Dylan Gossett Lets His Performing Power Shine At Ryman Auditorium Debut

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Dylan Gossett during his Ryman Auditorium performance. Photo: Jessie Addleman

Just six months after his sold-out show at Exit/In, Dylan Gossett stepped onto the historic Ryman Auditorium stage to headline for the first time Wednesday night (Oct. 23) in front of another sold-out crowd as part of his “The Back 40 Tour.”

To open up the night, country singer James Tucker treated fans to his crafty and soul-stirring original songs, including “Parts Of Me,” “The Light” and “October.” After amping everyone up with his opening three tracks, he flawlessly covered Tyler Childers’ “Whitehouse Road,” before singing two songs he wrote for his wife, “Stay Home Tonight” and “Take Me As I Am.”

Dylan Gossett during his Ryman Auditorium performance. Photo: Jessie Addleman

With the audience fully engaged, Tucker began to perform his unreleased “Raised Us,” which he wrote in his grandparents home while sheltering from the recent hurricanes. After the emotional performance, Tucker ended his set showing off his vocals with “Those Days” and “Man I Am,” before leading a sing along to Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watch Tower” to end his set.

Anticipation was buzzing around the auditorium as fans eagerly awaited Gossett to take the stage. When the lights went out, the singer’s band led a short jam session before the Big Loud Texas/Mercury Records singer appeared with his guitar and opened the night with “Stronger Than A Storm,” off the soundtrack for Twisters.

After addressing the crowd, Gossett pulled out his signature Texas sound with “Lone Ole Cowboy.” A roar of approval ripped through the room, and the singer-songwriter paused to take in the moment.

“This might be one of the most special shows we’ve ever played,” he said. “This is our first time ever playing here at the Ryman, and it sure is special. Thank you all for being here and selling this place out. It blows our minds.” The heartfelt moment set Gossett up to go into the track that started it all for him, “To Be Free.”

Dylan Gossett during his Ryman Auditorium performance. Photo: Jessie Addleman

Entertainment was already at a high, but Gossett turned it up just a little bit more by pulling out his harmonica for “Tree Birds,” which had everyone singing and clapping along. After “If I Had A Lover” and “No Better Time,” Gossett treated attendees to an unreleased song.

“We wrote this song earlier in the year when we were touring in the spring. We were in a sprinter van that wasn’t too big in the back,” Gossett explained. “We couldn’t really fit a guitar back there, so we went to Guitar Center and found the cheapest, smallest, portable guitar, and we wrote some songs on it in the back of that van.” The crowd approved of the track “Song About You,” once again proving the songwriting power of the breakout artist.

The next track was a special one to Gossett, as he wrote it about his wedding day. After serenading with “Beneath Oak Trees,” he played another unreleased track, “Back 40,” which pays homage to his hometown and old job.

“Flip A Coin” had every single person singing along and another unreleased track, “Hanging On,” was well-liked, too. Gossett then led the ultimate country music jam session inside the Mother Church with a stunning cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Pictured (L-R): Brett Saliba (UTA), Patch Culbertson (Big Loud Records), Jon Randall (Big Loud Texas), Sara Knabe (Big Loud Records), Tyler Arnold (Mercury Records), Matthew Morgan (UTA), Sam Katz (Homebase Management), Chloe Brake (Mercury Records), Miranda Lambert (Big Loud Texas), Justin Hill (UTA), Shawn McSpadden (Range Media Partners Nashville), Dylan Gossett, Federico Morris (Range Media Partners), Jake Levensohn (Mercury Records), Matt Graham (Range Media Partners), Candice Watkins (Big Loud Records), Alex Coslov (Mercury Records), Mario Vazquez (Mercury Records), Kelsey Miller (Mercury Records) and Lucy Bartozzi (Big Loud Records). Photo: Jessie Addleman

A soul-stirring performance of “Finally Stop Dreaming” kept the attention of the dedicated audience, which Gossett capitalized on by playing fan-favorite “Better Winds.”

As the night was winding down, Gossett took one more chance to thank the Nashville crowd for an amazing night. “I wasn’t playing or pursuing music like I thought I should last year. I was just working my job until I found the Lord had different plans for me. I’m not much of a talker if y’all can’t tell,” he quipped. “But thank y’all very much from the bottom of my heart.” He topped off the speech with his viral, newly RIAA-certified Platinum hit “Coal,” bringing the whole building to their feet.

Gossett and his band left the stage, but no one in the Ryman’s pews hit the door. After chanting for more, the singer-songwriter came back on stage for an encore performance. He ended the shining night with a rock and roll style cover of The Animal’s “House Of The Rising Sun,” before closing with his own “Somewhere Between.”

Gossett’s “The Back 40 Tour” continues until Nov. 23 with stops scheduled for Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago and more.

Madison Hahnen
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