Matthew Ramsey, center, digs into some serious guitar licks during his band Old Dominion's show to open the four-day Country Thunder Music Festival in Florence Thursday afternoon. The band set the bar high for the night's headliner. 

FLORENCE — Old Dominion opened the 2015 Country Thunder Festival this afternoon with a show that might just be a bar-setter.

The quintet, led by rocking frontman Matthew Ramsey, had the early afternoon crowd on its feet as it ripped through songs that nicely balanced what we like about country music and what we like about pop.

There was some guitar shredding solos and percussion blasts on the punky "I Get Drunk" and some old-soul country on "Nowhere Fast."

Ramsey and Co. kicked the notion of a slow, quiet start to the four-day festival right in the backside. 

Stay tuned for more reviews. Follow Cathalena E. Burch on Twitter @Starburch for an all-access glimpse of the festival.


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