Saturday night (Feb 29.) country music fans came out in droves to catch the first night of Kane Brown’s ‘The Worldwide Beautiful’ Tour. Joining the multi-platinum selling artist for the sold-out show were Russell Dickerson and Chris Lane (who will rotate on the direct support slot throughout the tour) and country music’s hottest new trio, Restless Road.

Zach Beeken, Colton Pack and Garrett Nichols, the three band members who make up Restless Road, took the stage first, tasked with warming up the eager crowd. Earlier this week, news broke that Kane Brown had signed the trio as the flagship artist to his yet to be named record label. The announcement comes as a full-circle moment for Brown and the band as Brown initially met Beeken and Pack back in 2013 while competing on The X Factor, Brown’s first claim to fame.

Performing a mash-up of 90’s country hits including Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and George Strait’s “Check Yes Or No”, Restless Road instantly captivated the already packed venue. In addition to the flawless medley, the group used their time on stage to introduce tracks from their brand new self-titled debut EP including “All the Girls” and “It Ain’t Easy”. Showcasing their impeccable harmonies and charm, the group quickly earned their spot on the tour.

ACM New Male Artist of the Year nominee and NYCountry Swag OG, Russell Dickerson took the stage next. The singer-songwriter opened his set with a brand new, unreleased song “Never Get Old” before diving right into his third number-one single, “Every Little Thing”. Fans erupted with screams and applause immediately as they recognized those first few familiar notes of the hit song. As Dickerson ran from one side of the stage to the other, the entire venue screamed back every single word.

After releasing his latest single, “Love You Like I Used To”, just about three weeks ago, Dickerson impressed as fans sang along to the brand new song, proving that the track is sure to have success as it makes it’s way to radio.

Dickerson kept the energy high performing crowd-favorites like “Billions” and “Blue Tacoma.” Just when you thought the set could not get any better, the future Entertainer of the Year revealed his mash-up of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and his own track from his debut album, “MGNO.” The epic performance has become a staple in Dickerson’s set. As he belted out the iconic vocals, while dancing on stage, the audience fed right off of his contagious energy jumping up and down and waving their arms, making the special moment perhaps the most energetic medley in country music shows today.

“…This is my first song that I ever put out. Thank you country radio, but first & foremost, thank you country music fans, the best fans in the entire world….” Dickerson emotionally thanked the crowd just before closing his set with a spectacular performance of his breakthrough smash hit, “Yours”.

Next to the stage was platinum artist, Chris Lane. Kicking off his set with his debut number one song, “Fix”, Lane immediately connected with the audience while showing off his undeniable swagger. Whether it was his version of Mario’s “Let Me Love You” or a special moment in the set when he hand-picked a young fan in the audience to join him on-stage as he performed “For Her”, Lane won the hearts of every fan in the room.

What’s most interesting about Lane is his versatility as an artist, not only in the tracks he chooses to cover but in his own songs as well. Lane can transition to performing songs from his catalog of music including fan favorites like “I Don’t Know About You” and “Big, Big Plans” to his mash-up of wide-ranging covers including everything from Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” to Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me”. The way that the fans immersed in each of the tracks throughout the very dynamic set is what was most impressive. Unphased by the rollercoaster of the genres being blended, fans didn’t miss a beat of the exciting performance. For those newcomers in the audience expecting to catch a typical traditional country show, Lane pretty much set the tone for what was to be expected for the remainder of the night.

Kicking off night one of his headlining tour, Kane Brown surprised the crowd by dropping in from high above the stage, instantly creating screams and applause from his beloved fans. Keeping up with the momentum that his opening acts had set, Brown kept the crowd going opening with his upbeat third number-one single, “Lose It”.

Brown continued to impress song after song through his 75-minute set, playing crowd favorites like “What Ifs” and “Used to Love You Sober”. A highlight of the night came when a rare downtempo moment happened as Brown took a stool centerstage accompanied by two bandmates for an acoustic set. Brown displayed his emotional side and stunned the crowd as he sang “For My Daughter.” The budding country superstar wrote the tear-jerking song for his 4-month-baby girl as a promise to be the best dad he can be, unlike his own father.

Throughout the night Brown debuted not one, but two unreleased songs: “Vodka Cranberry” and “Be Like That“. The latter of which, he teased a possible collaboration and noted that the song would not only be released sometime in March, but it would also be his next single to radio. Judging from his performance and the crowd’s reaction, the song sounds like it will be an instant smash. Check out a sneak peek of both tracks in our exclusive videos.

When it came time for some covers, like Chris Lane, Brown showed off his ability to sing to a multitude of fans. Stunning the crowd with his flawless vocals as he sang “Drift Away” originally recorded by Dobie Gray, the 26-year-old then explained to the crowd how excited he was to take everyone back to middle school before singing, Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” Ending his medley with Blackbear’s Top 40 hit, “Hot Girl Bummer”, Brown had every fan in the room out of their seats and jamming along to the unexpected mix of tunes.

Later in the show, Brown brought Restless Road back out to perform their collaborative soon-to-be smash hit, “Take Me Home”. Check it out in the video below.

The energy throughout Brown’s set was absolutely electric and with each song it only got higher. As Brown proceeded to sing “Pull It Off”, a track from his 2016 self-titled major-label debut album, he invited back Russell Dickerson and Chris Lane to the stage causing the entire arena to erupt.

Ending with “Heaven” and “One Thing Right” the Sony Nashville recording artist returned on a B stage at the back of the arena in an encore to sing “Good As You” before returning centerstage to close out the epic show.

The journey Brown takes fans on throughout his show proves his authenticity to his artistry. Taking moments to thank his fans, share stories of his upbringing and influences, and even sharing an emotional and vulnerable moment by admitting to being really nervous about this tour. The fans’ devotion to Brown remained clear throughout the entire night as fans stayed out of their seats and matched Brown’s energy, dancing and singing along to every song, and listening to every word.

In a December 2016 review of one of Brown’s very first NYC shows at Irving Plaza, we wrote of Brown “This promising talent possesses perhaps one of the most unique new voices in country music today and shows true potential for a skyrocketing career.” It seems we may have hit that nail on the head as Brown’s career continues to explode.

Check out more exclusive clips from the show on our Instagram Highlight.

To keep up with Restless Road, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
To keep up with Russell Dickerson, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
To keep up with Chris Lane, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
To keep up with Kane Brown, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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