It may be only early March, but Dustin Lynch has already had a whirlwind of a year so far with the release of his highly-anticipated new album, Tullahoma. After releasing the 11-track project in January, Lynch is now taking his new tunes on the road with his headlining Stay Country Tour with special guest Travis Denning.
The lastest run found the Stay Country Tour making its way to Bensalem, Penn. for a sold-out show at the Parx Casino’s Xcite Center.
Lynch kicked off his high-energy, 20-song set with his seventh No. 1 single “Ridin’ Roads,” and the crowd immediately erupted as his silhouette appeared center stage.
The Grand Ole Opry member brought Tullahoma to life within his 90-minute performance, getting personal with the crowd as he told some emotional stories between songs. This included a beautiful, stripped-down rendition of “Cowboys & Angels,” which ended with a tear-filled mention of his friend’s brother who passed from cancer earlier in the day.
“Tonight before I got on stage, I got a call,” he said as tears welled up in his eyes. “One of my good buddy’s brother just passed earlier today, so I want to do one more chorus for those two tonight. Cancer sucks. This goes out to Nick.”
He then asked the crowd to help him sing as he was “clearly up here in tears” and a “mess.” The song, originally written about Lynch’s grandparents’ love story, took on a whole new meaning during this poignant moment.
His set also featured a slew of songs from Tullahoma, including the anthemic “Momma’s House,” “Red Dirt, Blue Eyes,” “Dirt Road,” “Good Girl,” the aforementioned “Ridin’ Roads” and more. He, of course, also included fan-favorite hits like “Small Town Boy,” “Seein’ Red,” “Where It’s At,” “Mind Reader” and “Hell Of A Night.”
The country star even offered a perfectly blended mix of “I’d Be Jealous Too” with Maroon 5’s “This Love,” a surprising mix that worked well.
A true entertainer, Lynch worked the stage like a pro, flashing his signature smile throughout the evening.
“I love that I am able to sing country music for a living, you know why? Because live country music is the one place we can be in the moment and not think about anything else in the world,” Lynch shared from the stage. “We don’t think about yesterday, we don’t think about tomorrow, we think about you guys and we are with you guys on this wave link right now, connecting and making a memory, hopefully having some damn fun.”
Another highlight of Lynch’s set was when he brought a fan named Elisa onstage to fill in for Lauren Alaina on their collaborative track “Thinking ‘Bout You.” Elisa knew every word and sang with Lynch through sheer excitement.
The show’s production value was very impressive, with Lynch bringing an arena-sized show into a more intimate setting. In fact, the production was so big that the power even blew out during his set for a few minutes. He brought along a massive lighting rig which filled the backdrop of his stage as well as lasers, which made for some remarkable visuals throughout the set.
Travis Denning opened the show with a 30-minute set that had his guitar skills on full display. Performing songs like “ABBY,” “Heartbeat Of A Small Town,” and “Tank Of Gas And A Radio Song,” Denning had fans on their feet singing along the entire time he was on stage. It was clear that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed Denning’s set, especially by the way fans reacted to his latest radio hit, “After A Few,” and debut single, “David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs.”
Denning returned to the stage later in the evening, joining Lynch for a rollicking cover of Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man.”
Dustin Lynch’s Stay Country Tour runs through late March. Lynch also will be hitting the road with Old Dominion and Carly Pearce this Spring/Summer on the We Are Old Dominion Tour which kicks off on May 5 in Key West, FL.
Travis Denning
Dustin Lynch
