Thousands attend first day of BamaJam

Upwards of 5,000 music fans came out Thursday night to hear country music legend Randy Owen perform.

Owen is lead singer for the Fort Payne-based group Alabama which stopped touring after its Farewell Tour ended in 2004. Fans were hopeful that wouldn’t stop “the voice of the band” from singing classic Alabama songs and it didn’t.

Owen belted out about a dozen Alabama favorites as the headliner for the first-day entertainment at the BamaJam Music & Arts Festival in rural Coffee County.

It was a near perfect night at the main stage. Owen was flawless, and fans appreciated the steady breeze that blew constant, cooling the weary after a hot day where temperatures got as high as 96 degrees. Fans got up and danced as Owen proved there is very much life after the band.

His touring band Nashville Star is a talented group of musicians including the fiddle playing of Megan Mullins who has been playing since she was 18 months old. Add three backup singers hailing from California to Tennessee, and the end result is a high-energy sound that allowed Owen to have a lot of fun dabbling in some rap and blues.

Prior to Owen’s performance, Little Big Town prepped the crowd with several favorites, closing out with “Boondocks” at 9:15 p.m. The group also performed “Go Your Own Way,“ the old Fleetwood Mac song.

Because of the slope of the land, there is hardly a bad seat in the house at the Main Stage.

Entertainment continues Friday at 1:30 p.m. with Pure & Simple playing on the Bluegrass Stage. This is a covered tent located close to the main gate. The Alternative Stage, located down the hill behind the Bama Slam Saloon, comes alive at 2 p.m. with the Zac Brown Band. Rio Grand starts off the Main Stage activities at 3 p.m.