LONG BEACH: Queen Mary Shipkicker Country Music Festival July 1, 2017, 1-10 p.m.

The Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway
Long Beach, CA
$55-111, queenmary.com 

2017 Concert

Lee Brice | Jerrod Niemann | Swon Brothers | Honey County | Jake Parr | Daniel Bonte | Melissa Farrrior | Alexandria Corn | Alicia Kelly | James Rensink

ATTRACTION: Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is one of the nation's premier ocean aquariums. Don't stand in line and wait! Get your tickets here!

By C. MacDonald

The Queen Mary probably has never been called a "ShipKicker" before but there was a whole lot of "ShipKicking" going on in front of it at Waterfront Event Park as the "ShipKicker Country Music Festival" was booted to life before thousands of ecstatic fans.

More than 5,000 guests had the time of their lives clapping, stomping, swinging, singing, swaying, hugging, twirling, finger-snapping, flinging, and dancing to fabulous bands, whose pulsating country rock created such a festive mood that even sightseers aboard the Queen Mary were swaying to the impressive sounds.

The great thing about the festival is that you could have a blast whether you danced or not, whether you came as a single, with a date or in a group. From the main stage, guests throughout the venue were taught to Line Dance, one step at a time. And the smiles on their faces and coordinated efforts to "get it right" on various dance floors (and areas) in the compound, were plain fun to witness.

The venue also had beer gardens, cocktails, yard-games, food and shirt/hat vendors and a wild bucking bull ride that ran non-stop as brave people of all sizes, shapes and ages tried to stay aboard.

The fans went wild when longtime singer Neil Morrow and his band sang their hit, "Last Minute Las Vegas," to the crowd that dressed country with hats, outfits and even boots, which ranged from brown and black to pink, turquoise, orange and red. Brian Lynn Jones and his fellas showed why he is known as a high-energy rock-n-tonk king. Jerry Lee Lewis would have been proud. Jay Hollister featured his Highway 1 trucker song as the land vibrated as if gigantic semis whizzed by.

The talented artists performed from sunshine to moonshine in the two-day event featuring more than 20 hours of live country music. Dustin Lynch was the top Day One entertainer, known for his huge new hit, "Where It's At." His self-titled debut hit reached Number One on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Other hit singers were the multi-talented Eric Paslay, Jukebox Mafia and River Road.

Day 2 headliner, Parmalee, presents their debut country album, "Feels Like Carolina," which has been praised by USA Today and The New York Times. The band's newest single, "Already Callin' You Mine" recently hit country radio. Other performers today include The Railers, David Fanning, CJ Simmons, Justin Lee, Pawnshop Kings and Scotty MacBand.

"We're thrilled with the turnout and would love to make this an annual event," said Steve Sheldon of The Queen Mary. "We've been working for two years to make this happen and judging from the response, it's a winner--great bands, great guests, great vendors and a great location."

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.