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Vince Gill Brings an Epic Performance to Columbia County

Augusta Today columnist Chris O’Kelley writes that Vince Gill’s recent performance in Columbia County revealed his exceptional catalogue.

Vince Gill and his band at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center on June 21, 2025.Chris O'Kelley | Augusta Today

Vince Gill and his band at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center on June 21, 2025.

Vince Gill played at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center last weekend and all I can say is WOW. The last time I saw Vince Gill was at least 10 years ago when he and his wife Amy Grant played a Christmas concert at the Bell Auditorium. That night was great, but this time it was all Vince and, trust me, that mattered. 

Before I go to a concert, I always look at setlist.com - a site where fans list the songs an artist played in their city.  

What I learned by looking at the few shows that he has played on this tour was that it was going to be a long night. Most shows he played were right at three hours and featured about 35 songs. That’s a lot of songs. Keep in mind, Gill hasn’t taken on a full tour for at least nine years because he had been playing with the little up-and-coming band called the Eagles.  

Precisely at 7:30pm, the lights went down and out walked Vince Gill and the band. No introduction, no opening act - just Vince Gill and his band. He opened with “One More Last Chance” and “You Better Think Twice.” He followed with two killer ballads: “Tryin’ to Get Over You” and my favorite Vince Gill song, “Pocket Full of Gold.”  Then he went rouge, ignoring the information I had gleaned from setlist.com. Most artists stick to the same list night after night – but I got the feeling it was going to be a night full of Gill doing what he wanted to do.  

He played hit after hit, told great stories about his wife Amy Grant, his family life, growing up with his dad as his hero, and playing with the Eagles. The combination of great storytelling and great songs made for one heck of an evening. Every song and every guitar lick seemed effortless. He pulled out a song from his RCA album "The Things That Matter” called “Colder Than Winter.” It’s a song that I do not think I’ve heard before. If I have, I sure don’t remember it. After hearing Gill play it, however, it moved up high on my list of great Vince Gill songs. It was that kind of night musically. 

Vince did take about 30 minutes and played seven new songs that will be on three new releases he plans to put out in late summer and early fall this year. The last full new album from Gill was the 2019 release “Okie.” These new songs feel like Vince Gill at his best and I am looking forward to hearing the new music.  

Using his earlier dates as a guide, my expectation was Gill would leave the stage and come back and do an encore of two songs. Instead, he proceeded to play another 30 minutes of nothing but hits. For those keeping score, that equaled a three-and-a-half hour concert. It was a night of great music and great memories.  

A closing note. When you see a concert advertised, buy the ticket. This show sold out and it sold out fast. A lot of people were looking for tickets the day of. So, buy the ticket, go to the show, and, most importantly, make the memories. This was one night I was glad I was able to do that.