Maddie & Tae looked hot – like not the temperature hot, well, that too. But they looked hot in that ready to play their tails off way.
And they did. For a little over an hour underneath the brutal Wisconsin summer sun, in front of thousands, Maddie & Tae nailed their set at Country Thunder Friday afternoon in Twin Lakes.
I wasn’t surprised. Okay, maybe a little bit. To be clear, my surprise had nothing to do with Maddie & Tae and their extraordinary talent. It had to do with the 3:30 p.m. time slot ... on Friday ... after opening night ... when most of the campers are either still passed out or just starting to get their drink on in the campgrounds. Still, Maddie & Tae drew in a nearly full audience – a rambunctious, ready to dance, sing-a-long crowd.
It was awesome. Really awesome. I know you can’t see me, but I’m totally grinning. From ear to ear. Grinning.
Here’s why I wasn’t quite sure what to expect coming into Friday afternoon’s concert: With only two songs released on country radio, I wondered what the audience reaction would be to songs they might not know. Also, I wasn’t really sure how Maddie & Tae’s very real, super honest, totally earthy, but somehow still lyrically sweet and tender, music would go over with the often rowdy crowd at Thunder.
Two things I learned: Maddie & Tae can hold their own – anywhere. And the giant crowd loved them.
They added personal touches here and there. Before "Shut Up and Fish," they explained that they love to fish "because they’re country from their toes up," and they take it very seriously. They’d decided to take "two city boys" fishing, and it "was just an absolute disaster. These guys show up in like white tee shirts. And they didn’t want to touch the worms cuz they didn’t want to get their tee shirts dirty … "
Before "Sierra," they had "a quick little story time." Maddie described a beauty queen bully who was mean to her in high school, saying, "you know, the beautiful girl, the flawless girl that treats everyone like crap." At that, the crowd went nuts, because who hasn’t known that girl?
They weren’t just cheeky stories either. Before "After the Storm Blows Through," Maddie called the song the most vulnerable on their album. And it was super vulnerable. They said it was written for anyone who’s lost someone special.
It’s hard to box Maddie & Tae in. They are country through and through. That much is certain. They cite Shania Twain, Jo Dee Messina and the Dixie Chicks as early influences. But they aren’t just sweet, little country girls. While you can definitely hear those influences in Maddie & Tae’s music, the duo is so much more than just a mix of their early influences. They’ve got a style all their own – acoustical, honest, edgy, lyrical, hilarious, real and deep.
Maddie & Tae closed their set with their smash and controversial hit "Girl in a Country Song," and if the house could have been brought down, it would have come down.
The ladies hit it big last year with that song – which is a great and somewhat awful take on short short wearing, bikini clad girls in country songs. Scott Borchetta at Big Machine Records, Maddie & Tae’s label head, says the girls hit at the right time, a time where there was "a gaping hole for a female act to come and re-energize teen age girls" but who also appeals to men and women of any age. It’s true, they do. And they certainly are a huge breath of fresh air at a time when country music, especially the same 10 guys being played on country radio, is starting to all sound the same.
Though they are just hitting their 20th year, Maddie & Tae have experience beyond their years. They mixed up their set to get the audience involved, walked the catwalk to sign autographs and shake hands. They knew just what the crowd wanted and just when they needed it.
In a word: outstanding.
Set list:
"Right Here, Right Now"
"No Place Like You"
"Shut Up & Fish"
"Smoke"
"Nine to Five" (Dolly Parton cover)
"Waitin on a Plane"
"Fly"
"After the Storm Blows Through"
"Landslide" (Dixie Chicks cover)
"Downside of Growing Up"
"Your Side of Town"
"Sierra"
"Umbrella"
"Girl in a Country Song"
In all of her experiences, time was focused on writing which has been a passion since junior high school. A series of food service industry jobs both before and after law school taught her that bringing out the human side in any story is key to great storytelling and good writing.
A die-hard east side girl, you'll usually find Lora down by the lake or on the Oakleaf. She's an avid photographer, and sometimes storm chaser.
Hobbies include biking, gardening, cross country skiing, swimming, blogging, and of course working on her fictionalized autobiography--fictionalized, because whose life is really interesting enough to fill 400 pages?
She's in IMDb. Look her up.
