Reveling over Moakler at the Revelry Room
Last night, on April 6, 2017, Steve Moakler played at the Revelry Room in Chattanooga. The show was in conjunction with the Sirius XM The Highway Finds Tour and included an opening act by talented duo Smithfield. The Revelry Room is a small, quaint venue attached to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. It provides a comfortable atmosphere for an intimate show, and Smithfield and Moakler delivered.
Smithfield proved to be an electric pair. Their chemistry on stage was magnetic, playing off of each other, the rest of the band, and the audience. They had a dynamic that was particular to the up and comers that they are. Smithfield paid homage to Sirius XM and Steve Moakler for putting them on the road and on the radio with their most well-known song, “Hey Whiskey.”
The duo played songs that would be new to some listeners like “Slippin’” and “If I Were You,” combined with a collaboration of covers from Faith Hill and Shania Twain and The Goo Goo Dolls to highlight the duo’s inspiration and passion for pursuing music. Smithfield has a current country sound comprised of a rock & roll and down home country feel.
Steve Moakler humbly commandeered the stage following Smithfield and ran the rest of the show. He and his band proved to be a talented and electric group that simply loves music. Moakler’s show was an honest anthem to never forgetting where he came from that got him loving where he is now, and singing to tell stories. Moakler sang a few older songs from his Wide Open album like “Rather Make A Living,” “Damn, Do I Think About You,” and “Riser,” which Dierks Bentley cut in 2014.
He recently released an album called Steel Town, which is inspired by a song on the record about growing up in a steel town in Pennsylvania. The album includes songs that have grown in popularity since his time in Nashville with songs like “Suitcase,” “Love Drunk,” and “Wheels.”
Whether the crowd was familiar with the lyrics of his songs or not, Moakler had a way about him that captivated the audience with every note he sang, proving that he is simply pursuing a dream and loving and living in every second of the process. A highlight of the show was a few acoustic sets with just his guitar and him, a perfectly executed cover of the 80’s hit “Missing You,” and the story behind and performance of a song on his new album called “Siddle’s Saloon.”
In jeans and a t-shirt, Moakler epitomizes the pursuit of his American dream and the love of his roots, his future, and country music.
Moakler and Smithfield are both on my “would see again” list.
