Jake Worthington Brilliantly Brings Back Traditional Country Music At Cannery Hall

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Jake Worthington. Photo: Brayln Kelly Smith

Rising country singer Jake Worthington defined the meaning of traditional country music at his sold-out show at Cannery Hall in Nashville last night (Aug. 22). 

As fans entered the newly-renovated concert hall, they were met with intriguing flyers hung up around the room promoting the Big Loud Records artists’ new single. It was revealed during the show that Worthington will be releasing his new song “Hello Shitty Day” on Sept. 27. The track will also feature country superstar Miranda Lambert.

McCoy Moore warmed up the crowd with a slew of original songs including “Good Ole Bars,” “Something To You” and more. Moore got the whole room dancing and singing along to his cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” before closing his set with his slow, melodic track “Bible And A Bar.”

The room was filled with anticipation waiting for Worthington to hit the stage. As the lights dimmed, the speakers were filled with the sound of iconic old school country songs, perfectly setting the tone for the evening. Walking onto the stage in his signature look with a cowboy hat, blue jeans, a button up and boots, Worthington kicked off the night with “Next New Thing.”

Jake Worthington. Photo: Brayln Kelly Smith

After asking the crowd if they were “ready to have a good time tonight,” Worthington was met with an enthusiastic response before going into “Only Way To Find Out.” With the crowd already in the palm of his hand, he shared the news about his next single “Hello Shitty Day,” explaining how Lambert approached him with the song and how he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to record it. Worthington played the tune for the room, marking its live debut.

Cementing himself as a genuine country music singer three songs in, the crowd was ready to hear more as he went into a new unreleased track. Before keeping the party going, Worthington took the time to shout out his friends and family in the room. He then turned the dial up even more by playing his rocking “Night Time Is My Time.” During the song, he had the crowd raise their drinks to a “good night of country music.”

“Usually I’d come all the way from Texas to be here and I did, but the rest of these boys on stage are all Nashville residents,” Worthington said of his incredible band. He then brought Texas to Tennessee with “Ain’t Got You To Hold.” Fans hollered when he started into a favorite in his catalog, “Single At The Same Time,” which he dedicated to all the single people in the crowd.

Jake Worthington. Photo: Brayln Kelly Smith

It was time to slow it down for a bit as Worthington showed off his vocals with “Is It Cold In Here,” a track off Hardy’s Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape. He is featured on the track with Hardy alongside icon Reba McEntire and Joe Diffie. He kept the slow tunes burning with his unreleased “Love So Big.”

Paying tribute to some of his idols, Worthington took some time for a slew of covers, including Merle Haggard’s “Heaven Was A Drink Of Wine” and George Jones’ “White Lightning,” a song both his grandpas used to sing to him when he was younger. After expressing his gratitude to the fans who showed up, he got everyone’s boots stomping to “Honky Tonk Crowd.” 

In another tribute to Jones, Worthington beautifully covered “You’re Still On My Mind.” The reason he decided to cover another Jones song was because he was sharing the stage with Tom Killen, who played steel guitar on the road with Jones for 30 years. Worthington called it an honor to be sharing the stage with him, and the crowd felt the same. He ended his run of covers with “If Drinking Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will).” 

As the night was coming to an end, Worthington still had a lot of energy left in his boots. To close out the set, he sang fan favorite “State You Left Me In,” and everyone sang along. After exiting the stage to a roaring applause, Worthington walked back out with the band for a two-song encore featuring a brand new track off his upcoming album, leaving the crowd in awe as he closed the show.

Madison Hahnen
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