Fans might be ‘amazed’ by variety at Lonestar show
Lonestar will take the stage Sunday at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta. (Photo provided)
Lonestar will take the stage Sunday at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta. (Photo provided)
Lonestar will take the stage Sunday at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta. (Photo provided)
Lonestar will take the stage Sunday at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta. (Photo provided)
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MARIETTA - When Lonestar takes the stage Sunday at Peoples Bank Theatre, they'll play the hits, of course.
"We can play a show with almost all No. 1 hits," said lead guitarist Michael Britt in a recent phone interview.
The band has had 10 songs reach No. 1, including 1999's "Amazed," which not only topped the Billboard country chart but also the Hot 100. It also provides the name of the 2026 "Keeps Getting Better" Tour.
But just as that song and "I'm Already There" weren't confined strictly to country stations years ago, the band doesn't limit itself to just one genre, Britt said.
"We didn't want to just be known as the ballad band or the up-tempo band," he said. "We like to throw a wide variety at people.
"Ticket prices are not cheap anymore, and we want to give people their money's worth."
The band consists of Britt, drummer Keech Rainwater, keyboardist and producer Dean Sams and lead singer Drew Womack. They like to finish their shows with a rock-based encore that Britt laughed and said was, in part, included out of consideration for someone who may be attending with their spouse, rather than based on their own fandom.
"We just want to make sure we're keeping them involved," he said.
Their encore at this show will include a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Refugee," which will be part of an upcoming EP dedicated to the music of the 80s. It will be the second cover-filled EP after 2024's "Iconic Vol. 1," featuring the band's take on songs made famous by female vocalists.
Lead singer Drew Womack often will "pick some random song out of his back pocket" during a sound check, Britt said. When he launched into Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," his bandmates saw the potential for more.
So, they each picked a song by a female vocalist and the result was the EP, which includes Lauper's classic, along with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," Pink's "Try," the Eurhythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again" and Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Loving Fun."
"It was really just a project for us to do for fun," Britt said. "We just try to find ways to keep it fresh for us, and that keeps it fresh for the fans, too."
Another example of that is the 2023 re-recording of their No. 1 hits, which includes "My Front Porch Looking In" and "Mr. Mom." Britt said the band doesn't sound today like it did when those songs were released and redoing them brings the songs closer to what people hear at their shows.
"We like the recording process; we like the touring process," he said.
Despite the numerous chart-topping songs and the forays into other styles and covers, Britt acknowledged "Amazed" will always be Lonestar's most recognized song. And while he and other members have always listened to and appreciated other genres of music, its crossover success was not a calculated move.
"I don't think we ever planned on that at all," Britt said.
Lonestar is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Peoples Bank Theatre on Putnam Avenue in Marietta. Tickets are still available online at peoplesbanktheatre.com.
Evan Bevins can be reached online at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.