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FARMVILLE – The show started with a map lesson and some Bible verses. As Oliver Anthony took the stage at Farmville’s North Street Press Club, he pointed out how crazy it was that the online comments have already labeled him as being from “Appalachia”. 

“They’re talking about ‘oh this is the best music to come out of Appalachia in however many years’,” Anthony said. “It’s like, do ya’ll look on a map? We’re in Farmville, this ain’t Appalachia.”

It’s one of several assumptions that people have taken and run with since the Prince Edward County resident’s song “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral. For anybody scratching their heads, Farmville is a bit too far east to be labeled Appalachia. There are 25 counties in Virginia that qualify for that label, the majority of which are in the southwest portion of the state. Farmville, and the surrounding area, is part of Central Virginia, or referred to as the Heart of Virginia, depending on who you’re talking to.  

Oliver Anthony gets started 

But back to the concert. On Tuesday, Anthony debuted a new song called “I Want To Go Home”. He started off with that on Wednesday night, introducing it by reading a passage from the Bible. Anthony read from Revelations 21:1-8. In case you’re wondering what that says, here you go. 

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

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The show goes on

Not offering any comment after reading, Anthony just went directly into “I Want To Go Home”, supported by accompanist Joey Davis. 

Beyond that, it was pretty much an ordinary country music concert, as Anthony went back and forth, talking with the audience between songs. Back at the North Street Press Club, where he’s performed before, Anthony surveyed the crowd, to see how many were Longwood University vs. Hampden-Sydney College. The two schools are both in Prince Edward County and Anthony joked that he would have been a Longwood student, if he hadn’t dropped out in high school. 

Otherwise, it was a night filled with guitar solos, viral songs and a crowd that seemed to know the lines of each one by heart. 

What about the crowd? 

People started lining up for this one hours before the show actually started. By 5 p.m., the line stretched down from North Street Press Club about a quarter mile to Third Street. With 300 tickets sold, concert goers filled up public parking lots at the Farmers Market and just down the road on Main Street. Some groups nearby also opened up their parking lots, charging $10 just down from the venue. North Street also launched a livestream of the concert, which at one point drew 5,000 people from across the country. Some posted they were watching from southern California, Colorado, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Northern Maine and North Carolina also were represented in the viewing party. 

“He describes what’s happening to his generation and what’s happening to working class people all over the country,” Elizabeth Walsh told The Herald. The 55-year-old from New York said she felt bad for young men right now. “Between the economy and the opioid epidemic, they have been beat up. I hope this song becomes their anthem.” 

The song she was referring to was “Rich Men North of Richmond”, which as of Wednesday morning was sitting comfortably atop Apple Music’s Top 100, in both the U.S. and global markets. That’s a big enough challenge, but Oliver Anthony topped it by doing something no other musician has. ‘Rich Men’ debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, the first time that’s happened for a singer with no record label or chart history. He’s also just the sixth person to debut their first single at number 1. The other names aren’t bad company to be in. That includes people like Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, Zayn Malik and Fantasia Barrino. 

Saving Oliver Anthony from aliens

Before and after the show, Anthony spent time with a number of concert goers. Some just wanted a hug, while others talked about a variety of subjects. He said during the show there’s been some interesting reactions to his music. 

“I’ve had a lot of fans reach out, which has been nice,” Anthony said. “But the most interesting one, I had a nice lady drive about five hours down here to tell me about the aliens. I really appreciated her looking out.”

BRIAN CARLTON is the regional editor for Farmville Newsmedia, LLC. He can be reached at Brian.Carlton@FarmvilleHerald.com.