Kane Brown Illuminates Bridgestone During ‘Drunk Or Dreaming Tour’

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Kane Brown performs during his sold-out headlining debut at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Kane Brown

Kane Brown illuminated a sold-out crowd during his headlining debut at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday (March 31). The career milestone served as a stateside stop on his “Drunk or Dreaming Tour,” which commenced down under on Sept. 17 in Melbourne, Australia and made its way to America in mid-March.

LoCash took the Bridgestone stage for the very first time and got the night started with a high-energy rendition of Tim McGraw’s “Truck Yeah,” which the duo co-wrote, and other tunes. The country duo—made up of Preston Brust and Chris Lucas—also took a moment to acknowledge the tragedy that occurred at The Covenant School on Monday, March 27 before playing their latest single “Three Favorite Colors.”

“There’s no way of not talking about what happened [in Nashville] this week, and we hate it. We don’t even know what to say to make things better, but we can say that we’re in the great city of Nashville, Tennessee, and there isn’t one person in here who hasn’t looked up to God and said ‘Please be with those families, please be with those kids.’ We are at a loss for words, everyone in here is at a loss for words.

“This next song is about the United States of America. [The song] is one thing that can bring people together, because there’s ‘that side’ and there’s ‘that side’ and we’ve all got to come together. When America comes together, we always freaking win.”

As the song concluded, the pair gave a shout out to all troops, first responders, doctors, nurses and teachers. They then returned to upbeat covers, performing nostalgic hits such as Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” and Fountains Of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom.”

“This next song changed our lives,” the duo noted as they prepped their newly Platinum-certified hit “I Love This Life,” which they wrote alongside Chris Janson and Danny Myrick. They then led everyone in a chant of, “There ain’t no party like a Kane Brown party, ’cause a Kane Brown party don’t stop,” and encouraged everyone in the crowd to turn their phone flashlights on, irradiating the arena.

Dustin Lynch was next on deck and started his set with the title track of his 2014 album, “Where It’s At.” He then moved straight into his 2022 Platinum smash “Ridin’ Roads” as well as another Where It’s At song “Mind Reader.” Lynch took a swig out of the red solo cup he had next to him as he prepared to sing “Tequila On A Boat (feat. Chris Lane).”

Kane Brown performs with wife Katelyn during his sold-out headlining debut at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Kane Brown

The music gradually began to fade and the infamous intro notes of The Champs‘ “Tequila” filled the room. The artist stated that he needed some help drinking tonight and brought out three cowboy hats for three ladies he picked from the audience below on his right, as well as a beer helmet for a man on his left, who removed the hat already on his head to dawn the contraption. The selected guest started chugging as Lynch and his fellow music lovers cheered him on.

Grabbing his tequila, Lynch returned to the señoritas on the opposite side of the stage and declared “Tequila” to be “the easiest karaoke song on Earth,” leading the mass in a singalong of the chorus as he and the girls drank. He transitioned back to finish his own liquor-filled tune before flowing into his current single “Stars Like Confetti.” The stage ignited as he performed his Gold-certified “Momma’s House” and 2017 track “Small Town Boy.”

The fan-favorite, Platinum smash “Cowboys and Angels” was up next. Lynch shared that he wrote about his grandparents who’ve been married for 67 years, and that they plan on coming to watch him perform at the Grand Ole Opry on April 11 to celebrate their 68th anniversary on April 12.

“As we’ve played this song over the years, it has evolved from their love song into teaching me and [my band] lessons along the way. [One lesson] is that the journey of life is beautiful, the journey of life is exciting, and for whatever reason, all of our journeys brought us here tonight in this room together,” he stated.

“This song, for me, has evolved again, it has been a tough week for Nashville, but I’m proud of Nashville. I’m proud of the first responders. So because this song means something different tonight, I’m going to sing the rest of it for this city tonight. We love you guys,” Lynch continued as moved into the latter half of the hit. He shouted out his family and friends who were present and played “Good Girl,” noting that it is his mother’s favorite.

