Jerrod Niemann Headlines The Ryman Auditorium

On Friday, September 12, Jerrod Niemann‘s childhood dream came true when he headlined the revered Ryman Auditorium to the delight of a packed house. “I remember when I first moved to town, my buddies and I would hang out in the honky-tonks off Lower Broadway and the Mother Church of Country Music would always smile down at us from her perch,” said Niemann. “It’s a rite of passage for all musicians to grace her stage as the main act.”

Donning his signature cap, the Sea Gayle Records/Artista Nashville artist opened with “We Know How to Rock,” from his third major label release, High Noon. And with his unique Country swagger, Niemann launched into “One More Drinking Song” for the enthusiastic crowd, followed by the newer song “I’m Here ‘Cause I Ain’t All There.”

Radio VIPs were treated to dinner at Jack’s Bar-B-Que by Jerrod Niemann and the Artista Nashville promo team prior to the concert. Pictured (L-R): Front Row – *Rusty Sherrill, Mike Kennedy (PD, KBEQ), *Lesly Tyson, Charlie Cook (PD, WKDF/WSM) and Kay Manley (MD/APD WGKX); Middle Row – *Elizabeth Heller, Lana DeLuca (Promotions Cumulus), Lonnie Napier (Exec. Producer American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, Kickin’ It with Kix), Nikita Palmer (NASH Network Producer, Cumulus Media), Jerrod Niemann, Gary Overton (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), Heather McBee (industry vet), Colleen Lelis (John Marks’s wife); Back Row – Micheal Bryan (PD WSIX), *Andy Elliott, John Marks (SiriusXM Sr. Dir. of Programming), Will Overton (WME), Bill Simmons (Fitzgerald-Hartley management), *Lauren Thomas, *Jeri Cooper, *Ali O’Connell and Christy Garbinski (Sony Promotion Rep); Photo Bomb: Robert Simon (Lesly Tyson’s fiancé); Photo: Ivor Karabatkovic. (* Arista Nashville promo staff)

The set list included popular tunes “Only God Could Love You More,” “Shinin’ on Me,” “Beach Baby,” and “Lover, Lover,” which wooed the audience for a successful sing-along from the very first word. Two members of the six-man band, the Hung Jury, grabbed a trombone and saxophone to assist Niemann on his respectable rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which the crowd loved.

He gave a shout out to fiancé Morgan Petek before performing “What Do You Want,” and shared that he would be getting married in a month, while more cheers ensued. During “Buzz Back Girl,” the current single from High Noon, Niemann took ample time shaking hands with members of the audience as they came forward to the stage.

Fan favorite “Donkey” caused a stampede of stomping feet on the auditorium’s wood floor, escalating the energy for his chart-topper: the RIAA Gold-certified multi-week No. 1 hit “Drink to That All Night.”

Opening for Niemann and continuing his Get Your Buzz Back Tour this fall, Big Loud Mountain’s Chris Lane warmed up the audience with several songs including his first single, “Broken Windshield View,” a showcase for his powerful vocals. Catching up with him backstage before his first ever performance at the Ryman, Lane told MusicRow about recording his first single. “The song title alone jumped out and grabbed me,” he says. The video features his work truck from his landscaping job before moving to Nashville. “It had a huge crack across the windshield,” he says. The video was shot in his hometown Kernersville, NC. “Singing is something I always enjoyed doing. Growing up, I would never do that in front of anybody, because sports was really all I ever knew growing up.” But that’s all changed now.

Chris Lane celebrates his debut Ryman Auditorium performance backstage with his management team. Pictured (L-R): Back Row: Big Loud Mountain’s Seth England, Akii Lanier, Big Loud Mountain’s Brandon Matthews, Chris Lane, Big Loud Mountain’s Craig Wiseman, KK Wiseman, Big Loud Mountain’s Christina Sharpe and Big Loud Mountain’s Joey Moi; Front Row – Denise Roxen, Big Loud Shirt’s Amy Allmand and Big Loud Mountain’s Bart Allmand