Rockin' for the Track

Judging by the smile on his face, it's clear that Wickline loves what he does. 
Photos by Brittany Strother

Fans of all ages gathered at the Concord University Carter Center Gymnasium on Thursday, April 16 to watch a special performance by West Virginia’s newest country sensation, Cody Wickline.

Wickline has been in the music scene for years, but was just recently discovered on a national level when he got an impressive four-chair turn when he participated in the blind auditions for NBC’s The Voice. Global music superstars Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrel Williams, and Christina Aguilera each threw themselves into the ring to fight for the opportunity to coach Wickline and refine his classic country sound. Wickline ultimately chose Blake Shelton, a fellow country singer, to be his coach.

Although Wickline was eliminated from the competition, his appearance on national television served as a springboard for more attention from his legion of proud West Virginian fans.

Concord University had the opportunity to play host to one of Wickline’s many local performances as part of the university’s “Race to Resurface the Track” project. The track, located at Callaghan Stadium, has unfortunately deteriorated to a degree that deems it no longer suitable for use. Proceeds from ticket sales to the Wickline concert, $15 for general admission and $10 for admission with a valid Concord student ID, will be put towards that project in hopes of soon having a brand new, pristine track for not only the university sports teams to take advantage of, but the entire Concord and Athens community as well.

Prior to the 7:00 concert, Wickline met with fans for a Meet and Greet, posing for photographs, signing autographs, and just generally mingling with his fans. People of all ages were thrilled to see their local hero, and young children and older community members alike were seen proudly sporting t-shirts with Wickline’s name and logo emblazoned on them.

After taking some time to interact with his fans, it was time for the real fun to begin. His opening song was a modern version of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River” with a fun rock sound underlying the country classic. He kept an upbeat pace throughout the performance, mingling classic country hits with newer songs and even throwing in some of his original tracks from his album.

It didn’t take long for the excitement to get to the crowd, and a mass of dancing fans soon gathered around the stage, adults, children, and Concord students all dancing together as Wickline performed songs like “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, a fun rendition of Alabama’s hit “Sweet Home Alabama” that was given a fun twist by changing the last couple of verses to say “Sweet Home West Virginia.” Of course, no West Virginia concert could be complete without a humbling rendition of “Country Roads” complete with audience participation.

Wickline’s performance brought it a decent-sized crowd, and surprisingly more outside community members than Concord students. Considering the size of the audience and the price of tickets, the university definitely made a large stride toward meeting their financial goals for resurfacing the track.

Aside from the monetary gains of from the performance, the university also benefitted from Wickline’s visit in another, more personal way. The rising star has talent and already boasts a legion of adoring fans. With the right combination of skill and luck, it’s entirely probable that Wickline will eventually be a fairly large name in the Country music scene. Once that happens, Concord University will proudly be able to say that it was one of the first stops on Wickline’s road to stardom.