By Dave Parsons
On the warm summer evening of July 27, 2024, the small town of Moundsville, West Virginia, came alive with the sound of country music as the Marshall County Fair played host to country artist Mark Wills. Known for his string of hits in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Wills is still a beloved country artist, with lasting appeal and a timeless quality to his brand of 90’s country.
The Marshall County Fairgrounds hasn’t changed since I first started going back in the early 1980’s. Settled just out of the city limits of Moundsville, West Virginia, the fairgrounds has a rustic/retro charm that makes it the perfect match for some real country music. If you throw in the screams from the carnival rides, and the aroma of funnel cakes and corn dogs in the air, it’s like walking into a scene from 30 years ago.
Or more to the point, 28 years ago, which is when Mark Wills released Jacob’s Ladder, the first single of his career. It only be fitting that he kick off his 90 minute set, with the same song, on this evening. The setlist for the evening was a well-balanced mix of Mark Wills’ greatest hits, fan favorites, and a few surprises. Wills touched on every single he ever had at country radio. High, Low and In Between, I Do Cherish You, and Wish You Were Here, had the crowd singing along with every word.
Touching on influences and songs that he loved Wills delivered a cover of the Dan Seals hit, Everything That Glitters and a tribute to the late Joe Diffie with a medley of Pick Up Man and Honky Tonk Attitude.
One of the standout moments of the night was when a fan requested an album cut of Wills’ called Like There’s No Yesterday. Out of all of his songs, this is probably the one seen and heard by more people around the world. There is a video on youtube that has 45 MILLION views, of Wills sneaking into a wedding and performing this song for the couple’s first dance. The couple requesting the song in Moundsville used it for their first dance too. Prefacing the attempt by stating they had not done the song live in years, Wills and his band nailed the song like it was in the setlist every night. Icing on the cake was Wills asking the couple to re enact their first dance, at the foot of the concrete slab stage, and then posing for pictures with them.
The most heart wrenching song of any Mark Wills performance is Don’t Laugh at Me, a song that speaks to themes of empathy and to stop bullying resonated deeply with the audience. Wills explained how many different people have told him stories how the song has affected their lives and then delivered the song with a heartfelt sincerity that brought many in the crowd to tears.
Rounding out the night was 19 Somethin’, a nostalgic song that takes listeners through the milestones and memories of growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. The first few notes had the crowd on their feet, singing the song’s catchy melody and lyrics and rounded out the evening on a high note. To add a bonus to his final bows, Wills brought former Army POW, and West Virginia native, Jessica Lynch out to wave to the crowd. It was the icing on the cake to an evening that will long be remembered in Moundsville, West Virginia.
Mark Wills Setlist
1.) Jacob’s Ladder
2.) I’m Not Sorry
3.) High Low and In Between
4.) I Do (Cherish You)
5.) Night Aint even over Yet
6.) She’s In Love
7.) I Hate Chicago
8.) Wish You Were Here
9.) I Want To Know (Everything There Is To Know About You)
10.) Loving Every Minute
11.) Everything That Glitters (Solo)
12.) Like There’s No Yesterday
13.) Place I’ve Never Been
14.) Pick Up Man/Honky Tonk Attitude
15.) Back at One
16.) Don’t Laugh At Me
17.) 19 Somethin’
Photo Gallery : Mark Wills – The Marshall County Fair (07.27.2024)
