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Lee Brice performing live at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. Photo Credit: Mark Schoen
On October 20, country artist Lee Brice performed at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury in the round for a sold-out venue. This marked his second consecutive sold-out show on Long Island.
Rising country singer-songwriter Payton Smith warmed up the stage for Lee Brice with his acoustic opening set.
Brice, backed by a five-piece band, kicked off his Long Island set with the mid-tempo and fun “Soul,” and it was followed by the party anthem “More Beer.”
“How y’all doing tonight?” Brice asked. “One thing I like about you all is that yo will never un out of beer.”
The country star described “If You” as his song about hunting. “It’s not really about hunting but it does have the words buck and duck,” he clarified, and broke into an unapologetic version of the tune.
Brice switched over from electric guitar to acoustic guitar and performed “Memory I Don’t Mess With.” “Y’all are so awesome,” he told the New York audience. “Why do I love this place so much? It’s because you guys love country music. Thank you so much for being here,” he added, effusively.
“Sing it with us,” he said. The crowd erupted during his performance of “Love Like Crazy,” where he displayed his abilities to hit the high notes in the chorus. “Y’all are crazy,” he admitted. The lyrics of this hit single are timely and relevant, especially during these trying times that the world is going through.
“Westbury, y’all make us feel at home each time we play here,” Brice said. “We appreciate y’all so much,” he added before segueing into the poignant ballad “Boy,” which was the emotional highpoint of the night.
After sipping a beverage, he began “Drinking Class” as a singalong with the audience, where it was a neat sight to see the young boys in the crowd singing the song at the top of their lungs with passion (even though they are not old enough to drink yet).
It was followed by a lengthy but impressive drum solo from his drum player, the ever-talented Donnie Marple. He continued with “Hard To Love,” which is this journalist’s all-time favorite Lee Brice song in this music catalog.
Equally noteworthy were “Crazy Girl,” which he dedicated to the crazy girls in the audience, and the tear-jerker “I Drive Your Truck,” which was filled with raw emotions.
A highlight was when Brice invited Rebecca Lynn Howard up on stage with him to sing “I Hope You’re Happy Now” in lieu of Carly Pearce. Brice described Howard as “the most talented human” on the planet, and he was not wrong.
Howard killed the vocals on this duet, and he allowed her to sing her new single “I’m Not Who You Think I Am,” where she was able to nail the high notes and make them sound effortless. Vocally, Howard is a mixture of Martina McBride meets Trisha Yearwood coupled with the tranquility of Lee Ann Womack and soulfulness of Patty Loveless.
Brice complimented his opener Payton Smith for being “talented” and someone with a “big heart” and he encouraged everyone to check out Smith’s music.
He picked up the pace with the lighthearted “Parking Lot Party,” and continued with the ballad “I Don’t Dance” and “Rumor,” prior to closing his set with “One of Them Girls.”
The Verdict
Overall, Lee Brice and his band were not “hard to love” at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. They put on a high-adrenaline, sultry, and fun country concert for all.
They are highly recommended seeing live whenever they are in town. Lee Brice’s live set garnered an A rating.
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