Lynch proceeded by bringing four fans up to play beer pong for a chance to win two 12-packs as he sang “Party Mode.” He announced the winners and took a “family photo” with all of the players as he finished the song. Sporting fun, patterned cowboy boots with black cut-off shorts and printed tank top, MacKenzie Porter joined Lynch on stage to conclude his set with their No. 1 duet “Thinking ‘Bout You,” which had the crowd singing and swaying along.

After a short intermission, the room went black, and the wristbands each attendee had accessorized with upon entering Bridgestone began to glow as light beams penetrated through the venue. Black, white and red images of Brown appeared on the two screens hanging above the stage. A bright light shone through the path in between the screens and Brown made his way on stage, greeted by screams as cheers. As he hit the ground running with “Lose It,” flames shot up around him.

Kane Brown performs with Dustin Lynch and LoCash during his sold-out headlining debut at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Kane Brown

Programmed to the concert, the wristbands switched from blue to green as Brown performed “Grand,” a genre-mixing track off of his most recent album, Different Man. He thanked everyone for coming and asked that we all give it up for LoCash and Lynch before singing his No. 1 single “Like I Love Country Music,” which is also featured on Different Man. The beaming bracelets radiated yellow as he wrapped up the hit, but quickly changed to a pinkish-purple as he moved into he and Chris Young‘s “Famous Friends,” tossing T-shirts into the arena as he serenaded the mass.

Brown then asked if anyone struggled with depression or anxiety, and shared an empathetic message of hope and encouragement to those battling as he sang he and Blackbear‘s “Memory,” a song about coping with mental struggles. He danced back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, engaging with his spirited fans.

Blue bracelets brightened the stands once again as Brown checked in with crowd before acoustic guitar strums echoed the start of “Be Like That (feat. Swae Lee & Khalid).” Confetti shot into the air, eliciting screams of surprise and excitement.

An intergalactic array of beats beeped throughout the venue and the red laser beams returned for a short period. Blue beams then took over and the screens behind Brown depicting a watery image of a man floating in a pool as he sang his 2016 Chapter 1 EP track “Used to Love You Sober.”

The stage turned a fiery orange while he sweetly dedicated “Homesick” to “anyone that has ever fought for our country.” Brown kept the vibes soft and smooth as sat down in a chair, placed in the middle of the long platform extending into the audience, for “Heaven.” White lights sprinkled throughout every corner moved back and forth as arms waved calmly to the rhythm of the music and everyone sang along.

Hot pink flared from each wrist as an edgy-yet-relaxed energy engulfed the atmosphere with Brown’s newest single “Bury Me in Georgia.” Stomp vibrations shook ground underneath and fire sprayed from the stage with the tune’s fiddle-filled finish. Audience members sang along with smiles as he sang “One Thing Right,” which he recorded with DJ and producer Marshmello.

Kane Brown autographs mementos during his sold-out headlining debut at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Kane Brown

He reminisced on the early days of his career and his time spent posting covers on Facebook, while delighting with Lynyrd Skynrd‘s “Simple Man” and Garth Brooks‘ “Friends In Low Places.” Expressing his gratitude for all the women in his life, he entertained a rendition of Shania Twain‘s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!.”

Waves crashed onto the screens as Brown performed his first No. 1 “What Ifs (feat. Lauren Alaina).” His wife Katelyn dazzled in a purple two-piece set as she united with him for heartwarming performance of their Platinum-certified duet “Thank God.” The couple also performed the song during the CMT Music Awards last night (April 2), which Brown co-hosted, and took home Video of the Year for the song’s music video.

He asked the crowd to “give it up for [his] beautiful wife,” before bringing LoCash and Lynch back out for the finale of his No. 1 “One Mississippi.”

Multi-colored lights shined as the ensemble had everyone jumping, dancing and singing along with them as they moved to and from each side of the stage. The stars ended together on one elevated platform above the audience, earning an electric reaction. After the show concluded, Brown remained on stage for several minutes to interact with fans and autograph mementos, putting his love and appreciation on full display.

Brown, Lynch and LoCash will continue on the “Drunk or Dreaming Tour” next week.

Liza Anderson
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