Riley Green Takes Over Chicago With Sold-Out Show Ahead Of ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ Album Release

Just days before dropping his latest album, Don’t Mind If I Do, Riley Green took a trip to Chicago, IL to treat fans to a special show at Joe’s On Weed St.

The country star tapped into his “Duckman” nickname as he made his usual entrance with a loud duck call. The sold-out crowd packed even closer to the stage once they heard the call, letting them know that the show was about to begin. At approximately 8:30 PM, Green stepped up to the mic and immediately provoked a sing-along among concertgoers with his delivery of “Different ‘Round Here.” 

“What’s up? How y’all doing?” he while raising his shot-sized solo cup and encouraged the crowd to do the same with their drinks. “This is a special place, we’re glad to be back at Joe’s.”

The Alabama native kicked off the night by reaching a few years back into his catalog to showcase fan-favorites like “If It Wasn’t For Trucks,” his collaboration with Thomas Rhett, “Half Of Me,” “Outlaws Like me” and “Georgia Time.” It wouldn’t be true Riley Green show without at least one bra being thrown on stage and on this night, it happened at the perfect time, during his delivery of the sultry tune, “When She Comes Home Tonight” off 2018’s Outlaw’s Like Us EP.

The other half of the 20-song setlist was occupied by tracks off Green’s new project. The first new song of the night was his single “Damn Good Day To Leave.” He amplified this performance by asking one of the songwriters on the track, Erik Dylan, to join him on stage and help sing the track that has been causing a buzz among his fanbase for its catchy lyrics and upbeat tune. 

Fans also got to sing along to many of the advanced releases like “Way Out Here,” “Rather Be,” and “Worst Way.” Plus, there was one song in particular off the album that he played for the very first time – “Change My Mind.”

“This is the truth, we’ve never played this song before. Y’all are gonna get to hear us play it for the first time and I’m gonna make apologies now if I mess it up, but I don’t really care this is fun,” he shared.

After singing his current viral hit with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” Green traded in his baseball cap for a cowboy hat to sing his renditions of the Toby Keith classics, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “Courtesy of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American).”

Green then sent his band off stage so he could sit down for a brief acoustic set of two more new tracks off the album, “Jesus Saves” and the title track, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” The energy was brought back into the house when his guitar players and drummer returned to close out the set with high energy performances. He signed off after “There Way This Girl,” but the loud “Riley” chant that ripped through the crowd got him back on stage for “Grandpas Never Die.” 

His Alabama roots came out strong as he opted to add one more song to the setlist last minute. Because his Chicago fans proved that their love for country music runs deep, he closed things out with a cover of Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight.” 

“I gotta be honest with y’all, that was supposed to be the last one, but you mind if I do one more?” he asked, receiving cheers in approval. He then commended the room on how well they’ve been able to sing each song back to him, especially the classic covers, challenged them to sing even louder with “Dixieland Delight” than his fans in Alabama do.

It was clear through the roar of excitement that flowed through the crowd and the smile on Green’s face during the performance that Chicago did him proud. 

With one last wave of his hat, Green gave his final sendoff of the night as he said, “Thank y’all so much, Joe’s we had a blast tonight. Thank y’all for hanging out with us, I appreciate it.”

The evening was presented by US99 as part of their Low Dough Show series, which offers tickets to fans at a discounted rate. A portion of proceeds are then donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Prior to Green stepping on stage, the country radio hosts, led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to the country star, who celebrated both his album release and his birthday a few days later on October 18. 

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Don’t Mind If I Do features 18 tracks, including several songs off on his previously released Way Out Here EP. Fans also got to look forward to two collaborations: “Reel Problems” featuring Luke Bryan and the title track, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” featuring Green’s friend, tour mate, and “You Look Like You Love Me” duet partner, Ella Langley. 

Last month, Riley Green also announced that he will be embarking on a headline run in 2025 with his duet partner, Ella Langley. The Damn Country Music Tour launches March 27 in Abbotsford, BC, Canada, and make several stops throughout Canada before returning to the States on May 1 for a show in Athens, Georgia. The tour will continue through August 23, when it’s set to wrap up in Nampa, Idaho.  

Special guests include Vincent Mason, Mike Ryan, Lauren Watkins, Drake White, Jake Worthington, Preston Cooper, Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin, and Channing Wilson.