By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — You know it’s a great line up when people start dancing during the first act. That was the scene on Friday night at the kickoff to The Lawn Sessions Concert Series at The Jack Daniel Distillery.
Under clear skies, near perfect 60 degree weather, and with the rolling hills of Moore County as a backdrop, nearly a thousand locals and visitors gathered to hear Tenkiller, Hippies & Cowboys, Lynchburg’s own The Huffer Brothers, and HunterGirl.
Old No. 7 flowed and folks sat in lawn chairs or placed their toes in the grass while notables worked the crowd. Company Distilling’s Jeff Arnett was there and Jack Daniel’s Barrel Man Kevin Sanders too. Motlow heir Judy Boyd Terjen anchored the VIP section and watched the crowd.
She grew up in the house that now headquarters the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead. This concert is happening on the lawn where she used to play as a small child.
The air smells like sour mash as grill smoke from the Lynchburg Chamber Ribeye Steak sandwich booth wafts over the crowd. It was flawless, gorilla marketing and they sold out by the time the first bands finished their sets.
Like most Lynchburg events, tonight is one part entertainment and one part family reunion. I run into LES fourth grade teacher in the fall and Jack Daniel tour guide in the summer (and my cousin) Dusty Dickey. We make a lap around the perimeter chatting as we go with our eyes peeled as one does in Lynchburg. When I trip over a cable in front of the stage, he catches me but I think I spotted him rolling his eyes.
Those lucky enough to attend tonight’s concert will likely long for the casual, intimate, easygoing scene of Session One. I feel confident that word will travel and the place will be packed next time.
Tenkiller kicked things off and if I’m being honest, I only caught the last two songs of their set. I had no idea when the concert’s official start time might be and headed creek side only after hearing the bands start up from my house located about a mile away.
Even so, I enjoyed their guitar-heavy, southern fried rock. It was giving Black Crowes vibes and the band seemed completely in their element.
I also learned that their band name comes from an Oklahoma lake. According to the Internet, Tenkiller crossing — where the lake is located — is named for a famous Cherokee family and was a main travel route across the Illinois River in frontier times. Who knew?
Next up is Nashville’s Hippies & Cowboys, whose reputation clearly proceeded them based on the number of lovely ladies swaying in the front row. The band just played on Barbecue Hill a couple of weeks ago and clearly earned some fans.
They deliver a raucous set of blues and soul inspired southern rock. One minute they’re channeling Lynyrd Skynyrd and the next it sounds a little Booker T & The MGs-ish.
Hometown boys The Huffer Brothers worked the crowd with the precision I’m sure they learned on Lower Broadway at the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Their set of original songs and high tempo covers got the crowd going. As they ask the sea of concert goers to lift their glass of Jack, arms fly up from left to right.
You’re also so Lynchburg if you give shout outs to your LES teachers before playing “Sweet Home Alabama.” But it was just a tease. One chorus in they switched to “Rocky Top” to the delight of the crowd.
HunterGirl entered her first ever Lynchburg concert in rock and roll fashion with “The Weather in Tennessee” but it got a little snafued by a dead mic. Her sound crew rushed in and saved the day, and HunterGirl never missed a beat.
As she sang “Bad Decisions” little girls from three to 30 twirled in the aisles. Then during “Hometown Out if Me” a crowd of folks from Winchester cheered — clearly her biggest fans and likely the ones she’s known since she was in pigtails. You could feel the love oozing off them.
Lynchburg’s newest tradition
A Huffer Brother announced last call and folks rushed to the bar trailer for their last chance at a frozen Jack & Coke or a Lynchburg Lemonade. As I stood in line, I overheard two Jack employees (who shall remain nameless) playfully arguing over whether or not they were dating. Apparently there was a brouhaha over him putting her favorite Lexi Amacher Phillip’s designed pottery mug in the dishwasher at work, which did sound a little old married couple to me but I’ve learned to mind my business.
“THIS is the best entertainment in Lynchburg,” I told them and they gave me that suspicious look I sometimes get when someone figures out that I’m probably gonna write about them later.
Without so much as a traffic jam, Ryan French and the Experience Tennessee crew pulled off a fantastic first concert. The setting, the crowd, the music, and the perfect weather blended together like a smooth Tennessee whiskey. I feel certain the Lawn Sessions will become Lynchburg’s newest tradition.
I caught up with French after the event and he seems thrilled with the results.
“Lynchburg is a truly special place—and as the backdrop for an incredible gathering like the Lawn Sessions, with amazing music and community, it becomes even more magical. We’re thrilled with the outcome of this first event and energized by the opportunities we’ve identified to make it even better,” he said.
“I’m immensely grateful to our team and all of the sponsors who helped bring this vision to life. We couldn’t have done it without our incredible partners like Jack Daniel’s, DOT Foods, Tennessee Whiskey Trail, Silicon Ranch, Lodge, US Foods, Bison Coolers, and more. This partnership between the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead and the Jack Daniel Distillery is already generating amazing opportunities for our community—opportunities that I believe will expand what our local and regional economy can achieve. We’ll go back to the drawing board with fresh ideas, but I’m thankful to everyone who came out to support what I believe will be remembered as a truly special inaugural event.”
All in all, tonight brought Nashville music scene vibes to the most famous small town in America. It’s a juxtaposition between Music City and Main Street that’s hard to find. When they announce the date of Session Two, I highly recommend you buy tickets early. To learn more about Lynchburg’s newest concert series and to keep an eye on upcoming acts, click here. •
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