Chris Young headlines hometown show at Nashville, Ascend Amphitheater on September 30, 2015. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sony Music Nashville
The wet weather wasn’t able to dampen spirits last night (Sept. 30) at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater as RCA Nashville Records’ Chris Young stepped out on home turf to entertain 5,000 of his closest friends. For anyone needing a strong dose of country music, this was the place to be.
Just days after returning stateside following the European leg of his I’m Comin’ Over World Tour, Young admits, “I was both excited and anxious to come home and play a show in Nashville. I knew I was going to have a lot of friends and family in the audience so I didn’t want to screw up. The audience at Ascend Amphitheater blew me away and I could have kept playing all night long.”
Chris Young headlines hometown show at Nashville, Ascend Amphitheater on September 30, 2015
In his first headlining show in Music City since 2012, Young packed his 75-minute set with such hits as “Gettin’ You Home,” “Voices,” “Tomorrow,” “You,” “The Man I Want To Be,” “Who I Am With You,” and “Lonely Eyes.” Young shared how amazing it was to be playing to a packed audience 4.8 miles from the El Chico Mexican restaurant where he used to play “for chips and free quesadillas.”
Wearing all black with perfectly coiffed hair, the Middle Tennessee native surprised the crowd midway through his set, inviting friend and country superstar Brad Paisley to join him on stage to perform Eric Clapton’s “Change The World.”
Brad Paisley joins Chris Young at show at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on September 30, 2015. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sony Music Nashville
During his performance of “I Can Take It From There,” Young asked the cheering crowd if they knew Conway Twitty. He challenged anyone who didn’t know the legendary artist to stop watching the show and immediately download Conway’s Greatest Hits album. Young suggested couples in the audience should play Conway’s Greatest Hits in the car on the way home quipping, “If you get home and can’t close, then there’s no hope for you.”
“Thank you for the fastest-selling single of my career,” shouted Young after singing “I’m Comin’ Over,” the title track to Young’s upcoming album, slated for a Nov. 13 release. Prior to taking the stage, Sony Music Nashville presented him with a plaque celebrating the single’s recent RIAA Gold certification.
Sony Music Nashville presented Chris Young with a plaque celebrating the recent RIAA Gold certification of his current single, “I’m Comin’ Over.” Back Row (L-R): Paul Barnabee (SVP, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville), Jim Catino (VP, A&R, Sony Music Nashville), Bill Simmons (Fitzgerald Hartley), Larry Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald Hartley), Steve Hodges (EVP, Promotions & Artist Development, Sony Music Nashville), Caryl Healey (VP, Sales, Sony Music Nashville), Angie Magill (VP, Legal & Business Affairs, Sony Music Nashville), Keith Gale (SVP/National Promotion, RCA) Front Row (L-R): Randy Goodman (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), Young, Josh Easler (Director/National Promotion, RCA) Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sony Music Nashville
Before ending the evening with a couple of encore songs, Young proclaimed, “This has been one of the best nights of my life.”
Labelmates Jerrod Niemann and Cam joined Young earlier as openers for the Nashville show.
Niemann’s 45-minute set included noteworthy hits such as “Lover, Lover,” “What Do You Want,” “One More Drinkin’ Song,” “Drink to That All Night,” “Shinin’ on Me,” and his current single, “Blue Bandana.” Confessing this was “a bucket list moment,” Niemann surprised fans by bringing out Diamond Rio as a special guest to sing “I’m Here ‘Cause I Ain’t All There,” a song he recorded with the country group.
Jerrod Niemann performs at Chris Young’s hometown show at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Sept. 30, 2015. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sony Music Nashville
Cam included performances of “Burning House,” which the audience gladly sang along to, and “My Mistake” in her set. Both songs are from her EP, Welcome to Cam Country.
Cam performs at Chris Young’s hometown show at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Sept. 30, 2015. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sony Music Nashville
About the Author
Sherod Robertson is President and Owner of MusicRow Enterprises. He oversees all operations and develops strategic initiatives for MusicRow magazine, RowFax, and MusicRow's CountryBreakout chart. Robertson previously served as Director of Finance of Arista Records after beginning his career as Vice President of Finance and CFO at Reunion Records.View Author Profile
