Morganton Festival features top talent

DRAKE MILLIGAN (FRIDAY, SEPT. 6, 9:30-11 P.M.)

A Fort Worth, Texas, native son and rising country music star, Drake Milligan will bring his unique sound to Morganton on the festival’s opening night. Milligan’s classic country and rock 'n' roll roots run deep. The singer said his parents’ tastes influenced his future as a musician.

“Growing up in Texas, I was always around it (classic country),” Milligan said.

“George Strait is our king of country music.

“My parents are big country music fans and listen to a lot of the classic stuff, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Waylon Jennings,” he stated.

Milligan may have cut his teeth on classic country music, but a visit to a restaurant where an Elvis impersonator was performing rocked the 7-year-old boy’s world. The youngster became an Elvis fan and soon discovered a passion for performing.

“Watching Elvis is what made me want to entertain,” he stated.

A successful 2017 appearance on the television show “America’s Got Talent” landed him as a Top 3 finalist. He said while his time on the show was a great experience, his Hollywood stint was not all glitz and glamor.

“It’s glamorous for about five minutes, when you’re doing a performance,” he quipped. “It's a lot of preparation, especially when you go to live shows.”

Milligan recently returned to primetime television as a performer on AGT’s new spin-off show “Fantasy League,” before hitting the road with country superstar and fellow Texan Cody Johnson for his 2024 The Leather Tour.

Milligan’s debut album “Dallas/Fort Worth” propelled the singer to No. 5 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, and the album was named “One of the Best Country Albums of 2022” by “Billboard,” “Saving Country Music” and “Whiskey Riff.” The platter was a hit on iTunes, scoring him the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Country Album Chart, All Genre Chart and Country Song Chart as well as the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the Video Chart. In an unprecedented move, Country Music Television featured five of Milligan’s videos simultaneously on the network.

Milligan is fresh off a UK/European tour where he said fans welcomed him with enthusiasm.

“They love the classic country music sound,” he stated. “They love the classic rock 'n' roll sound too, Elvis and Johnny Cash.

“I loved being over there and loved the fans,” he said.

Now Burke County will have an opportunity to experience the Milligan magic. He will take the Courthouse Square Amphitheater Stage from 9:30-11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6. He said listeners can expect an energetic show.

“We like to have a lot of fun on stage,” Milligan said. “I’ve got a great band that’s been with me for a while.

“We’ll play a lot of my songs, and we’ll include some new songs, some unreleased stuff, new songs people haven't heard before,” he said. Milligan’s set will also include classic country favorites and rock cover songs.

BRANDON BETHEL (FRIDAY, SEPT. 6, 7:30-9 P.M.)

When Brandon Bethel was a youngster, the Morganton Festival was an annual treat for him and his family. His grandmother even had an arts and crafts booth at the events.

Now the Salisbury-born musician who grew up in Burke County will take the stage on the Courthouse Square to sing for his hometown at the 2024 festival.

Bethel, who grew up singing in church, eventually graduated to karaoke performances while he was in college. But his voice and drive to perform led to bigger stages.

“My friends talked me into trying out for ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Voice,’" he said. “Then I started singing in pubs and breweries. Now, my band and I are excited to sing at the festival. I’m so glad I get to be a part of it right there in my hometown.”

While Bethel considers himself a country music singer, he said listeners can expect to hear a variety of styles at his concert.

“It's kind of a different style of country music,” he explained. “If you like a little bit of blues and a little bit of Southern rock, that’s what I do.”

Bethel’s music is available on streaming services Spotify and Apple Music, as well as on YouTube. 

BOY BAND REVIEW (SATURDAY, SEPT. 7, 8:30-10 P.M.)

On Saturday night during the Morganton Festival, don’t be surprised if you hear Public Safety called to the stage to control a mob of screaming 40-something women. They’ll simply be reliving the days of their youth, when the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and New Kids on the Block ruled the airwaves and the concert circuit.

Boy Band Review, called the best boy band tribute show in the country, will rock the Courthouse Square Amphitheater Stage from 8:30-10 p.m. on Saturday.

The tribute band transports audience members back in time to the days of frosted tips and hunky front-men professing their undying love to listeners. Boy Band Review’s shows are a throwback experience, with a full band, choreography and harmonies, allowing listeners to relive some of the best years of their lives.

They regularly play to large crowds throughout the Midwest and across the country. The group’s resumé includes numerous high-profile events, including a Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood Casino, where Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC joined them for multiple shows.

One of the group’s lead singers, Jan Torres, said Boy Band Review does about 100 shows each year. He is joined onstage by fellow vocalists Sam Castellano and Dylan Melville, as well as guitarist T.J. Belek, and drummer Jeremiah Thomas. The group does not currently have a full-time bassist, but Josh Spinner will be providing the rhythmic foundation for the band during their Morganton show.

According to Torres, the core group has been together for about four years.

“We had been playing for a while,” he said, "and one night we just decided to try boy band songs. The crowd went insane.”

Torres said that response was music to band members’ ears. “As performance artists, that's what you want,” he said. “Every reaction like that from the crowd, that's what makes it for us.”

Torres said while the crowd loves all of their songs, they typically get the most enthusiastic reaction for the Backstreet Boys’ classic, “I Want it That Way.”

“That’s usually the favorite,” Torres said. “But we’re also surprised at the reaction we get for ‘End of the Road’ (the 1992 classic by Boyz II Men).”

According to Torres, the band has never performed in western North Carolina, and they look forward to thrilling the local crowd at the Morganton Festival.

CHRIS TAYLOR AND THE RUMOR (SATURDAY, SEPT. 7, 7-8 P.M.)

Billed as “The Carolinas’ Most Authentic Variety Band,” Chris Taylor and the Rumor blend the energy of modern pop, rock, and soul to present an immersive party environment with favorite songs from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and today.

The band will open Saturday night’s free concerts on the Historic Courthouse Square at 7 p.m. The amphitheater stage is not unfamiliar territory for the Lincolnton native.

“We did TGIF last year,” Taylor stated. “I have a great following in Morganton, I always have. It’s kind of home away from home.”

Taylor lived in Nashville for more than five years, where he got his start recording original music.

His current band has been performing together for about a year and a half. “But I’ve been doing this under my name for quite some time,” he said.

Taylor’s band includes drummer Michael Lowe, bassist Victor Webber, and percussionist Jason Nantz.

“At the end of the day, we’re a cover band,” Taylor stated, “but we will be playing one original, ‘Dangerous,’” he said. The single racked up 10,000 streams last month, according to Taylor.

Taylor said concertgoers can expect a lively show.

“We are a variety band but we are a real show,” he said. “We are not going to stand up there and look at an iPad as we sing. We bring to-the-wall energy. We make it as interactive a show as possible with the audience.”

Taylor said his band plays classic rock, soul hits, and pop songs, “but we put the Chris Taylor and the Rumor swing on it,” he added. According to the front man, audience members can expect to hear music ranging from Guns N' Roses to Stevie Wonder.

You can listen to Chris Taylor and the Rumor on the band’s website, christaylormusic.vip/ or on Apple Music and Spotify streaming services.

“I would tell Morganton to buckle up because we’re going to be bringing quite a show,” he said.