Lady A’s “Need You Now” was a massive crossover hit for the country trio, and the chartbuster sounds even better live. At the close of the North American leg of their 2012 world tour, Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) played a triumphant version of their breakthrough single at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Hillary Scott opens the song with her iconic verse and shows she’s the real deal with a heartfelt vocal that hits even harder than the studio version. Charles Kelley hits the stage when the full band comes in and adds his soulful voice. With such vocal power on one song, it’s no surprise that “Need You Now” went 11 times platinum in the US. Check out the band tearing it up below.
The real treat comes when Scott, Kelley, and rhythm guitarist Dave Haywood sing a gorgeous three-part harmony in the chorus. It doesn’t get any better than this, folks! The band is in fiery form on the live cut as well, with the band’s lead guitarist adding a beautiful slide melody that intertwines so perfectly with the vocal harmony. When a band can deliver onstage like that, there’s absolutely no denying their talent.
The video was a major success for Lady A on YouTube, gaining 93 million views and making it the third most popular video on their channel. Only the studio versions of their platinum hits “Just a Kiss” and “Need You Now” gained more streams on the platform. Another big highlight from Lady A’s live show was the time they sang “You’re Still The One” in Toronto. The Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain, was seen singing along to her own hit from the front row!
Fans poured praise onto Lady A for their live cut of “Need You Now,” adding comments like “Some songs are timeless. This one truly is. What a masterpiece” and “No matter how many times I hear this song, it still sounds as good as the first time I heard it and fell in love with it.”
Lady A wrote “Need You Now” with Nashville songsmith Josh Kear and released it as the lead single from their second studio album of the same name. The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, then crossed over onto the pop charts, becoming a major international hit. “Need You Now” subsequently won four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Hillary Scott commented on the meaning of “Need You Now,” saying, “All three of us know what it’s like to get to that point where you feel lonely enough that you make a late-night phone call that you very well could regret the next day.”
The lyrics might have been a bit different if her bandmate Kelley hadn’t put his foot down, however. Executives at the band’s label initially had reservations about the inclusion of the line “I’m a little drunk” in the chorus, but Kelley thankfully managed to keep them from meddling with the lyrics.