Nashville Parties With Aldean, Bryan, and Alaina

A sold-out crowd surrounded the stage in the Bridgestone Arena Friday night for the My Kinda Party Tour with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Lauren Alaina. The show proudly delivered a hybrid of both the energy of a fully produced Garth Brooks show and pitch-perfect vocals allowing fans the opportunity to let their hair down and satisfy a critic’s pick.

The set list was undeniably country, and rightly so, with all three acts hailing from the state of Georgia. They played to that niche all evening with songs about “Georgia Peaches,” “Drinkin’ Beer and Wastin’ Bullets” and a “Big Green Tractor.”

Alaina skipped onstage wearing a shimmery metallic sundress to perform songs from her post-American Idol release Wildflower. She reflected on her first Idol audition happening in the Bridgestone, “my dream started in this building.”

Though Aldean’s name was on the concert marquee that night, Bryan too easily captivated the arena. The audience shone as brightly the LED stage risers that flashed L-U-K-E as he displayed the hits that put him on the stage. Although he fist-pumped a guitar when he walked onstage, Bryan spent a majority of his set showcasing his charismatic personality. He ran up and down the ramps showing off his tight jeans with enthusiasm for an admiring crowd.

He slowed the tempo only a few times, one to cover Adele’s “Someone Like You” behind a piano, exhibiting a rare and tantalizing falsetto. “In a city of the world’s greatest musicians, I am playing the piano? I suck at the piano!” he said in playful self-deprecation. It was no stretch of the imagination to understand why Bryan’s Spring Break event is so enjoyable, the audience was left burning-hot for Aldean.

Headliner Aldean’s high-octane energy continued the party through his set, which was apparently a night of firsts, “This is the first show we’ve done with fans behind us, and our first full show in Nashville, and it sold out.”

Aldean shared his stage set-up with the two opening acts, but when he appeared beds of intelligent lights aligned to resemble crops planted in a row—perfect for his farm referencing songs “Amarillo Sky” and “Flyover States.”

After a few of his hits on the main stage, Aldean was quickly escorted to an acoustic stage in the back of the arena where was joined by Bryan to duet on Shenandoah’s “Sunday in the South,” Tracy Lawrence’s “Time Marches On,” and Alabama’s “Love in the First Degree.” The pair also played Bryan’s “We Rode in Trucks,” requested by Aldean who said, “this is one of my favorite songs Luke doesn’t play in his set anymore.” The intro to “Don’t You Wanna Stay” brought deafening cheers when Kelly Clarkson surprised the audience for the spot usually covered on tour by Alaina.

The last rows of the balcony danced just as hard as the audience up front, all fueled by the electricity from the stage—everyone came to party. It left us amazed at the effects of electricity.