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Review | Brad Paisley Knocks the Boots Off Santa Barbarans

The Telecaster master wowed the crowd at the Santa Barbara Bowl with his instrumental flair.

Review | Brad Paisley Knocks the Boots Off Santa Barbarans

Brad Paisley is quintessentially American. As in, the kind of “proud to be an American” American that Lee Greenwald sings about in “God Bless the U.S.A.”

In his classic white cowboy hat, the 50-year-old singer-songwriter charmed the crowd at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sunday, May 21. His award-winning country sound flowed from the stage in harmony with the billowing American flag cast on the bowl’s digital screen.

At one point, he invited the audience to “go fishin’ after this” as a lead-in to playing “I’m Gonna Miss Her.” If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a ballad about Paisley’s girl giving him an ultimatum: Her, or the fishin’ hole. Visuals of fish, lures, and hooks set the mood, ending on a short clip of Paisley pulling his catch out of the water as he sang, “I’ve got a bite.”

Credit: Carl Perry