Concert review: Thompson Square/Lady Antebellum

By Tricia Pemberton and Steve Sisney, For The Oklahoman | Published: April 8, 2012 | Modified: April 8, 2012 at 9:22 am

NORMAN – Thompson Square – made up of Miami, OK-native Keifer Thompson and his wife Shawna – showed off all the reasons they were named this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards Vocal Duo of Year when they opened for Lady Antebellum on Saturday Night before a packed house at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

Shawna and Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square perform before Lady Antebellum at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, April 7, 2012, in Norman, Okla. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman ORG XMIT: SSOK101

Shawna and Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square perform before Lady Antebellum at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, April 7, 2012, in Norman, Okla. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman ORG XMIT: SSOK101

The dynamic duo only played about a 25-minute set, but Keifer Thompson got the crowd involved by giving a shout-out to his hometown. His wife teased the audience by stopping him and asking him “in front of all his Oklahoma friends … ‘Are You Gonna Kiss me or What?’” before launching into the band’s biggest hit. To the delight of the audience, the couple shared a brief kiss before finishing the spunky song.

Thompson Square is on an obvious high after their recent win. Their energetic stage presence and rocking songs get the crowd engaged, and they’re just fun to watch. Shawna’s always-changing tresses were jet black Saturday night, and her outfit was as funky as ever, with her short puffed skirt, black tights and knee-high black boots. Keifer, of course, sported his ever-present newsboy cap.

The group was the perfect warm-up to Darius Rucker, the reinvented former frontman of Hootie and the Blowfish. Rucker’s soulful, strong voice carried him easily through a 12-song set with favorites such as “Love Will Do That,” “Come Back Song,” and “This,” as well as the ever-popular Hootie throwback “Hold My Hand.” The crowd sang loudly along. Rucker’s ending song, Prince’s “Purple Rain” seems such an odd choice for someone thanking his audience for letting him into country music, but it drew loud praise from the crowd.

Lady Antebellum – on the band’s first arena headlining tour – showed why they’ve earned that right in a more than hour-long set that included singles such as “We Owned the Night,” “Our Kind of Love,” “Love Don’t Live Here,” and “American Honey.

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