Loretta Lynn graced Chastain’s stage with the elegance and grace befitting the country legend…
“I know I’m not Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood. I know I’m different. I appreciate you coming out and listening to good old-fashion country music tonight.” -Sonia Leigh
Review and photos by Danielle Boise
Sonia Leigh was anxious and nervous when she opened for her idol, Loretta Lynn at Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta on Friday August 24th, but that didn’t deter her from putting on one hell of a show with a night full of compelling and great country acts. Leigh was excited to perform on the same stage that she saw greats, like Loretta Lynn and Stevie Nicks enchant audience members when she was younger.
Sonia Leigh put on a fantastic performance, praising Loretta Lynn for being a singer songwriter who opened doors for artists like herself. “Loretta Lynn opened doors to sing about things that other women won’t sing about,” Leigh said.
Leigh performed with raw delight as her gritty voice rang true across the Amphitheatre as she performed songs off of her 1978 December album, along with new songs with stunning intensity; it truly was a pleasure to watch Leigh perform songs like, “Ain’t Dead Yet,” “Poem From The Ocean Floor,” “Great Divide,” which is a new song that that Leigh co-wrote with her drummer and the song “Devil May Care,” which is also a new song off Leigh’s forthcoming album. Leigh also sung “My Name Is Money,” “Carrie,” “I Won’t Tell,” “Ribbon of Red,” “Alabama,” “Bar” and rounded out the night with “Moby Dick.”
Sonia Leigh is what country music should sound like, with a through back to the simplicity of not crossing genres – just good old-fashion country music in its finest form. To find out more information on Sonia Leigh or where she will be performing next, visit www.sonialeigh.com.
Sonia Leigh
Loretta Lynn’s twin daughters, Peggy and Patsy, came on stage to talk about their mother’s 50th Anniversary of making music and to promote her latest book “Honky Tonk Girl,” before they performed “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” and “Living on Tulsa Time.” After which Loretta Lynn graced Chastain’s stage with elegance and grace befitting the country legend herself.
Lynn entered the stage in a pale blue sparkle ball gown, befitting country royalty that would make the Grand Ole Opry gush. Lynn was absolutely breath taking with her comedic timing and poise as she sang songs that spanned her career, like “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy,” “You’re Looking At Country,” “Here I Am Again,” “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Blue Kentucky Girl,” “Fist City,” “She’s Got You,” “Lead Me,” “One’s On The Way,” “Pill,” and of course one could not experience the night without “Honky Tonk Girl.”
When it came time for the song “Dear Uncle Sam,” Lynn introduced it by saying, “I hate war, that’s all they were talking about at the time (circa Vietnam War era). I hate war, so my husband said why don’t you write about it” and that’s how the song came to life.
Lynn sang “Your Squaw is on the Warpath” before going into a few of her gospel classics, like “Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven” and “Where No One Stands Alone.” Lynn rounded out the night with “Coal Miner’s Daughter” to a standing ovation that swept across the venue.
Loretta Lynn is not to be missed, even if you are not a fan of country music she will fix that. For more information on Loretta Lynn or to see where she will be performing next, visit www.lorettalynn.com.
Loretta Lynn
