Kameron Marlowe // Keepin’ The Lights On EU/UK Tour – Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast
We have one of Nashville’s finest and highly-rated country artists, Kameron Marlowe, in town tonight to bring his ‘Keepin’ The Lights On’ EU/UK Tour to a close. After releasing his sophomore album, Keepin’ The Lights On, in May of this year, Kameron has been garnering attention far and wide, his deeply personal album has resonated with fans across the globe from the US to these luscious green shores, Produced by Dann Huff with writing credits from Kendell Marvel, Dallas Wilson, Mitchell Tenpenny, Wyatt McCubbin and more, Keepin’ The Lights On hs brought Marlowe to another level, a more mature album that readies him for the biggest stages and challenges yet to come.
He has toured with Thomas Rhett, Riley Green, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson. He’s known for delivering high-impact performances, so Belfast is ready and waiting for Kameron’s arrival, and there will no doubt be a party atmosphere in Belfast this evening as we close in on the Christmas holidays. There is already a jovial atmosphere around Belfast, so The Limelight will be on fire this evening as we send off Kameron and the lovely Laci Kaye Booth on their way back home to spend some well-deserved quality time at home with loved ones this festive season.
It is a cold one here in Belfast today, exactly what you want as a lover of Christmas: clear skies and crisp cold nights, a long queue outside the venue, and a sold-out crowd tell you how much Belfast loves its country music! We have C2C in town again this March, and between now and then, a plethora of Country artists will visit to drive home the message that Country Music is alive and well here in Ireland, North and South of the border.
In tow, we have Laci Kaye Booth in support. The Livingston, TX-born artist has turned heads for quite a while since her arrival on the scene in 2018, stepping into the chaos that is American Idol and taking her chances in this business we call “Show.” She has never quite looked back since, chasing that dream, she learnt that reality can be quite different and found out the hard way when she got dropped by Big Machine back in 2022. Thankfully, that little girl inside her who just wanted to perform country music stayed strong and pulled her through the trials and tribulations, and tonight, Belfast get to enjoy her company up close and personal at The Limelight II.
So scrap that, a journey into Belfast that normally takes me 35 minutes took two hours tonight, Christmas shoppers and accidents on the motorway (Freeway for you Yanks) took 90 minutes longer to get here than expected, so as I arrived at the lovely Lacie Kaye is wrapping up her acoustic set with her version of ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ as Belfast sings along in fine voice! I am kind of in shock at the trauma of trying to get into the venue through that traffic, but hearing the closing lines and Lacie’s soft, soulful voice calms me.
Sorry about that, Lacie, so a quick turnaround sees the stage prepped for Kameron and his crew. At 8:15 pm, the lights drop, and Dire Straits ‘Money For Nothing’ rings out over the PA before the band takes to the stage and bursts into song. Belfast greets him with rapturous applause. Believe it or not, this is my first-ever country gig in this venue. I am here a few nights a week reviewing rock and metal shows, but usually, the country shows are held elsewhere due to their popularity. But with the time of year and no doubt scheduling, an alternative venue would have been hard to land. So here we are crammed like sardines in the Limelight II, now even more unusual for me is that I can see the band on stage! Everyone is bathed in glorious light, every gig I attend, you’d think it was by candlelight, so seeing the venue lit up like a Christmas tree is in itself a Christmas miracle! Yay!!
Add the glorious sounds bellowing from the stage of Kameron Marlowe and band, and you do have one very special occasion indeed, Kamerons pace is relentless as he tosses out track after track, no doubt making his mark on the Belfast crowd, who rarely get the opportunity to see an artist of his calibre very often, at this opportune time Kameron introduces himself to the crowd sharing his enthusiasm for playing his first ever gig here in Ireland, the thirsty Northern Irish country fans approve as he lifts his glass of whiskey acknowledging them one by one.
From Kannapolis, North Carolina, he’s a long way from home, but he’s right here with friends, 500 odd, I’d guess, looking around the room, which is swaying to his sublime band, their musicianship is on another level, multi-instrumentalists, these six guys lay down a soundtrack you can lose yourself in for an evening, with friends, a loved one or a significant other, this is what it’s all about, the crowd keep plying Kameron with drink and it’s taking its toll! He’s loving it but feeling the effects when he can’t remember the name of his songs, but it’s all good, it is a party, after all! The band get introduced, and then Kameron takes the opportunity to play a few tunes solo, an acoustic rendition of his ‘Keepin’ the Lights On’ a song written for and dedicated to his father after losing his job at a factory he served for 25 years, and then a beautiful cover of ‘Cam’s Burning House’, which is simply stunning. The room falls deadly silent to take it all in. The original version is sublime, but hearing a male vocal interpretation against the backdrop and thick sound of a live band was just beautiful.
As he goes to introduce the next song, the crowd bursts into Ole, Ole, Ole (if you know, you know), a very Irish thing that happens at every football match and big ass gig; the crowd always toss it in there, Kameron he’s a wide-eyed look as he’s trying to figure out wtf is going on, as it turns out the song he was trying to introduce was ‘Lose Control’ by Teddy Swims, Kameron’s version is just killer! With just a few more tracks to wrap it all up, he soaks up the atmosphere, singing with a section of the crowd who knows every word to every song, and he takes the opportunity to reiterate his appreciation of being so far from home and having people sing back those lyrics, and he means it. Some 3680 miles from home, you’d not know it in this room.
As the last notes of ‘Strangers’ ring out, Kameron exits the stage, leaving the band to close off the show, and Belfast has to adjust to the come down from one killer performance, I can see smiling faces as far as the eye can see and as we stream out into the cold Belfast streets a jubilant atmosphere is felt by all as they recant their favourite stories from the night. I do love a good country gig, it is good for the soul and a reminder of the quality of musicianship that goes hand in hand with the genre, so often overlooked and taken for granted but tonight reminded me instark contrast to alot of shows I attend across the year that country really does offer some pretty special everytime.
2024 I bid you adiou! 2025 Bring it on!
Mark
Keep up with Kameron on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and visit KameronMarlowe.com for tour dates and more information.
