Kane Brown Allows His Authenticity To Shine During First-Ever Headlining Bridgestone Arena Concert

If there’s anything to say about Kane Brown’s Drunk or Dreaming Tour, it’s that a fun time is guaranteed. 

On Friday, March 31, the country star made a stop in Nashville, TN for his first solo headlining show at Bridgestone Arena. Throughout his set, Brown pledged to host a great night, and he delivered that plus more. 

Before stepping on stage, he and his wife, Katelyn were honored with a certified platinum plaque for their first-ever duet, “Thank God.” While accepting this milestone achievement alongside her other half, Katelyn became flooded with emotions.

“Clearly when we recorded this song a year ago, never in my life did I ever expect everything like this and everything to be happening. So, thank you. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to do this with my best friend, Kane, My husband is the love of my life,” she said before tears began to pool in her eyes as she looked to her duet partner with great pride. 

“I’m just happy for her,” Kane added. “Thanks, Sony, for everything you do and everybody else that’s in here that’s a part of this. I appreciate you guys. I’m just super excited for her, so good job, babe.”

The U.S. leg of Brown’s massive headlining trek launched on March 16, 2023, with a total of 23 cities on the books. He brought special guests Dustin Lynch and LOCASH to help get the party started in Nashville. LOCASH brought their usual high energy to the stage as they got the crowd on their feet in anticipation for the night ahead. 

Dustin Lynch flipped the switch to “Party Mode” as he drank some tequila with a set of lucky fans in the front row, and even hosted a beer pong tournament right on stage. His set wouldn’t have been complete without a surprise visit from his duet partner, MacKenzie Porter to sing their No. 1 hit, “Thinking ‘Bout You.’ 

At 9:15, a countdown appeared on the big screens of the arena, letting the excited audience know that the main portion of the show was about to begin. Kane Brown kicked things off with a fiery performance of his chart-topping hit, “Lose It.” For the duration of about one hour, the multi-platinum artist dominated the stage with a career-spanning setlist of nearly 20 songs. 

“Man, I’m so excited to play here,” Brown said to the Music City crowd as he took a second to acknowledge the milestone performance. “Thank you guys so much for coming out.”

He showed off his diverse skills in “Grand” before tipping his hat to musical legends in his nostalgic “Like I Love Country Music,” and singing along with the crowd to “Famous Friends” as he launched T-shirts out into the crowd. 

Brown then prefaced his next song, “Memory” by recognizing his battle with depression and encouraging others on the same journey to seek help when needed. 

“If you do go through the depression, it’s not your life. It’s just something that you just, you gotta deal with,” he said before adding, “My wife goes through anxiety. We always try to talk each other out of it, it’s really hard, but that’s what this song’s about. Just know that you’re not alone, there’s a lot of people that go through it in the world. Talk to anybody close, talk to anybody that can understand you.”

The audience soaked up every lyric and every note that Brown sang from the heart, as he allowed himself to be vulnerable on such a personal topic. 

From his self-titled debut album all the way through his latest collection, Different Man, Fans got a taste of each of his projects through songs like “Homesick,” “Used To Love You Sober,” “Heaven,” his first No. 1, “What Ifs” and his latest single, “Bury Me In Georgia.”

In the midst of his set, the country star took a moment to remember where he came from and shared how he got started singing covers. Sitting down with his guitar in hand, Brown confessed that he might need a bit of help from the audience as this medley of covers was not as rehearsed as the rest of the show. 

“How many people know how I got started doing music? If you don’t know, I was doing covers on Facebook. I eventually went and bought a guitar and moved in with my nana when I was like 19 or 20. I learned guitar, as much as I could on YouTube,” he shared. “George Strait was the one that made me go viral. I did everybody, Justin Moore, I did Sam Hunt, I did Garth Brooks…Every country artist you could name I was doing their songs on Facebook. I probably had like 500 covers, and then I got my record deal here in Nashville, thank you guys so much.”

He started off with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” before going into Garth Brooks’ classic, “Friends In Low Places,” and Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” as a tribute to all the women in his life, from those that helped raised him to his wife and two daughters. 

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Since partnering up with Katelyn, for their romance-filled ballad, “Thank God,” it’s become a regular part of Brown’s show to bring out his wife to perform the song with him. This night was no different. A spotlight hit where smoke began to rise as the pair rose up from underneath the stage. Without missing a beat Kane and Katelyn professed their love for each other while dancing around the excited crowd and holding each other close. 

A new tradition he started on this night was welcoming his openers Dustin Lynch and LOCASH out to join forces on his seventh No. 1 and upbeat party anthem, “One Mississippi.” As the artists spread out on stage, making sure every section of fans was covered, they took turns singing the fan-favorite lyrics.

“I just wanna say from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for coming out tonight,” Brown said to the packed-out arena before singing his final song of the night, “Good As You.” After this powerful rendition, the singer/songwriter showed his appreciation for fans as he stuck around for a few minutes to take selfies and sign posters, hats and other various items that were held up to him. 

Kane Brown proved not only that he’s an incredible artist and performer, but also that he’s not afraid to be his most authentic self with his fans. Whether he’s performing slow, personal ballads or uptempo dance tracks, Brown gives it all he’s got. 

Following this performance, he will make his way to Austin, TX, where he will serve as a co-host of the 2023 CMT Awards alongside Kelsea Ballerini.

Austin’s first major televised awards will air LIVE from Moody Center on Sunday, April 2nd (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). The event, country’s only entirely fan-voted award show, will premiere on the CBS network and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Brown also has several more stops to make on his Drunk or Dreaming Tour .

In addition to these headlining dates, the singer will also perform at several upcoming festivals, including Stagecoach (Apr. 29), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (May 4-7), iHeartCountry Music Festival (May 13), Gulf Coast Jam (Jun. 4), The Country Fest (Jun. 15), Tailgate N’ Tallboys Bloomington (Jun. 16), and more.

See a full list of Kane Brown’s upcoming tour dates.