I so wish the show “Nashville” hadn’t ended. I loved Deacon and Rayna and pretty much every single character on the show. I especially wanted to know how life ended up for Sadie. I even liked Deacon’s old romantic rival, Luke Wheeler. Well, last weekend we got to catch the real Deacon Claybourne, Charles Esten’s, “Love Ain’t Pretty” Tour stop at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte. Today we are sharing his Love Ain’t Pretty setlist, as well as our concert review with you guys. Be sure to check out my recent Charles Esten interview if you haven’t already done so.
Charles Esten Love Ain’t Pretty Setlist
- Love Ain’t Pretty
- In A Bar Somewhere
- Make You Happy
- One Good Move
- Back In My Life Again
- The Green Green Grass of Home [with Dermot Mulroney]
- Pink Panther Theme
- Spin The Wheel [with Dermot Mulroney]
- I Love You Beer
- No One Will Ever Love You (Like I Do)
- Finally Fine [with Karla Davis]
- Worst Day [with Karla Davis]
- Dream With You [with Karla Davis]
- Candlelight
- Somewhere In The Sunshine
- I Still Do
- I Ain’t
- Sometimes All You Need Is A Good Time
- He Ain’t Me
- Down The Road
Our Thoughts On Charles Esten’s Performance
Many performers only sing. And that is certainly not something to be knocked. Singing takes a lot of talent [talent which I do not have]. Charles Esten, however, is a bit of a virtuoso. In the performance that we were witness to, he played the guitar, the harmonica, what I believe was a bass with his foot [I am not an instrument buff so please forgive me if I misnamed it] and a piano [more talent which I do not have]. All while singing. Honestly, I have only ever seen one other person do something similar, and that person was Morgan Evans. What we need to do is get these two guys together and then we will have a full on orchestra!
Esten also brought back onstage his opening act, Karla Davis, for a few duets. They have written songs together and I especially enjoyed their performance of “Finally Fine.” “But wait, there’s more!” as the old commercial goes. Esten introduced surprise guest, Dermot Mulroney. Yes, you read that right. Dermot Mulroney. I believe they said that Mulroney is working on a country album. If I heard that right, I am definitely looking forward to experiencing what he comes up with. Esten and Mulroney’s partnership on stage was fun to watch and they shared stories from their childhood as neighbors. Isn’t it interesting that so many people from one area in Virginia, that all knew each other, mind you, have been able to be so successful in the entertainment industry, without coming up with each other in a band or something?
Esten also handled the crowd exceptionally well. It’s a bar and, if you have attended concerts in a bar before, you know that they sometimes get a little rowdy. At one point a woman climbed on the stage with him. He had already talked her down and got her back with her friends before security even got there to assist. To me, she appeared quite intoxicated so *mom rant* I feel the need to tell people to chill. By all means drink and have a good time but also be mindful of how much alcohol you can handle before you start to become a problem. And friends, look out for one another. Don’t be afraid to tell your buddies to drink some water. *mom rant over* Seriously, though, she could have fallen off the stage and gotten hurt. Her friends yelled up to the stage and told Esten that the woman in question “thinks you’re really sexy.” That doesn’t excuse that behavior. Also, who wants to get so drunk they can’t remember “sexy” concerts. Pull it together, people.
I highly suggest buying the VIP Experience if available when you see Charles Esten in concert. We were able to attend and this made it really worth arriving at the venue early. The VIP Experience is an intimate gathering before the concert where Esten takes pictures with fans, answers questions and performs requested acoustic sounds for the small group. I remember him playing “A Life That’s Good” and “Itty Bitty Ditty,” both songs featured in Nashville. I think he also performed a few more, including a mashup of older songs from around the 50s or 60s. He performed completely different songs in both sets so it’s like getting two concerts in one night!
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