“They Do Their Studying” – Randall King On How European Fans Differ From Country Music Fans In The United States

Country music fans in Europe know their stuff... and if they don't, they do their homework. Over the years, country music has been on a steady incline, rising in popularity in Europe and internationally. With country festivals like C2C: Country To Country growing and more artists heading across the pond to tour, it's becoming a common practice within the country music realm to add a few stops in countries outside of the USA to your tour list each year if possible. Artists like Luke Combs selling out arena after arena across the pond prove that artists play more than a few local pubs or venues when they head over there, too. As many fans travel far and wide to catch their favorite artists when they come to their nation, the energy sometimes differs from when your favorite artist takes the state here in the States. Randall King is a face that is all too familiar with the country scene in Europe, often making sure he has tour dates on his schedule that allow him to bring his honky tonk flair to fans there. On the most recent Whiskey Riff Raff episode with the KingFest founder, Randall King informed our listeners what makes European fans different from American fans. "I think over there... when they know you're coming, they dig through everything that you've got. They want to know, and they do their studying." King provides a perfect example, recalling how one track off his discography is known by heart among his European fans but hardly known among fans in the USA. "Off my self-titled record, there's a song called 'Reason To Quit,' which is the last track on the record that we barely ever play. Over there, they knew every single word when I played it and sang it back. And that happens every now and again over here, but they study B-sides, your C-sides, they know it all." Given that country music isn't as big overseas as pop music, King touches on the fans' dedication to learning their catalogs because they do not always know when an artist will return and want to get the most out of their concert experience. "I think right now, everyone is going over there to tour now. There are a lot of people now headed overseas, whereas we were one of the first to go out, stick our neck out, and go risk... the risk and reward. You know what I mean? See what would happen. And we went over September last year, sold out everything, and came back over this year still doing it. So, for them, I think they are just looking at it like something they don't get a whole lot of. But whatever they do, they do it full-blown, full passion." If you have watched tour recaps from overseas or kept up with real-time social media posts from artists when they are touring overseas, you know precisely what King means. From fans lining up around the block for meet and greets, getting in line so they can be the first in the venue when doors open, to knowing the niche songs from catalogs, they are sometimes more diehard than American fans. Maybe we can all learn from what King says here and take a little more time to familiarize ourselves with country artists' discographies before attending their shows. Who knows, maybe they will start pulling out some niche favorites if we also start learning B-sides and C-sides here in the USA. If you want to check out the full Whiskey Riff Raff episode with Randall King, fire it up while you're here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9RdxfHlWmc