FORT LORAMIE — Justin Moore’s journey was just getting started when he made his first Country Concert appearance in 2009. He and his band hit the road in a van, hauled their own equipment and spent their day in Fort Loramie performing under the big yellow and white saloon tent.
The tent is long gone and the wheels under Moore a bit more luxurious, but Moore said he expects to have just as much fun when he returns to Fort Loramie this week.
“That’s where it all began. We probably pulled into town in a 12-passenger van and unloaded our own gear,” Moore said during a recent phone interview. “I remember all those times. Looking back on them now, it was a lot of fun. Going through it at times you don’t realize you’re going to look back on those times in a positive way, but it makes you appreciate where we are today.”
Moore is in the 8 p.m. slot opening night July 6, part of a lineup that also includes The Oak Ridge Boys, Jon Pardi, the Charlie Daniels Band and Blake Shelton.
“Country Concert is one of two or three festivals that we love going back to,” Moore said. “We always feel like we’re responsible for throwing the party wherever we play, but at this festival, it’s the other way around. You don’t have to get the party going. The crowd gets us going. It’s a fun party atmosphere.”
Since breaking into country music’s upper echelon in 2009, Moore has enjoyed four successful studio albums, a half-dozen No. 1 hits — including “Smalltown USA,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” and “You Look Like I Need a Drink” — and developed a loyal fan base with energetic live shows.
Moore said this year’s set will include a mix of old and new material.
“We try to put a new show together every year, and we went back and put in some older stuff we haven’t played in a few years that fans have asked us to play,” he said. “It’s been fun to play some of the older stuff … and we’re also doing quite a few song off the recent album.”
Moore’s current single on country radio — “Somebody Else Will” — is the Poyen, Ark., native’s 11th charting single and close to Top-10 status.
“It’s a little different song for us. We kind of got outside our comfort zone for this one,” he said. “Melodically, it’s a little different than what we’ve done in the past. When you’ve been a guy people expect to hear a certain kind of music from for a long time, you have some reservations … you don’t know if they’re going to like it or not. Fortunately, (fans) ended up digging it. It’s a lot of fun to play and it’s one of those songs that pushes me as an artist.”
Moore may be a bit more tired than usual these days — he and his wife recently welcomed their fourth child to the family (a son, Thomas South, born June 11). But he’ll be ready to go once he steps on stage.
“The payoff is to walk up on stage at the end of the day and play music,” he said. “That’s what we got into this business for. That connection to the fans is why we do it.”
And he won’t have to pack up his own gear at the end of the night this time, either.
To learn more about Justin Moore, visit his website at justinmooremusic.com.
For a closer look at this year’s Country Concert ’17 lineup or to get ticket information, go to countryconcert.com.
