Live country music lives in South Florida

You just might have to travel a bit to find it.

I love country music, in all its formats, but live country music can be like taking a seat in the middle of a well-rehearsed choir or stepping into a sweaty, blistering honkytonk.

For me, the best sensation is when the rest of the fans disappear and it’s just me and the artist connecting from across the venue.

I’ve got a standard when it comes to evaluating a performance: If the artist cannot make me cry, he or she has missed the mark. Country is inherently emotional music born of authentic story-telling, elaborate imagery and a down-home porch-picked, three-chord melody.

For years, it was my job to keep y’all posted on where your favorite artists were performing. I miss that connection. But mostly I feel remiss — and somehow responsible — that maybe you don’t know that an artist you really like is taking the stage just a couple of towns away.

And South Florida has a lot to offer over the next several months, from massive concert experiences like Tortuga to intimate, acoustic shows. So here it is: Live Country Music from now through September.

Scotty McCreery — Feb. 21, Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, Pompano Beach.

Midland — Feb. 21, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Kelsea Ballerini — Feb. 23, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Rib Round Up featuring Bailey Zimmerman, LoCash, Dylan Marlowe, Chase Matthew, George Birge, Montgomery Gentry — March 1, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach.

The Kenny Rogers Band — March 6, Lyric Theatre, Stuart.

Brett Young — March 7, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

The Kenny Rogers Band — March 10, Eissey Campus Theatre, Palm Beach Gardens.     

Drake White — March 14, Terra Fermata, Stuart.

Scotty Emerick and Mac McAnally Keep the Party Going Tribute to Jimmy Buffett — March 14, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Jake Owen — March 15, Clewiston Sugarfest, Civic Park, Clewiston.

Brady Seals — March 15, Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach.

Joe Nichols — March 22, Torry Island Barbecue Festival at the Torry Island Campground, Belle Glade.

Kameron Marlowe — March 29, MidFlorida Event Center, Port St. Lucie.

Tortuga Music Festival featuring Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Gary Allen, Corey Kent — April 4, on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder — April 8, Lyric Theater, Stuart.

Cooper Alan — April 11, MidFlorida Event Center , Port St. Lucie.

Old Crow Medicine Show — April 17, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach.

Chris Janson — April 18, Abacoa Amphitheatre, Jupiter.

Brian Kelley and Travis Tritt — April 25, Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach.

The Gibson Brothers — April 25, Lyric Theater, Stuart.

Chase Rice — April 26, Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach.

Pure Prairie League — May 16, Lyric Theater, Stuart. 

Post Malone — June 8, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Billy Currington and Kip Moore — June 28, Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton.

Shania Twain — Aug. 1, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Thomas Rhett — Sept. 4, iThink Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach.

Allison Krauss — Sept. 28, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.

Jason Aldean — Oct. 4, iThink Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach.

Chris Stapleton — Oct. 10-11, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood.