Tucker Wetmore has built his career alongside the fans who have streamed his songs, learned every word and shown up for him along the way. During his recent sold-out Chicago stop on the Brunette World Tour, he seemed determined to give that love right back.
The rising country act returned to the Windy City on Friday (September 18) and took the stage under the night sky at the Salt Shed. Whether he was behind the piano, leading a massive sing-along from center stage or tearing through his biggest songs, Wetmore’s love and appreciation for his fans, all 5,200 was impossible to miss.
He arrived on the smoky stage around 8 p.m. and never once let his energy fade throughout the nearly 90-minute show. His larger-than-life stage presence quickly became a highlight of the night, along with his signature dance moves that made just as much of an imapct as his vocals.
Between the energy he brought to each song and the way he moved around the stage, it was impossible for the crowd not to have a good time. Knowing that Chicago is has been one of his favorite places to perform in the past, Wetmore came in with high expectations for the crowd, and it’s safe to say that they delivered all night long.
“I played a couple shows in Chicago throughout my years, and if there’s one thing I learned, this is the best damn place to do this, so let’s put that to the test, show me what you got,” he told the packed venue. “I swear every time I come up to Chicago, I end up leaving saying, ‘that’s my favorite show. That’s my favorite show I ever played.’ I just want to say thank y’all so much for showing up tonight. We’re going to have a damn good time. I could already tell that.”
If you were in the crowd that night, you’ll understand that it was truly one of the most fun nights and the perfect was to celebrate the summer season coming to an end. No matter what was going on in life, Wetmore did his best to make his concert a place to escape from the real world and all he asked was that everyone in attendance have a “damn good time” while spreading love for one another.
“Here’s how the night’s going to go down. We’re going to play some songs you might know, some songs you might not know, but before I get into any of that, I’m going to ask y’all for one thing, one thing only all night, and that is to love each other. That’s why we’re here. That’s why God put us on this big old green earth. That’s why y’all all spent your hard-earned money to buy a ticket to come to a Tucker Wetmore concert on Friday,” he explained. “We’re going to do it with love.”
That sense of togetherness showed up throughout the 18-song setlist, as he continued with a mix of classic covers and tracks from both his newest Sunburn Mixtape and debut album, What Not To, including “Break First,” “Silverado Blue,” “Wine Into Whiskey,” “Bad Habit,” and “Crazy To Yourself.”
From there, the Washington native broke out into what he claims to be is his favorite song to cover, Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be.” For the first time in the night, Wetmore took his seat at the piano, where he continued with renditions of Maroon 5’s “This Love,” and Train’s “Drops of Jupiter.” This allowed fans to see Tucker Wetmore not just as an artist, but as someone who is a true music lover through and through.
Wetmore returned to his own music for a moment with “Sunburn,” and then transitioned into a more intimate fireside moment. The stripped-back portion of the show gave the crowd a chance to settle into the storytelling side of Wetmore’s performance. Returning to his roots of hanging out with his buddies around a campfire, just playing songs for the fun of it he recreated that feeling with his bandmates for “When I Ain’t Lookin’” and “Casino.”
“I wanted a point my set this year where I kind of broke it down, brought it back to the basics of when I fell in love with music and why I fell in love with playing in front of people. And it’s just like this. It’s me and a couple buddies in the campfire, a couple songs, too many beers and a dream is all we had back in the day. And it’s crazy to think that we got a sold-out Salt Shed, 5,200…I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Chicago, I love y’all so much,” he said honestly.
The country star didn’t stay away from the piano for long, returning to the instrument later in the night for a performance of Journey’s “Faithfully.” Before playing the song, Wetmore opened up about his longtime connection to the piano, sharing that he fell in love with the instrument at a young age.
“I always say that piano was my first love. Up until now it’s been my only love. That’s why I came back to Chicago to maybe change that tonight…” he said, earning a roar of screams.
Naturally, Wetmore wasn’t going to let the energy die down for too long. He stood at the top of the stage and told the crowd to let off some steam by screaming after counting back from “3,2,1,” as a way to set the tone for his chart-topper.
One of the night’s biggest crowd-participation moments came during a run of country classics and southern rock anthems. Wetmore launched into The Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” Hank Williams Jr.’s 1984 “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” and Tim McGraw’s signature hit, “I Like It, I Love It.”
“Some people might say I like it here in Chicago. I’d say no, I do not. I don’t. I don’t like it here in Chicago. I say I really, really love it,” he admitted while introducing the latter of the covers.
The final stretch of the show kept the momentum up with “Bad Luck Looks Good on Me” and two more of his No. 1 hits, “Wind Up Missing You” and “Brunette,” to round out the concert. As the final notes of “Brunette” filled the Salt Shed, Wetmore closed out the night with the same energy and connection he brought to the stage from the very beginning.
He couldn’t leave before making sure his fans knew exactly how much he appreciated having them along for the ride. Wetmore thanked everyone for showing up, his band for making the show possible and for everyone behind the stage who he feels doesn’t get the recognition they deserve. His very last token of gratitude was given to “the man who deserves all the glory.”
“There’s nothing special about me other than the fact that my name’s really big right behind me or I do this every once in a while on stage. Man, I’m just a normal dude. Right after I get on stage, I’m going to go watch the football game and drink a cold beer. Everything that I’m blessed with every single day, everything I adore every day is because of one person, one person only that is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope you guys have had as much fun as we have,” he said.
Wetmore asked fans to sing the last song of the night so loud that it could be heard all the way back in Nashville, TN and then, after nearly an hour and a half on stage, he left Chicago with one final promise: “I swear I’ll be back… until next time.”
The post Tucker Wetmore Brings High Energy And Heart To Sold-Out Chicago Show appeared first on Country Now.
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