Fans were tailgating three hours before showtime in the parking garage of the Amway Center, located in the heart of downtown Orlando, Florida on November 18, 2021. They had waited 16 months to use their tickets for the makeup date of Chris Stapleton’s Orlando tour stop, and they were in great spirits. Joining Stapleton was Kendell Marvel and nine time Grammy winner, Sheryl Crow. The arena filled up as people found their seats after getting out of work on a rainy Thursday evening. They settled in for some great entertainment as a cold front outside passed through Central Florida.
First on the bill at 7:00pm was Kendell Marvel, a country music singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. Marvel has co-written over 60 songs with Stapleton, including Stapleton’s Grammy winning track, “Either Way”. Our coverage was limited to just two songs for each artist. What I witnessed was a songwriter that stayed behind the microphone. He is great songwriter. He and his band didn’t move around a lot.
Next up at 7:35pm was the dynamic singer songwriter, Sheryl Crow. Her 10 song set had energy, and the audience responded in kind. The party started and the crowd sang along with every hit she performed from the opener “Everyday Is a Winding Road” to “Soak Up the Sun” from her 2002 album C’mon, C’mon. From the room we were sequestered in, we could barely her her, but we sang along with the audience. I’m guessing most of the fans in attendance found Sheryl’s addition to the bill as a huge bonus and they cheered her as if she was the headliner!
Setlist:
Chris Stapleton took the stage around 9:00pm to a thunderous applause from the arena. This is one of country music’s biggest stars with writing credits on over 170 songs. Six of those are number one hits. Stapleton has amassed five Grammys, five Billboard Awards, 10 CMA Awards, and seven Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM). Chris Stapleton played 21 songs which included a two song encore. We, the media were present for the first two songs. They were “Nobody to Blame” winner of song of the year at the ACM awards and Stapleton’s first top 10 single in 2015 and “Parachute”, also from the 2015 album Traveller.
I am sure the crowd enjoyed every minute of the show after having waited 16 months. The original show scheduled in July of 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic. Stapleton may have even ventured away from the microphone during his set and proven to be a great entertainer as well as just an accomplished singer songwriter. I was disappointed because of the media’s limited access of just the first two songs, so I will never know.
Setlist:
Encore:
Follow Chris Stapleton Online:
Follow Sheryl Crow Online:
Follow Kendell Marvel Online:
Photographer and Editor/Founder of AllMusicMagazine.com. My love of live music has taken me to incredible experiences with the top bands of all time in stadium shows to the smallest venues with equally inspiring musicians. Using the medium of photography and my publication, these memories will last forever.
