the hits he wrote for other writers like “More Than a Memory” by Garth Brooks and “Crazy Girl” by the Eli Young Band. While I certainly wasn’t expecting covers, an audience member? in the front row must have been — they proposed to their girlfriend after the very first chorus.
After a very successful set of covers, Brice turned up the energy in the Ryman by singing some of his higher-paced songs like “Drinking Class” and “Parking Lot Party.” Members of the crowd stood and lifted their glasses, sharing in the moment with him.
Pulling his first guitar back off its stand, he told a story of a girl he met on the beach and played a cover of “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton, the song he sang to her when trying to get her attention. That girl on the beach would ultimately become his wife, the mom of their children and the person for which he wrote the next song on his setlist, “I Don’t Dance.” I loved that, in sharing the story of his life, he made sure to highlight his wife and what she inspired.
Following this heartwarming moment, he made sure to also share the songs inspired by the other important people in his life — his children. He started with one of his biggest hits, “Boy,” which talks about his sons and what they will experience in life. Afterward, he told us about his youngest child and only daughter, Trulee, who desperately wanted her own song with her dad. He proceeded to show a video on the screen of him and his daughter over the years, with the song she created with him, “My Little Guitar,” playing in the background. I can wholeheartedly confirm that this is the first time I was brought to tears by a song at a concert.
As we neared the end of the setlist, Brice brought special guest Rebecca Lynn Howard onto the stage for a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” Entering near the piano in full-sequin pants, she brought an extra level of talent to an already amazing night by singing the lead vocals in the song.
Ultimately, Brice finished the concert with some of his most infamous and long-awaited tracks: “Rumor,” “One of Them Girls,” “I Drive Your Truck” and “Hard to Love.” Each song carried its weight, from the deeply personal storytelling of “I Drive Your Truck” to the infectious rhythm of “One of Them Girls.” With every strum of the guitar and every passionate lyric, Brice proved why these songs have remained fan favorites. As the final notes faded, he took a step back, soaking in the deafening applause before waving to the crowd and saying thank you one last time. Though the night had come to a close, his performance made one thing clear — his story is far from over.
