Last night country music fans in New York City were in for a real treat. Singer-songwriter and rising artist, Ryan Hurd brought his ‘Platonic Tour’ to Manhattan’s Gramercy Theatre featuring special guest, Niko Moon as the opener.

Tasked with warming up the crowd, Niko Moon took the stage first. The songwriter turned solo-artist is one to look out for in country music. We chatted with him before the show about the feel of his music and his excitement for playing for New York fans. Check out our Swag Session below. Moon sang several songs, giving fans a taste of his own music, as well as, songs he has written for other artists, namely Rascal Flatts and Zac Brown Band.

The singer sang his own songs like “GOOD AT LOVING YOU” and “PARADISE TO ME.” Highlights of his set included the medley of songs he wrote for Zac Brown Band, including “Keep Me In Mind,” as well as the song he wrote with Shay Mooney from Dan + Shay for Rascal Flatts, “Back To Life.” According to Moon though, getting to sing “Homegrown,” a song he wrote for ZBB was one of his favorites to share with the crowd.

Of course, Moon had to end his set with his first song going to country radio in two weeks, entitled “GOOD TIME.” The singer got the crowd pumped to groove along to the soon to be smash. “It’s a simple song guys, life is short you feel me, life is short,” adding, “Let’s get this shit going! Good time!” It’s safe to say that he garnered many NYC fans, during his incredible opening set.

The man of the night, Ryan Hurd took the stage next, immediately singing three of his groovy and vibe-filled songs to the crowd, including “Platonic,” “Her Name Was Summer,” and “City Girl.” Before singing his love song, written for wife, Maren Morris, “Diamonds Or Twine,” the singer-songwriter thanks fans for showing up tonight and shared some personal details with fans.

“New York City, night one, how we feeling?! Well, my name is Ryan if we never met before. Thank you so much for coming to our show tonight […] Seeing you all tonight is making me really happy.” In the wake of the tornado in Nashville, Hurd admitted to feeling really tired, but once again, thanked fans and his city for their unwavering support. “I’m really proud of my town for coming together, Nashville Tennessee. Sometimes it’s hard to be away from home when something bad happens, but you guys are giving me life tonight,” he said, as fans erupted into cheers.

Hurd went on to sing a cover of Taylor Swift’s “False God,” as well as some of his other songs, including, “Florida With a Girl” and “Panorama.” Of course, when he got to the middle of his set and sang “Hold You Back,” fans surprised Hurd by singing back all the words to the song as loud as they could. Hurd called the praise, “a really special moment in time,” and thanked fans again for their support.

Continuing the momentum, Hurd reminded fans that he started as a songwriter, writing songs for other artists across different genres. Fans went crazy as Hurd and his band gave their rendition of “Heartless,” cut by Diplo and Morgan Wallen and Lady Antebellum’s number one single, “What If I Never Get Over You,” another song penned by the singer.

“I love living in Nashville. I love writing country music. I wrote this song and I never thought anyone would really hear it and believe it was special,” adding, “I think country music is cool because we write universal feelings that each one of us has felt before,” he declared, just before mesmerizing fans with the Lady A single.

Hurd ended his eclectic and fascinating set with arguably some of his most successful songs, including “To a T, “Michigan for the Winter,” and a number one song he penned for Luke Bryan, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset.” The singer returned to the stage for one final encore song, but first had to address the fans one last time. “I’m really thankful to be here with you tonight,” he said, “Please be nice to each other. This is my prayer for you tonight as you leave.” Hurd ended the night with his beautiful song, “Wish for the World.”

Hurd and Moon will return to New York City tonight to play for another sold-out crowd. We are excited to see what’s next for both artists, as we know big things are on the horizon for both talents!

To keep up with Niko Moon follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

To keep up with Ryan Hurd follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

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