Oliver Anthony officially made his live Nashville debut on September 17 playing a set at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Anthony’s gig was part of the annual birthday party/block party thrown at the venue, which is located in Nashville’s Lower Broadway.
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During the gig, Oliver, who usually performs solo, performed with a live band. In addition to Anthony, Lee Brice, Montgomery Gentry, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, and Wheeler Walker Jr. were also featured performers at the show, Rolling Stone reports.
[RELATED: Oliver Anthony Cancels Show at Cotton Eyed Joe]
Johnson and Houser accompanied Oliver for a rendition of the viral sensation’s hit song, “Rich Men North of Richmond.” During the show, Johnson and Houser also brought Anthony out onstage to perform the former’s hit song, “In Color.”
Shortly after the success of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Oliver played a gig at a farmer’s market in North Carolina, and was joined by Johnson halfway through his set. At the time, Anthony referred to Johnson as a “father figure.”
“He’s everything you’d think he is. He’s just been a big help, like almost kind of a, I don’t know if you’d want to say a father figure in the industry, but there’s been some very good-hearted people,” Anthony said, according to Whiskey Riff. “Despite all the craziness and all the people that have come out just clawing at me…there’s been a lot of that.”
“There’s also been a lot of just really down to earth people that just have the interest of me trying to preserve whatever it is I’ve created here and turn it into something to help keep me on the train tracks,” Anthony continued. “It has been a wild couple of weeks, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
Recently, a performance at Knoxville’s Cotton Eyed Joe set for September 27 was canceled after Anthony encouraged fans not to buy tickets to the show because he found the price to be too high. “Cotton Eyed Joe has been cancelled,” Anthony wrote on social media. “Ultimately, it’s my fault for not being more directly involved with the venues who have reached out.”
“My plate has been full and I delegated the responsibility to someone else to help me book,” Anthony continued. “I am not pointing fingers at Cotton Eyed Joe, I don’t know where the miscommunication took place. I’m just upset seeing those prices.”
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