A lone guitar and keyboard on the stage. That’s what greeted the audience at The Studio in New York City’s Opry City Stage when they took their seats on Friday, May 18. The crowd, which included native New Yorkers as well as those who traveled in from Nashville, California and Nebraska, waited for singer/songwriter Jeffrey Steele to take them through his catalogue of hits as they enjoyed their southern fare.
In a jacket, black t-shirt and hat, Steele approached the stage, grabbed his guitar and started straight away with his stories behind beloved songs such as “The Cowboy In Me” (Tim McGraw), “Raise ’em Up” (Keith Urban feat. Eric Church), “Knee Deep” (Zac Brown Band) and others. Steele explained how a single line can spark an idea for a song, such as when he was once approached with “Hey Baby, Is that you? Wow your hair got so long” and lead right into “These Days,” one of several of his songs recorded by Rascal Flatts. He spoke of the friendship he’s formed over the years with Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, and in particular the amazing person Gentry was and how he is so missed before singing the duo’s hit “Gone.”
Steele is a lot of rock and a lot of country, and he paid homage to both in his set. He talked about mimicking Jim Morrison in the car as a child, and performing in rock bands in LA prior to his move to Nashville. A medley of perfect covers of Led Zeppelin, U2, The Doors and Tom Petty turned the intimate setting into a rock ‘n’ roll club for a spell, as the country crowd rocked out to Steele’s incredible vocal and guitar skills.
“Today would have been my son’s 25th birthday,” said Steele leading into “What Hurts The Most,” the song that broke everything wide open for him as writer, and in turn became a healing tool for his own loss. The emotional performance lead the crowd to a moving, harmonizing sing-along of the chorus.
Some of the other songs heard this evening were “Every Day,” “Couldn’t Last A Moment,” “My Town,” “Brand New Girlfriend,” “Drunk Girl,” and “My Wish” before Steele closed out the evening with a rocking performance Montgomery Gentry 2003 hit “Hell Yeah.”
For more information on Jeffrey Steele, please visit his website: www.jeffreysteele.com
For more information on Opry City Stage, including upcoming events, please visit their website: www.oprycitystage.com