Old Dominion Does Great Show, Creates Unforgettable Moment [PHOTOS/VIDEO]
The sound of country music filled the air in the Home of the Hawks Friday night, and it was a beautiful thing. Old Dominion, Michael Ray, and Brandon Lay played to a near capacity crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for three-and-a-half hours. However, the most magical moment of all wasn't about the music at all.
After a short set by opening act Brandon Lay, Michael Ray took the stage just after 8 p.m., as the arena was quickly beginning to fill. Michael, battling a bout of laryngitis the last few days, showed a couple visible signs that he was struggling a bit. However, his vocals were strong and he powered through his set.
Old Dominion & Michael Ray
The night's headliners, Old Dominion, opened by playing one of the group's number one songs, "Song For Another Time." Lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey and the rest of the crew played a 90-minute set featuring all their hits and plenty more that are sure to be.
The show was also a fundraiser for the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Programs at the University of Iowa Hospitals. That connection provided an unforgettable moment..
Ramsey stopped to recognize the tradition at Kinnick Stadium. He said,
We heard about the tradition that you guys have. The kids look down and see you guys, waving to them, so they feel the love and support you send them. Since we're not outside, and we can't do that, we brought some of them here.
When they were all gathered with Ramsey on the stage catwalk he sang a few lines of "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart." The song's lyrics include:
You know you can't keep the ground from shaking, no matter how hard you try,
You can't keep the sunsets from fading, you gotta treat you love like
You're jumping off a rope swing maybe 'cause the whole thing is really just a shot in the dark
You gotta love like there's no such thing as a broken heart
As they all left the stage, the concert crowd broke into a chant of "Let's Go Hawks... Let's Go Hawks." It was the perfect ending to what was an absolutely wonderful moment.