Up and coming country artist Abi Ann made waves when she announced that she would be joining Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix and Eric Hutchinson on Clarkson’s Piece By Piece Tour. Recently voted Indie Music Channel’s Favorite Country Artist and Artist of the Year, Abi Ann is currently supporting her newest EP, 17. The eighteen-year-old musician was the first to take the stage for the July 28 concert in Cincinnati, and she lit up the stage with her energized performance.
The evening kicked off with an interactive video that was broadcast on two screens flanking the stage before Abi Ann came out to perform a rousing rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Better Than Revenge.” The bright starlet has drawn comparisons to Swift with her powerful image, and her cover proved that she was equally capable of putting on a great show.
Supported by a live band and backing vocalist, Abi’s staging was simple but effective. A black banner hung from the back of the stage, providing Abi and her band plenty of space to move around during the performance. After getting things started, the performance moved into “Cage Without A Key,” an anthemic cut about a lover pursuing a free spirited woman.
Abi Ann encouraged listeners to sing along as she moved into a moving cover of The Band Perry’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.” The popular cut captivated the audience, especially as Abi Ann’s voice rose triumphantly on the bridge and chorus. After slowing things down with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” Abi Ann amped the energy up as she moved into her bopping single “Future Ex Boyfriend.” The audience came alive as the spritely songstress bounded across the stage calling out to those future mistakes in the crowd.
Abi Ann closed out her set with a performance of her newest release, “Truck Candy.” The single provided viewers with a honky tonk of a good time during which the Texas native proclaimed that she would never be any man’s hood ornament. She can drive herself thank you very much! The female empowerment anthem took on a playful edge as Abi Ann bopped across the stage with all the sass in the world.