By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — “Great show!” “Fantastic show!” Those were some of the comments following the Great Darke County Fair concert with Whiskey Myers and special guest Matt Koziol.

Koziol opened the show and brought a sound and look similar to Hank Williams, Jr. The artist was able to keep the crowd entertained with his music as they anxiously awaited this year’s head liner, Whiskey Myers.

Relatively unknown when it comes to radio airplay, Whiskey Myers has witnessed a lot of success in the digital world on platforms such as I-tunes, Pandora and Spotify. They have been called the best country jam band in the country. Their music has been featured in the hit television series Yellowstone and the band has built quite a following over the past several years. The Darke County crowd was all-in when the band hit the stage.

Having sold out across the country, Darke County was no different. From the top row of the Grandstand to the front of the stage, there was a sea of people singing along, dancing, fist-pumping and enjoying themselves as Whiskey Myers continued to play for approximately 1 ½ hours.

Although it is hard to determine a sold-out concert at the fairgrounds since they have gone to standing on the track, if it wasn’t sold-out it was definitely nearing the point of being at capacity. The VIP section in front of the stage was packed full, as was the rest of the track.

From the opening song, Frogman, concert goers knew they were in for a night of hard-rocking, southern-style rock and country from this genre-bending band. Cody Cannon, the Whiskey Myers front man, encouraged the crowd to let loose and party with them.

Brian Rismiller, media relations director for the Darke County Agricultural Society’s board of directors, said, “The crowd is outstanding. The track and the VIP are full. The standing room is full.” He pointed to the long line to get into the Grandstand when the gates opened an hour and a half before the concert. He said at one point the line stretched from the Grandstand all the way back to the Coliseum. Part of the delay in getting people in was checking bags, which was required by the Darke County Sheriff’s Office.

“This is probably one of the biggest shows we’ve seen,” said Rismiller. He compared attendance to the Lady A concert in 2010. “People have driven from many, many states to get here to see the show. They travel to watch Whiskey Myers,” he said.

Rismiller said the board knew Whiskey Myers as a good act, but they were a higher priced band so there was some risk in booking them. “As you can see tonight, I would say the return was worth the investment,” he added. He noted that a lot of fairs aren’t doing shows anymore because of the cost of the entertainment and because there are so many venues with concerts. “We’re competing with a lot of bigger venues, plus they serve a lot of different beverages that we don’t serve,” he concluded.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].