By Rafe LLewellyn, Second Year History
A saloon for the sheriffs of Bristol, the number of cowboy hats in the crowd was instantly recognisable; the only separation you would assume from a dusty bar in Nashville being the variety of shades of pink littered among the cowboy hats.
An eclectic group shuffled slowly into the main room with Bristol oldheads and young-guns alike mixed into a gig for a tribute to a man who has helped to bring on a remontada of country music that has polarised his fan-base to young and old.
Filling the boots of such a world-renowned star will always be tricky but Matt Ramsey took to the stage as if fuelled by the experience and stage presence of Morgan Wallen himself, immediately drawing in the crowd with his authentic ‘Wallen’ attire.
His iconic baseball cap sat atop a bed of his iconic mullet and a moustache plastered across his top lip. The self-confessed 'Morgan from Temu' warmed the crowd with some of Wallen's greatest ballads, with all the classics worked into a star-studded set list with such crowd stoppers as ‘I Had Some Help’ and ‘Sand In My Boots’ soon bringing the sea of cowboys and cowgirls to tapping their feet and singing along.
Ramsey began the night under the façade of the iconic Tennessee accent held by his hero, and although perhaps more authentic, began to give the vibe that he was just another tribute.
An hour in however, Ramsey admitted to the crowd sheepishly that he was just a fan of Morgan Wallen's music that decided to ‘just sing some of his songs’ and see how far he could take it as he switched into his true Barnsley accent. The authenticity of Ramsey here was important, he knew his audience and he knew it well.
Instead of forcing a slightly dodgy Tennessee accent for what would have been another two hours, Ramsey’s switch back to a more familiar and closer to home tone gave the audience a greater feel of the personality of Ramsey, the gig instantly feeling more intimate and gave a much better sense of communal love for a genre and an artist than simply someone on stage singing someone else’s songs.
Speaking to Ramsey after the show he suggested that as a tribute some people often have preconceptions that he thinks that he is ‘the real thing’ but his intentions were just the opposite, stressing that himself and his band were just ‘normal guys’.
Ramsey was full of love for the Bristol and wider British country community and although he has been a professional singer for 22 years, the Morgan Wallen tribute has been one of the most ‘rewarding’ things he has done.
Ramsey chose to take time out of his night to meet the audience after the show as he expressed just how grateful he was for people coming to see him and the band because without them they ‘wouldn’t be able to do what we do.’ An interval in the middle of the show did admittedly slow the momentum of the concert, the twenty minute or so break leaving the room a little quiet.
But when you have some of the world’s hottest tracks on your set-list, bringing the crowd back becomes simply a formality and for Ramsey it was just that and soon the crowd were bouncing again with 'Cowgirls’ bringing back a particularly exceptional response. The night drew to a close with calls for an encore and Ramsey delivered not one but two final songs with the delivery of two of Wallen's greatest tunes.
Lapping up all the love and adoration he could, Ramsey delivered a double encore with 'Last Night,’ followed by a speedy costume change with Ramsey adding to his already distinctively American outfit to don a custom Morgan Wallen American football jersey for a rendition of 'Whisky Glasses' that left the adoring crowd line dancing out of motion and into the night.
Featured Image: Rafe LLewellynWhat was your favourite song that Ramsey covered?
