TidalWave: Hailey Whitters Breaks Down On Stage
Report from TidalWave: Hailey Whitters brought the crowd to tears – even herself!
The weather is here. Wish you were beautiful. Jimmy Buffett must have been channeling TidalWave when he sang those lyrics. The crowd, the weather, the performers, the vibe – it was one for the record books. But it’s hard to be at a show like that and not miss a beat. So, I want to tell you about something that happened on Saturday …
Hailey Whitters made TidalWave a show she’ll remember for the rest of her life. Hailey performed on the main stage Saturday afternoon. The beach was full and the crowd was enjoying the sun, the sand, and the surprisingly emotional performance from one of country music’s most exciting new artists.
The vibe took a turn, however, when Hailey brought to the stage a sweet older woman in an orange hoodie and white ball cap. That woman’s name is Janice. Janice is from New Jersey and she just happens to be the subject of one of Hailey’s most popular songs titled “Janice at the Hotel Bar.”
According to Whiskey Riff, the song was co-written by Hailey and her friend Lori Makenna. The women have a friend not in the music business who told them the story of meeting a woman, named Janice, at a bar who gave her a litany of life advice. Hailey and Lori turned that advice into a song.
Make good love, good companyDrink good wine, raise good babiesKeep your chin up, ain’t nothin’ wrong with makin’ a good wifeWell, go on and make a good livin’, girl, don’t forgetTo make a good life
Fans seem to really connect to the advice Janice gives the character in the song, so there was a social movement to “#FindJanice.” And find her they did. The message eventually got to Janice’s granddaughter who made sure she got Janice to TidalWave (remember, Janice is from New Jersey) and in front of Hailey.
What happened next, is what country music is made of. Hailey became overwhelmed. Janice became overwhelmed. As did the crowd at TidalWave. Check it out …
