Jason Michael Carroll at the Dusty Armadillo

Last weekend I went to go see country singer Jason Michael Carroll at the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown, OH. I have mentioned this place in some of my previous blog posts, but for those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a very small bar basically out in the middle of nowhere. It's probably my favorite place to see a concert, however, because the crowd is always so into the show and the artists really feed off of that energy to put on some amazing live shows!

I hadn't seen Jason Michael Carroll in concert since June of 2010, and even then he only performed a couple of songs because it was during CMA Fest week. I have always thought that we put on a great show, but his performance really blew me away on Saturday night.

I went with one of my co-workers named Cathy and a friend that I have known for a couple of years now (whom I met from the Rascal Flatts fan club), Mandy. Cathy doesn't go to many country concerts, but she was really excited to finally see a show at the Dusty, and I really think she had a great time.

Jason played for two hours, singing all of his top 20 hits such as "I Can Sleep When I'm Dead", "Livin' Our Love Song", "Alyssa Lies", and "Hurry Home". He also played a number of songs off of both of his CDs that weren't singles, a couple of covers, including an absolutely breath-taking version of George Strait's "I Can Still Make Cheyenne", and, on top of that, he sang about 5 songs off of his new album that he is currently working on. All of them sounded fantastic and made me even more anxious for some new music from him. Below is a video I found on YouTube of one of my favorites that he sang called "Numbers":

I think it's incredibly unfortunate that, after all of these years, Jason is still playing small bars and clubs in little podunk towns. Don't get me wrong, it's obvious that he loves what he does, and you can tell that he absolutely loves playing live, regardless of where it is. However, I think Jason has one of the most incredible voices in country music. It is raw and natural, and it has the ability to capture your attention the moment you hear him sing. Also, though he isn't much of a songwriter, he knows how to pick great songs. Each song that he picks tells a story, and I find them all very easy to relate to. They are fun and energetic, emotional and powerful, heartfelt and sincere. It's obvious that he picks the songs that he picks because he has an emotional connection to them, and he hopes to share that connection with his audiences. On top of all of that, I think Jason is one of the most down-to-earth, and, hands down, the nicest country musician I have ever met. He doesn't have a mean bone in him, he always puts his fans first, he's respectful, honest, funny, and kind. He has a heart of gold, and his smile is absolutely contagious. Besides being such a wonderful performer and singer, his personality makes it hard not to love him. I think that, by now, Jason should be playing in arenas to much larger crowds. He definitely has the talent to do it. I just wish that other people would see that. I hope that he continues to only see more success as the years go by. Regardless, I will be right behind him, supporting him along every step of the way.


If you haven't seen Jason Michael Carroll in concert yet, I strongly suggest that you do. His ticket prices are cheap and he definitely puts on a killer live show! You can also purchase both of his albums in any store that sells CDs near you (Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc.). They are worth the money!