Farmville, Virginia’s Oliver Anthony – legally Christopher Lunsford – had one of 2023’s most unlikely claims to fame. His song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” went viral in August 2023, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 and spending two weeks at #1. Following performances at North Street Press Club and Rock The Block, it was only a matter of time until Anthony took his music to the newly-opened Joan Perry Brock Center on October 28.
Anthony’s concert was, well, unique to say the least. He performed the show barefoot and in front of his three dogs, who remained on stage for the full set. It was nothing like I had seen before, but almost established a feeling of familiarity between Anthony and his audience. He would also fold up lyric pages throughout the concert into paper airplanes and throw them into the pit area, another tradition of his at shows and one that allowed him to interact with the crowd.
Anthony began the show as he usually does, with a Bible verse. Before reading, he prefaced the verse with, “I do feel like, in a world where we have so much stuff constantly shoved down our throat, it’s nice to just read out of his mouth.” At another point, Anthony referred to the “New World Order” and said, “they can take this country but they ain’t taking Virginia” – which was mildly off-putting to say the least. While I wasn’t necessarily surprised, hearing things like this said to massive cheers was certainly uninviting.
However, to the music. Sonically, Anthony’s voice remains incredible. He has a raspy and gravelly voice that sticks with you while listening. His voice is entirely true to the Folk/Americana genre that he writes, almost akin to an artist such as Bob Dylan. As someone who loves any kind of live acoustic music - Anthony’s now-iconic resonator guitar was one of the main highlights of the show for me.
That said, the lyricism in his songs went from incredible testimonials from the everyman to some of the strangest lines I have ever heard in a song. In “Doggonit,” Anthony sings, “The water's drying up and there's a war in the making. People eating bugs 'cause they won't eat bacon.” Particularly the “bacon” line, I physically stopped and pondered what he could have possibly meant. His lyricism is at its best when he sticks to storytelling, as is common in much of country/folk.
Just before finishing with a beautiful cover of “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Anthony sang his signature-hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” not once, but twice. At this point in the show, nearly the entire crowd was on its feet singing the number one single, turned conservative music moment akin to Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town,” turned anthem of the working man. While there wasn’t anything necessarily special about the performance of the song itself, seeing how the lyrics have resonated with many working people was fascinating in itself.
One woman at the concert carried a “I DROVE HERE FROM WISCONSIN TO SEE YOU” sign, another man declared that he had driven from Texas to Farmville for the sole purpose of seeing Anthony perform. The lyrics of “Rich Men” clearly resonated with people in a way a lot of media missed, and in a way you can only witness if you watch an arena full of people belt it out around you twice.
While I was off-put by the general energy (and some of the more controversial statements), I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy a good chunk of the music, at least sonically. While some of his lyricism teeters on bad, Anthony has his sound and stage presence down to a science. He has a very clear connection with his audience, an audience that resonates with every word that he sings with his signature raspy voice.
I give his show a 3/5 – nothing to write home about, but good enough to keep people coming back for more.
