Druid City Music Hall continued its Kaleidoscope concert series, featuring rising country star Sam Barber and opening act Jack Wharff & The Tobacco Flatts on Friday.
Jack Wharff & The Tobacco Flatts is an alternative country band from Richmond, Virginia, that provides a unique blend of country, bluegrass and rock.
Barber, originally from Frohna, Missouri, and now residing in Bozeman, Montana, made the trip to T-Town to entertain a portion of his 5.8 million monthly listeners from Spotify, 1 million followers from TikTok and fans gained from his feature on the 2024 film “Twisters.”
“His voice is what drew me in. He started pretty big on TikTok, because his voice was so unique compared to everyone else, and then of course when he sang for the movie,” said Trent Allen, a concertgoer from southern Indiana.
Both Barber and The Flatts were introduced by UA Crimsonette and social media influencer Chloe Holladay.
The Flatts opened the set with its 2024 single “Burnin’ it Down” and then covered country superstar Tyler Childers’ 2019 hit “All Your’n,” which prompted loud word-for-word singing from the crowd, a notable occurrence for the relatively underground band.
After the opening act, the crowd of students, graduates, family and friends alike waited with anticipation during intermission for the uber-talented Barber to make his way to the stage.
Barber’s band members — fiddler Luisa Marion, guitarist Luc Nyhus, bassist Gregory Garner and drummer Kevin J. McGowan — shifted on and off the stage as it got closer to time, tuning their instruments and coordinating with the sound crew as needed while Barber waited just until his set time to rock the crowd.
“Tear Us Apart” is a song about storm-chasing, and thus it fits quite well into the lineup of featured songs on “Twisters: The Album.”
At 9 p.m. on the dot, Barber made his way to the stage with the lights darkened, and he jump-started the crowd by immediately getting into his 2024 single “Better Year.”
Barber consistently fingerpicks a Gibson LG-2 acoustic guitar, accompanying his signature gritty voice and moving lyrics that are all the rage for enthusiasts of the genre.
The 23-year-old Barber is a newer-age country artist that young fans have come to love, especially college students.
“My favorite song is ‘Streetlight,’ but I just like his act and most of his songs,” said Ethan Morgan, a junior majoring in cyber security.
Barber went on to perform “Streetlight” along with other fan favorites like “As Time Passes” and even “Cold Dark Place,” the second track on his upcoming album “Restless Mind” that will drop on Nov. 1.
This was the eighth performance of Barber’s “Restless Mind” tour, during which he has given sneak peeks to songs like “Cold Dark Place,” and if the vocal Tuscaloosa crowd that was reciting his songs is any indication of what’s to come for Barber, then both the album and its remaining tour dates will make serious noise in the country music industry.
“What I really like about him [Barber] is the diversity within his songs, they really hit home for me. My favorite song from him is probably ‘Tear Us Apart,’” said John Michael Crump, a recent graduate who majored in environmental engineering.
