In what is starting to be an annual tradition, Brad Paisley made a sold out stop at the Comcast Center on July 16th, and needless to say the party was on hours before anyone took the stage. While it is a step down in venues size from Gillette Stadium last year, the 19000 seat amphitheater was the perfect spot for the country mega star to stop at for his “H20 2” summer tour. Brad is known in the country world for his playful lyrics about fun times with good o’l boys and his skillful  guitar solos that allow the crowds to scream themselves hoarse. Blake Shelton and Jarrod Niemann rounded out an all star lineup that produced a stellar night for the sell out crowd.    Paisley engages the crowd in a way that makes every attendee feel as though they’re being told a personal story from his past. You never feel as though you’re sitting in a venue any bigger than a living room when he’s onstage. Sometimes you can feel a little lost at the cavernous amphitheater but Paisley never allows that feeling to come over you when he performs. He’s a master of the intimate country performance.    Brad started out with “Mud On The Tires”, an amusing tune that warmed the crowds’ hearts. After marching through the seats to take the stage he fit an astounding 22 songs into a crammed, non stop 21 song set. Brad played some stellar new tracks from “This Is Country Music”, including the title track and “Old Alabama”.    Paisley has always written songs that beg to be belted out, and the droves in attendance were happy to oblige.  During the smash hit “The World”, Brad’s vocals were drowned out by the deafening singing from the crowd, as was the case for “Ticks”. The best song of the night was “Letter To Me”, which was performed solo in the middle of the crowd. Before he began the track he gave fans a heartfelt thank you for spending their hard earned money to come see him play. The gratitude, and the song that followed struck a chord with the crowd and the emotion in the venue was palpable.    The main set was rounded out by a rendition of the power ballad “Then” and finally “Water”, which featured the best musicianship of the night. Brad shredded a very precise guitar solo and violinist Justin Williamson wowed the 19000 with a blazing fiddle solo. The night was finished with the perennial crowd favorite “Alcohol”, a true drinking anthem that has a great guitar hook and lyrics meant to be drunkenly slurred. Every act from the day joined Brad onstage at a makeshift bar and helped him sing it out. The ovation he received at the end of the night was one of the loudest I’d ever heard at a country show. It was truly a magical night and the conclusion was the proverbial cherry on top of the fantastic festival.   Blake Shelton played a fantastic set in his own right. And the venue was completely full to hear him play an hour set that was very fun and relaxed. The crowd roared with delight for “Kiss My Country Ass”. And “Honeybee” was among the best songs of the night. Shelton also joined Paisley on stage for “Don’t Drink The Water”. Shelton showed that he has potential to headline in the northeast and an eye should be kept on him in the coming months.   All in all Country 102.5 put on a phenomenal festival that left no fan disappointed, the music started early and continued throughout the day, and Paisley and Shelton capped the night off with two of the best country sets you’ll ever see. I think Brad said it best when he said “people don’t realize this but there are a-lot of real rednecks in New England” while the number might be in question, it’s safe to say most (if not all) of them came out for this show, which is so far the best of the year.