‘Gabbie Rae’ covers United States with Europe

“Gabbie Rae” Trial likes seeing the United States with Europe.

The once-little girl synonymous with the big voice has been opening this past month on dates cross country for Europe, a Swedish pop-metal group that first made earth move in the mid-1980s with “The Final Countdown,” also the theme for a GEICO car insurance ads these past few months.

Trial returns for her own free concert Friday evening at Hard Rock Cafe at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, in between Europe tour dates Thursday in Orlando, Fla., and Saturday in Atlanta.

Calling Jan. 21 on a day off from the tour, Trial said since settling in Los Angeles, after her family moved west from the Grand Strand, the West Coast’s “entirely different way of living” and weather have agreed with her. Spending the past 3 1/2 years building connections in a hub for world entertainment, Trial said she first met members of Europe last year on a cruise, and the invitation later to join the band on tour stoked her.

“I remember getting the phone call,” she said, calling “Carrie” a favorite song from growing up hearing all her parents’ music. “I was jumping up and down.”

Trial said that in the five years living between Conway and Murrells Inlet till 2011, “I was always performing.” Whether solo or with a band, she said learned flexibility and perseverance, and versatility with music –with a blues band one night, and another group the next, maybe covering hits by such artists as Maroon 5.

“So many things can happen on stage,” she said. “One time, a lighting system fell on me, but I still kept going.”

Lessons on how “this can happen, and that is what you should not do” were learned, Trial said, reflecting on her entry into teenhood and “how it matured me.”

This new year remains packed for Trial, part of an Axes & Anchors Rock Music Cruise from Miami, among 30 arts including Breaking Benjamin and Zakk Wylde. She also will play the M3 Rock Festival in late April in Maryland, and the “Rock im Tal (Rock in the Valley)” June 11 in Switzerland. Work on an album also continues, full of new, original music, as well.

Identifying herself as a “huge ... very loyal” fan – along with “most of my band members” – of her hometown New England Patriots, Trial treasured the honor of singing the national anthem Dec. 20 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., before the four-time NFL champion team’s final regular season home game, a 33-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Speaking on the “incredible experience” with close to 70,000 people in attendance, Trial said belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” could not be more different than “rockin’ on stage” accompanied by a band.

“Singing that,” she said, “it’s just you, and everything else is completely silent, and everyone is just staring at you.”

With a personal security guard “that entire day,” Trial was thankful to go sightseeing in and out stadiumwide, especially to “stand behind the Super Bowl trophies and take a photo.”

Trial keeps her kid side shining, too. She said she keeps up with online, high school courses with which “I will be done very soon.” Also, on the roster of ambassadors for Free2Luv.org, she’s happy to remind everyone through billboard and public service announcements that “Friends don’t let friends bully.”

The Rev. Spider (Lee) Webb of Socastee, known for his concerts across the Strand with the Boogie Blues Revue, banded together with various local and special guest musicians in 2014 to throw Trial her “Sweet 16 Birthday Bash” at Jay’s in Little River, where she played many times.

“It ended up being a tremendous show,” Webb said, “with a tremendous musical jam at the end.”

Webb said that gig turned extra memorable because he felt then, “that this might be one of the last times she’ll be in town.”

Thankful for his own parents’ encouragement and support to make music with friends as a teen – and saluting Heidi-Lynn and Roger Trial for their full support in their daughter’s pursuit – Webb said he and fellow musicians who have played with Gabbie Rae Trial can “see ourselves in her” with her quest.

Webb said they always have wished Trial well and look forward to seeing her “get over the top,” because “she has the talent to do it.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "‘Gabbie Rae’ covers United States with Europe."