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I couldn't name any songs that Hunter Hayes sings, but I know I've heard his name on country music radio stations. When I learned he would be performing at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, I thought that was a bit unexpected (the venue doesn't host many country music stars, although I did see LeAnn Rimes there years ago). But it's a great, small venue and a very convenient location downtown, so I bought tickets. After my friend and I had dinner at the newest location of Mi Vida, we headed over for the show.
Because Sixth & I is an intimate venue, there really are no bad seats (and they had closed the balcony). We were sitting in the back but could still see everything; our seats were probably ideal with the huge speakers and bright lights at the front. I was surprised by the large set-up, because the space isn't really made for that. It's better for an acoustic set without a lot of equipment, instruments, etc.
His opener at least understood that part. I had never heard of Loren Gray, but supposedly she's been a Tik Tok star since she was 13 years old. (I feel ancient just using the term "Tik Tok star." I will never understand how these people are famous.) This was only her third show ever, so she was clearly nervous; she even forgot to introduce herself! She sang an acoustic set with just a guitar player with her. Well, it was mostly acoustic, except for the synthesizer that completely changed her voice. I couldn't even tell you if she has any talent because I couldn't truly hear what she sounds like.
Here are some videos of her songs:
Guilty (the only song I actually remember hearing)
Even though she only sang four short songs for 13 minutes, it still took nearly 45 minutes for Hunter to get on stage. What could possibly have taken so long? She and her guitarist were just up there on two stools: what could they have messed up to delay the show? I feel like Hunter purposefully wasn't going on stage until closer to 9 o'clock. Ugh.
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| He was so back-lit by those bright lights that it was sometimes hard to see anything! |
He was promoting his new album, Red Sky, which I did not realize is NOT a country album. All of the songs were definitely pop, and most of the people in the crowd were college-aged women in high-waisted jeans. I only recognized one song, which was an older throw-back. I didn't like his new songs: most of them sounded like songs you would hear in a suicide prevention or St. Jude's commercial (You know, the kind of sayings like, "Have faith," "You are not alone," etc.). And he didn't do a lot of love songs. He even told people in the crowd who were in love, "I hate you, but I'm happy for you." WTF? Honestly, the best part of his show was when the drummer did his own solo.
Here are some of his songs, old and new:
Missing You (my favorite song of the night)
Storm Warning (the only song I recognized)
Wanted (I actually love this song and totally forgot he sang it. We left the show early, so if he did perform it, I missed it.)
It was just a "meh" show for me. When you're expecting country music and that's not what you get (like when I saw Kip Moore in 2022), you inevitably leave disappointed.
I'm seeing Jason Aldean, the Chicks, Drake Milligan, and Russell Dickerson later this year. They better bring on the country vibes!
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