Gloriana, a country band from Nashville, played a concert in the Leggett and Platt gym on Wednesday night drawing a huge crowd of fans.

The concert, hosted by the campus activities board, was held as part of Missouri Southern’s 75th  Year Anniversary celebrations that have been taking place all week.

The show kicked off at 7 p.m. with opening act Sara Haze.  She performed her hit song ‘Moonshine.’ The song is on the Safe Haven soundtrack, a movie based on the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name.  She sang many other fan favorites including “I Want You Anyway,” “Hand-Me-Down,” and “Firefly.”

Gloriana hit the stage around 8, and before long everyone was on their feet.  The trio, made up of Tom Gossin, Mike Gossin and Rachel Reinert, performed “Wild At Heart,” “Carolina Rose,” “Turn My World Around” and several others.  About halfway through the concert they busted out their most recent single “Can’t Shake You” from their second album A Thousand Miles Left Behind.   This song has been steadily climbing the charts this year and currently has a music video on rotation on CMT.  Throughout the show, Gloriana got the audience involved with sing alongs, clapping, and even asked everyone to hold up their phones for a big light show.

“I liked the sound of it.  It sounded pretty good, the light show was pretty good, and overall it was really fun for my first concert,” said Joseph Stol, a Webb City High School student. They also covered “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel, “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and a mash-up of “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp with “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen.   

“It was awesome.  I loved it. I love all their songs and the covers too.  I hope they bring another concert in next year,” said Mallory Robertson, a health promotion and wellness major.

Gloriana rounded out the evening playing their biggest hit to date, “(Kissed You) Goodnight.”  The single is Gloriana’s fastest rising song on the charts and was the number five most played song on country radio in 2012.  

The band’s success has been on a steady incline since they formed in Nashville in 2008.  They released their first, self-titled album in 2009 which went to number two on the Billboard Country Albums Charts.  The same year, they began a two-year tour with Taylor Swift.  They have since opened for Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band and Brooks & Dunn.  

In 2010, Gloriana won an American Music Award for Breakthrough Artist and an American Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Group.  Last year, they were nominated for three American Country Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year;  Single of the Year from a Breakthrough Artist for “(Kissed You) Goodnight”;  Best Music Video by a Group or Collaboration for “(Kissed You) Goodnight.