Why This Weekend at Red Rocks Will Go Down as the Best

I always tell people to never turn down the chance to go to Red Rocks to see a concert. With it's history and the artists there, you never know what you'll miss.

What you missed this weekend is a concert that will go down as the best Red Rocks show of 2016, and what some people were calling the best in many years as they were leaving the show.

Colt Ford, Justin Moore, and Brantley Gilbert played at the historic venue in Morrison both Friday, October 14th and Saturday, October 15th to sold out crowds both nights. Since I got out of the show last night, I've been trying to find the right words to describe the show from start to finish. Here are a few that I think encapsulate the entire show:

Energetic.

Emotional.

Adrenaline Pumping. (OK...that was two words. But you get the idea)

In our business, we have the ability to see many shows throughout the year and I honestly didn't know what to expect as I walked into Red Rocks on this record breaking summer like day.

I thought I had seen it all watching Eric Church play acoustically back in August, or watching Dierks Bentley share the stage with Maren Morris in September.

However, Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert brought the night to a whole other level and it will be tough for future artists to capture the crowd like these two did.

First, let's discuss Justin Moore, who doesn't get enough credit for the career he has had and for the performances he puts on.

At one point in time during Justin's set, his band played for around one minute by themselves with Justin interjecting at the end, "I just wanted to make sure you guys knew you were at a country music concert". We definitely were, but Justin blended the right mix of modern day country with traditional sounding country which cemented my thought that I had about Justin earlier in the day.

Mark my words on this now: By the end of 2017, Justin Moore will be classified as one of the biggest superstars in the business. We are all looking around to see who will be the next Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and Tim McGraw. Over his close to 10 year career, Justin has produced many hits and has continued to grow his fan base. But this weekend, the "country music torch" was walking down the Red Rocks steps and there is only one more level to go before that gets passed to him.

He performed all of his huge hits including "Point at You", "Small Town USA", and his recent #1 hit "You Look Like I Need a Drink". While he was on that stage, you kept being reminded how much of a hit producer he is and if you looked up the definition of country music, why his picture would be right next to it.

If the concert ended there, I would've been completely satisfied and still walked away saying it was one of the best I have ever seen.

However, Brantley Gilbert still had to take the stage, and "BG Nation" was in full force this weekend.

I have never seen Brantley Gilbert in concert before, and I am now regretting missing every other chance I have had to see him in action.

First off, his intro coming onto the stage was one of the best I have ever seen. In my opinion, artists under utilize that part of their show as they should be using it to amp up the crowd before their first song. Brantley's introduction to the crowd had 9500 people standing on their feet, and as the show went on close to 9000 people never sat down again.

One of the best things about Brantley that you instantly connect with while he is on stage? He is just like all of us. He's been through the up's and he's been through the downs, and he is genuinely appreciative of all his fans that pack his shows on a nightly basis.

If you were at the show, you would've heard familiar hit after familiar hit including, "Small Town Throwdown", "One Hell of an Amen", and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do". You would've sang along, gave a high five to the person next to you, and let the tears flow in certain spots of the show.

But there was one moment that actually had all of Red Rocks silent for a few minutes, and it was a moment that I will never forget.

In 2015, veteran Justin Patterson was on a motorcycle ride with Wounder Warriors, which is also a ride that Brantley Gilbert was on when the two connected with each other. Justin ended up giving Brantley his first Purple Heart medal in a video that went viral across the country.

Well Saturday night, Justin Patterson joined Brantley on stage so Gilbert could say thank you to him...and no one in the venue could hold back their emotions as they embraced each other and we saw just how much Brantley loves our country.

That was followed up by this video, with close to 9500 people all chanting "USA! USA!" at the same time delivering the message loud and clear from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins.

I never understood the magnitude of "BG Nation" until I saw the show this weekend. Now I see it completely, and I'm proud to say that I will carry the card and wave the flag as loud as I can that being part of "BG Nation" is truly something that I will hold onto for years to come.

Between Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert, I have never been as excited as I am now about the future of country music and where these two superstars are taking it.

If you ever have the chance to see the two of them, in concert together, DO IT. You won't be disappointed and you'll want to wrap your arms around two artists who personify what the format is about.

Don't forget that Justin Moore will be joining Lee Brice at the Budweiser Events Center in the Spring of 2017, and I think by then Justin will reach the next level of superstar in music so you won't want to miss that show!

And Brantley comes out with new music in January, so make sure you buy it and get ready to blow a few speakers because you'll have it turned all the way up from start to finish!