.jpeg "Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter)") |
| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Lainey Wilson brought her “Country’s Cool Again” Tour to the Toyota Pavilion at Concord Friday night - standing atop a big red pickup truck performing a rocking version of “Hang Tight Honey” that started a cascade of songs that thrilled a sold-out crowd and showcased her energy, likability and talent.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Wilson’s amphitheater level popularity may be relatively recent, but she’s been at this since 8th grade. Now thirty-two, she has reached her highest level of success with huge crowds and five 2023 CMA Awards – including entertainer of the year. She released her fifth album just the day before the Concord show. “We put out a record yesterday called Whirlwind because that’s exactly how it’s felt…I encourage y’all to keep your people close.” After performing versions of “Straight Up Sideways” and “Smell Like Smoke,” she donned a guitar to sing “Dirty Looks" and then brought out support act Jackson Dean for a terrific, playful version of “Good Horses” that had the crowd singing along as the two sat on the back tailgate of the red pickup truck at center stage.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The red pickup served as the centerpiece of the concert – constantly being turned and manipulated to offer a variety of performance spaces and accents. Wilson sat in the back of the truck, surrounded by baskets of flowers with her acoustic guitar as she delivered a version of “Things a Man Oughta Know” that had most of the crowd singing along and seemed to have Wilson on the verge of tearing up while the crowd roared in appreciation. “Like a redneck choir,” she said thanking the crowd.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Y’all crazy down front. Real crazy,” she said switching gears and signing hats for some lucky fans in the front. Indeed, crowd members seeking to have their hats signed were a constant presence throughout the performance of both Wilson and even more so during Dean's set. On the one hand, it was a great example of modern country artists seeking to have direct connections with their fans when so many other large acts seem bent on keeping the crowd at a distance. However, it was also a distraction at times, interrupting the performance. At one point, Dean was smashed in the face with a large white cowboy hat thrown aggressively from his blind side.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“We played this song for the first time last night,” Wilson told the crowd as she introduced “Middle of It” off the new album. “This song is so special to me. My daddy was going through a really hard time and actually, the woman who saved his life is here tonight…There is something about the naïve part of life that keeps us going. I’m sure there are lots of people out there tonight who feel like they are stuck in the middle of it and I hope this song helps them like it helped me.”
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
After a dynamic version of “Middle of It,” Wilson and her band played a huge version of the title track off the new album. “Whirlwind” saw her working her way out to the very edge of the stage – within inches of her fans. The pickup again took center stage as Wilson sat in it as a large moving road scene was projected behind her and side screens projected views of her from within the car as she sang her hit “Heart Like a Truck.” The effect was very cool live and once she exited the truck the song turned into a giant sing and wave-along with the entire crowd.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Bar in Baton Rouge” saw Wilson drop to her knees at center stage to belt the song out and then once again get the crowd’s arms up and moving. “I can’t move a mountain, but I can sure as hell move on,” she told the crowd – opening a beer and taking a sip before she and the band unleashed an admirable cover of “Proud Mary.” She danced atop the truck for “Ring Finger” and was lit only as a silhouette atop to issue the song’s final retort of “He got the bird.”
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
During “Atta Girl” Wilson took a young woman’s phone to do a selfie video for her and then sought out the “Cowgirl of the night” – recognizing a young girl in the front with a sign as large as her who was attending her first concert ever. It was a touching moment as Wilson did a “repeat after me” of positive mantras with the girl before giving her a white hat and helping her back to the crowd.
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Watermelon Moonshine” was accompanied by a gorgeous background on the screen of a field with a large barn and rolling hills behind it, before Wilson paid tribute to country acts that came before her. “We’re gonna’ take it back to 1951” she told the crowd and then started her medley with “Hey Good Lookin’.” It was followed by covers of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Women Enough” featuring a great organ solo, “Take this Job and Shove It” with opener Zach Top joining her, “Forever and Ever, Amen” and finally “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” She finished the main set with her “country big sister” Miranda Lambert’s “Kerosene” and “Country’s Cool Again.”
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| Lainey Wilson @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Wilson performed shortened versions of three of her most popular songs seated in the back of the truck with only her acoustic guitar to start the encore. “Never Say Never,” “Wait in the Truck” and “Save Me” – a Jelly Roll song she performed on were all delivered beautifully before the full band joined to finish the show with 4 x 4 x U and an over the top, powerful version of “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” that saw the show reach a huge crescendo before sending everyone off into the night.
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| Zach Top @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Earlier, Zach Top had opened the show. In an era of country meets alternative meets rap, Top stood out as a throwback with a deep twang to his voice and a strong lean into his telecaster. He has a honky-type vibe that Wilson said, “reminds me of country music to its core.” Top and his band performed a short, clean 20-minute set that was very well-received by the early arrivers in the crowd.
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| Jackson Dean @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Direct support act Jackson Dean was impressive and in contrast to the throwback-style of Top was a glowing example of new country. Dean’s talent and charisma were unquestionable as he wowed the audience with hard rockers and ballads alike. “Heavens to Betsy” – a song Dean said was about redemption – was a stunner with beautiful acoustic guitar and harmonizing vocals setting up for the full band’s powerful finish.
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| Jackson Dean @ the Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Everyone you see is from the state of Maryland,” Dean told the Concord crowd. “We all grew up there. Thank you for loving live acts and live music. It’s such a huge feeling to be out here with all the reverberations.” His vocal talent and power were reminiscent of Chris Stapleton and the band had an intoxicating swagger while having fun with both themselves and the crowd. Dean has the voice and looks the part of a BIG thing to come in country music.
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