Heartland hit the nation by storm. Not only did their very first single release, "I Loved Her First," climb to the top of the charts but it also became the number one choice for the father/daughter dance at weddings. Not bad for a group who just likes to 'have fun' while on stage. The band hails from Alabama and consists of brothers Craig and Todd Anderson, Jason Albert, Mike Myerson, Keith West and Chuck Crawford.


And these guys really know how to burn up a stage and rile up an audience.

The setting for the show was Mako's Bar and Grill in Ocala, FL on Thursday night, April 26th. The temperature outside was about 80 degrees, and was kicked up by a few more degrees inside. The place was jam packed with people ready to get their weekend started a little early. The doors opened about 6:30 pm and people started trickling in at a steady pace. By about 7:30 it was getting pretty crowded and by the time the guys took the stage at 9:45 even the dance floor was packed with a standing room only crowd.

Onstage, Heartland rocks the house. They hit the stage ready to do some entertaining, and they don't believe in standing still. "I Loved Her First" is a beautiful and heartfelt ballad, but that was pretty much the only slow song in their set list. Among the people they list as influences are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Jr., and Alabama, and they do some very credible covers of each of those artists during their 90 minute show.

They also knocked my socks off with a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Another cover they did was Ronnie Milsap's "No Getting Over Me," which is on their album. "Let's Get Dirty" is their new single, and they brought the house down with that one. You will find that the guys move all around the stage and jam with each other, share microphones, and vamp it up a little for the audience. They were very good about coming right to the edge of the stage, and the ladies were lovin' the interaction. Guitar picks were flying left and right.

If you enjoy a show with a lot of audience interaction, high energy entertainment and great musicians, then go find out when Heartland will be in your area and make it a plan to be there. You will not be disappointed. They are phenomenal onstage.

Some of the Songs Performed:

• Boys Like Us
• Mississippi Mud
• No Getting Over Me
• Too Country
• Born to Boogie
• Freebird in a Firebird
• I Loved Her First
• Let's Get Dirty
• Folsom Prison Blues
• Devil Went Down To Georgia
• Glory Days