Jason Aldean hosts party to end all parties at SPAC
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. » If last week’s Zac Brown Band performance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was the unofficial send- off to summer concerts for country fans at SPAC (my words, no one else’s), then Thursday night’s Jason Aldean performance was the unofficial send- off to parties at SPAC.
Jason Aldean was joined by Kane Brown to take down the amphitheater in the Spa City for a one night only party of sing-alongs, beach balls, and a whole lot of country.
The night started with Carly Pearce. The opener came out for a quick set of her hits, which include “Every Little Thing,” “Hide the Wine,” and “Closer to You.”
Following a break, Kane Brown came to the stage in what looked like a much more modern, pop- centric vibe to his stage and light show than what you would expect from a country concert.
Brown started the night off with the heavy bass and guitar riffs of “Baby Come Back to Me.” Brown used the whole stage, showing off his youthful energy in his performance.
Brown then transitioned into one of his bigger commercial hits, “What Ifs,” which features Lauren Alaina on the studio recording.
Brown stuffed his whole set with hits that the crowd knew. Whether it was an acoustic rendition of “Homesick” that Brown sang from a barstool, to a provocative performance for “Like a Rodeo,” Brown made sure he had the crowd on his side the whole show.
One of the more unique parts of Brown’s set was when he played “Short Skirt Weather” as the lyrics played on the screen behind him, making SPAC one giant karaoke bar for a song.
Brown played more hits like “Found You,” “Heaven,” and “Weekend,” before finishing with “Lose It” and taking some time to sign autographs.
After the break to prep the stage, Jason Aldean’s “Ride All Night Tour” video board flashed along to the deep booming sounds of the bass drum before ascending into the air and revealing Jason Aldean and his
band, ready to put on a show.
Similarly to Brown, Aldean played hits. The only difference between the two artists is that in order to get through all of Aldean’s top radio hits, you would need a few days.
Aldean came to the stage and opened with “Take A Little Ride” which was a good indication of what the crowd was going to get from Aldean, heavy guitar riffs, some upbeat drums, and a song they can sing along to.
Aldean went into other songs like “Tattoos on This Town,” “Drowns the Whiskey,” and “Lights Come On.”
About halfway through Aldean’s setlist, he made the crowd aware that he was not about encores. He was going to leave it out on the stage for them, and then he is done. Oh, and he mentioned that he and his band like to party.
As Aldean’s setlist continued, it seemed almost improbable that one country artist could have so many songs that are engrained into country music pop culture. Even for the most fair- weather Jason Aldean fan, it’s pretty tough to not know the words to “Burnin It Down,” “Dirt Road Anthem,” and “Big Green Tractor,” which, yes, all were played.
Although Aldean embraced the party side of country music and his show, young fans could still be seen in the packed crowd at SPAC, with one young fan in the front row sporting a Green Bay Packers jersey and holding a sign that said, “Missed the Green Bay Packers for Jason Aldean.”
The Packers opened up the 2019 season against the Chicago Bears the same night Aldean came to Saratoga Springs.
As “She’s Country” was played towards the tail end of the concert, Aldean did his best to sign fans tickets and give as many high fives as he could, but as can be imagined, the pit crowd around Aldean was large.
Overall, the trio of Carly Pearce, Kane Brown, and Jason Aldean came out and performed a concert of epic proportions Thursday night. Each performer had songs in their repertoire that topped the country billboards at some point. But, the takeaway for Aldean’s performance was the sheer energy and fun he brought to it. Aldean went full throttle wide open, if he got tired he didn’t show it, probably because that’s the only way he knows.