On Friday, April 14th, multi-platinum country trio Lady A opened their 2023 headlining tour, The Request Line Tour, with two back-to-back sold-out nights at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Rescheduled from last year, their coast-to-coast journey is now in full swing and the band is more ready than ever to be out on the road.
Scott shared, “Over the past year, planning this tour has kept me awake countless nights dreaming up how we could show the fans that we’ve been profoundly impacted by them. This tour is about our fans’ connection to these lyrics and melodies. It’s about how we all love and want to be loved. I believe live music communicates that better than most anything else. I hope every person who steps foot in one of our shows feels seen, feels part of this moment that we’ll never forget and knows they are welcome. Let’s sing, let’s laugh, let’s let the light in!”
While creating ideas for The Request Line Tour, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood bragged on leading lady Hilary Scott, admiring how committed she was to incorporate fans into the process. Landing on the idea of giving fans the opportunity to leave them a voicemail requesting a song they would like to hear prior to the show, throughout the night, they would pause their performance to play the crowd one of the voicemails they received, moments before pointing out the fan in the audience.
Starting the show strong with their 2008 smash hit, “I Run to You,” the famed band harmonized the night away performing a total of twenty-two songs from their impressive catalog. When they weren’t charming the crowd with their witty banter between ballads, they played a few of their classics, including “American Honey,” “Downtown,” “What a Song Can Do” and many other fan-favorite tracks. A fan visiting Music City, all the way from Australia, requested “Bartender,” while another fan – who was attending his 11th Lady A show – requested “All We’d Ever Need.” An anonymous fan, who had lost their partner to ALS, wanted to hear them play “Hurt.”
“The stories we’ve heard and read through the requests are the reason we do what we do,” said Dave Haywood. “We’ve been deeply touched.”
In addition to their own tracks, the Grammy-Award-winning band performed a medley of 90’s Country songs which included a cover of “Dust on the Bottle” by David Lee Murphey, “Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis, and “Jolene” by Dolly Parton.
Charles Kelley then took the stage for a solo performance of his inspiring and meaningful song, “As Far as You Could.” Receiving a standing ovation from the Ryman crowd, this track reflects Kelley’s story as he just celebrated nine months sober.
The tour’s opener, songwriter and artist, Dave Barnes, met Lady A back on stage where they joined forces for a cover of Barnes’ romantic ballad, “Love Will Be Enough for Us.” Ending their set with the tracks, “You Look Good,” “Champagne Night,” and “Love Don’t Live Here,” Lady A was soon back center stage for an encore.
Surprising the audience, Scott introduced a new ballad in which she is “really excited” about. The track, titled “A Love Song,” is not yet released, but may have fans second-guessing what the song is truly about. Ending the night with their iconic heartbreak anthem, “Need You Now,” the Auditorium was filled with voices as the song came to a close.
To view a complete list of Lady A’s upcoming tour dates, click HERE.
