Headliner – Thompson Square
Everyone remembers where they were the first time they heard Thompson Square. It’s been a decade since the husband-and-wife team of Keifer and Shawna Thompson exploded out of Nashville with their multi-platinum mega-hit “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”, and crowds remain hungry for more. The Grammy-nominated duo has toured the world; won multiple ACM, ACA, CMA, and CMT awards; appeared on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s TODAY Show, CBS This Morning as well as numerous primetime tv specials and awards shows; earned No. 1 records in three countries, and even launched their own podcast. They’ve been praised as “remarkable” by Taste of Country, “deeply personal and emotional” by Sounds Like Nashville, and “vivacious” by Rolling Stone. And now Thompson Square has come home.
After taking time out over the last few years to focus on family (venturing out briefly to release 2019’s critically lauded Masterpiece album), the pair are back on the scene in full force. Marking the ten-year anniversary of their ferocious debut, Keifer and Shawna have reunited with Benny Brown, the veteran label head who spearheaded their chart-topping success in the early 2010s.
“Keifer and I really got back to our roots,” says Shawna of this country music homecoming, “But we’ve grown too, and the music reflects all of that.” The duo’s new material promises all the hallmarks that made audiences fall for the Thompsons in the first place, as well as showcasing everything that life, touring and starting a family has taught them.
Thompson Square’s music has always been quintessentially grounded in their identity as a couple. Whether basking in the light of one another in the No. 1 smash, “If I Didn’t Have You,” or shocking the neighbors with flirty, distracting thoughts in Top 10 hit “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About,” Thompson Square’s openness with its audience has always made them one of the most intimate acts working today.
And Thompson Square’s new music is no exception. Each song tells a story of a life-lived romance that encapsulates both the dizzying highs and paralyzing lows of love and partnership. “We’ve started a family together, we’ve lost parents together,” explains Keifer, with Shawna adding “This is real stuff.”
The duo’s prodigal return to recording with Benny Brown for his new label Quartz Hill Records has allowed them to craft music that cuts to the core of everything Thompson Square is. Indeed, each of Thompson Square’s newest offerings – “Country In My Soul” and “Are We Gonna Dance – celebrate different facets of the pair.
The lead single from their upcoming new project, “Country In My Soul,” plays with breezy, vintage balladry; earthy, down-home licks; and lyrics that are ready to be chanted by stadium crowds. Although co-written by 2022 ACM “Song of the Year” winner Lainey Wilson alongside Daniel Ross (“Had Me at Halftime” – Morgan Wallen) and James McNair (“Lovin’ on You” – Luke Combs), the song mirrors Keifer and Shawna’s own upbringings (in Miami, OK and Chatom, AL respectively), making the song somewhat autobiographical. And it’s a song that is clearly resonating with country fans from coast-to-coast: “Country In My Soul,” charged out of the gate as the No. 2 Most Added Song at U.S. Country Radio upon impact.
Co-written by David Lee Murphy and Jim Collins (the writers behind Thompson Square’s multi-week No. 1 smash “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not),” the beguiling “Are We Gonna Dance” is a duet that revels in the Thompsons’ connection to each other whilst evoking the breathless feeling of the first moments of romance. Keifer and Shawna are, once again proving that they know how to give a crowd exactly what they want: sublime sound and a great story.
From the moment Keifer and Shawna met, playing a game of pool after a show during their first week in Nashville, there has been nothing but electricity coming from Thompson Square. As much as the duo has constantly evolved, in many ways, they’re the same as they’ve ever been. “We’re best friends, and that’s it,” Shawna says, “God just blessed us with each other. We love making music, and to be able to do it together is extra special.”
Get more info on Thompson Square by visiting their website!
Opener – Runaway June
Proclaimed by Billboard as the “Next Hot Trend in Country Music” and likened to The Chicks for a new generation, Runaway June is comprised of Stevie Woodward (lead vocals/guitar/harmonica/piano), Natalie Stovall (vocals/fiddle/guitar), and Jennifer Wayne (vocals/guitar). The trio’s “inescapable talent” (AXS.com) is multiplied by their seamlessly rich, organic harmonies and fiery, western-rooted bluegrass sound. The “Next Women of Country” (CMT) have earned praise from Billboard, Rolling Stone Country, The Huffington Post, Paste, People and more. They’ve made numerous national TV appearances including TODAY, GMA and CMA Country Christmas and have been nominated for ACM Awards and CMT Awards.
Due to their electrifying live show, Runaway June has performed at Stagecoach, C2C Country To Country, and on some of the biggest tours in country music, opening for superstars like Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson and Carrie Underwood. Honored as a coveted “New Face” at the 2020 Country Radio Seminar, the BBR Music Group / Wheelhouse Records trio’s Top 5 single, “Buy My Own Drinks” was the highest charting song by a female group since The Chicks in 2003. Their debut album Blue Roses (2019) received critical acclaim and was included on Rolling Stone’s and Paste Magazine’s best albums of the year lists. Most recently on tour with Luke Bryan’s 2021 Proud To Be Right Here Tour, the award-nominated trio’s bright, rootsy new EP, backstory, is out now.
Get more info on Runaway June by visiting their website!
Opener – Zac Grooms
After winning his first local singing competition in 1998, Zac Grooms has become not only a locally known singer/songwriter/guitarist, but also a Nashville and Northwest recording artist, music producer, and band leader for Northwest country music group Brewer’s Grade Band. Zac has written/co-written over 60 songs including a number one on the independent country charts in 1999 (If I Had My Way), a Christmas song for “The Least Of These” a wonderful independent Christmas movie released in 2019 (Kid at Christmas Time), and a single release by fellow country artist Jessie Leigh called “irresistible”. Zac continues to make a name for himself on the northwest music industry by always finding new ways to create, share, and connect country music in the northwest and west coast.
Get more info on Zac Grooms by visiting his website!
Enjoy a hot, home-style dinner before the big show! With all-day breakfast, mountain-sized nachos, and mouth-watering burgers, The Cascade Grill has something for everyone to enjoy before the big show!
We encourage all our concert attendees to order off the full menu at the Cascade Grill before entering for the show!
Why worry about how you’re getting home when you can stay at our on-site hotel? The Portlander Inn welcomes you to Portland with the cozy feel of a true Northwest lodge. All 100 guest rooms offer refrigerators, microwave ovens, coffee pots, free wireless internet, direct-dial phones with voicemail and televisions with complimentary HBO and Showtime premium channels. Learn more and book your room here.
Event Policies:
ALL PURCHASES ON TICKETS ARE FINAL. There are NO REFUNDS and NO TRANSFERS of tickets with the exception of event cancellations.
Support acts are subject to change.
No re-entry permitted.
21+ event.
If a ticket type is not sold out, there are always tickets available to purchase at the door on the day of the concert.
Questions? Check out the FAQs on the Ponderosa website for answers to the most common questions.