How to describe Shane’s performance? He sang, he played, he told jokes and stories. It was a wonderful, impelling show, and the audience loved it. We have come to expect great things of Shane Adkins, and he didn’t disappoint us. It is rare to experience a performer who is so completely in touch with his audience. His beautiful voice takes you wherever he wants you to go, whether he’s singing a lovely and moving old hymn like The Old Rugged Cross or one of his own songs like New Market Blues (combined with his fascinating thumb-picking technique) or One Mile East of Hazel Green (complete with haunted house story and internet references if you wanted to learn more of the true story). His amazing instrumental artistry included a wide range of songs as different from one another as Whiskey Before Breakfast, Wildwood Flower, and Mona Lisa. It is a pleasure both to listen, and to watch him play. And the aforementioned stories and jokes interspersed among the songs raised the level of enjoyment even higher, involving the audience on yet another level. The audience was captivated from beginning to end, and with good reason. It was, simply, a wonderful performance which was a privilege to experience.
George and Sylvia Williams - Huntsville Traditional Music Association