Pam Tillis Delights Crowd At Riviera Theater

One of  the First Ladies of 90's Country Music Brings Hit Catalog & More To Charleston

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer / Concert Review

She's one of the first ladies of 90's country music, and on Friday (Jan 10th) night she rolled into Charleston, bringing an arsenal of hits songs to the holy city. Pam Tillis is Nashville royalty, and her songs are as timeless as she is. For 90 minutes Tillis enthralled 500 plus appreciative fans at the majestic Riviera Theater.

Hit after hit peppered a 16 song setlist that included a good bit of back stories and comic banter. Tillis set the tone early on, offering up one of her recognizable Top 10 singles followed a country music classic, opening with 'Shake the Sugar Tree' before leading into 'Walkin' After Midnight'. The latter made famous in 1957 by the immortal Patsy Cline, an icon during the golden age of country music Tillis wished she could have had the pleasure to work with.

Backed by two of the brightest and talented young female musicians, Tillis took concert goers back to the 90's decade offering up 'Cleopatra, Queen of Denial', 'Don't Tell Me What to Do', and 'Spilled Perfume' with nearly all the ladies joining in on the notable choruses. pamtillisshow

Near the mid point she infused a bit of humor, providing smart dating advice to the women in the crowd. Tillis recalled a relationship she had decades earlier where the man expected her to have dinner on the table every night he came in. She quickly tired of this, because he never showed up with groceries to help in the kitchen.

The un-named man said he was the hunter and she was the gatherer, to which Tillis replied 'well you can gather all your things and hunt for a new girlfriend'. It drew a resounding applause and was a nice segue into 'All the Good Ones Are Gone'.

Before Tillis revved up to the finish line, she allowed Ivy Phillips (violin) and Haley Sullivan (keyboards) to energize the crowd with spotlight solos, proving Tillis has chosen extremely gifted artists to accompany her on stage. pam tillis new 1

Tillis added a cut from her latest album 'Looking For a Feeling' as well as covering her dad's (Mel Tillis) 1979 number one hit 'Coca-Cola Cowboy' ahead of closing her show with her own chart topper 'Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)' and perhaps her signature song 'Maybe It Was Memphis'.

Tillis engaged the audience between every number, even stopping to take photos with three young girls, one of which was celebrating her 11th birthday at the show. That allowed Tillis to invite the crowd to join in on a happy birthday song, giving the trio and their parents something to talk about for years to come, jokingly adding she was surprised the girls weren't missing a Taylor Swift concert.

Although she stills performs with her bestie Lorrie Morgan on the 'Grits & Glamour' tours, Tillis doesn't need a big stage production to fill her show, allowing the songs to take center stage. However, she was bejeweled in a sparkly denim jacket and sporting fringed boots, which is only befitting an ageless star of country music. Tillis is as sweet as pecan pie and her voice has held up remarkably for a veteran artist who is 67 years young. 

Pam Tillis is performing all across the country throughout the spring, including dates at the Grand Ole Opry and Canada. If you want to enjoy an intimate evening with a classic country lady, than I recommend catching her show if it's playing near your neck of the woods. For more on her 2025 tour visit https://pamtillis.com/

Opening for Tillis was a familiar name to Charleston. Former Blue Dogs musician and seasoned Nashville songwriter Phillip Lammonds beguiled the audience for 45 minutes, offering up cuts from his 2024 release 'Cowboy Things'. Songs such as 'Why Dogs Don't' and 'Who's Wrong, Who's Right' prove Lammonds is a master storyteller and in touch with roots music. cowboy things

Lammond's star may be flying under the radar, but he's as talented as any singer songwriter hanging his hat in Music City. For more on him visit https://www.philliplammonds.com/