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Phil Vassar crowdsources setlist in Hanover


Country music star Phil Vassar thinks musicians get in a rut sometimes. They have their setlist, they play it on stage and that's the end of it.

"A lot of people do the same show every night, and it is boring," he said.

But it doesn't have to be that way- a fact Vassar has demonstrated at his recent shows.

Vassar, who will perform at Hanover's Eichelberger Performing Arts Center on Thursday, uses social media to crowdsource his performances. Audience members tweet their song requests, and Vassar plays what they want to hear.

"It's kind of like a storyteller's setup," he explained. "I like going out there and being spontaneous."

The award-winning singer-songwriter is no stranger to the concert scene. His career in music took off in the mid-'90s when he wrote country hits like Alan Jackson's "Right on the Money," Tim McGraw's "For a Little While" and Collin Raye's "Little Red Rodeo," according to his website.

He has also made a name for himself with his own recording career, performing songs like "Carlene," "Just Another Day in Paradise" and "Six-Pack Summer."

Although his music leans toward the country genre, he said he prefers not to label himself as any one style.

During performances, he tends to stick to his own songs, he said, but his fans do occasionally submit the odd requests for covers - including songs by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.

Those, he usually declines.

"Ever since I hit puberty I just can't sing that high," he joked.

Vassar, a Virginia native who now lives in Nashville around stars like Sheryl Crow, said sharing his music is all he has ever wanted to do.

"I've been playing long enough to know I don't want to do anything else," he said.

If you go

What: Phil Vassar at Eichelberger Performing Arts Center

When: Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.

Where: 195 Stock St., Hanover

Tickets: $30 orchestra/balcony, $35 preferred at www.theeich.org