A stormy night eventually cleared way for Chris Stapleton to serenade a Cincinnati crowd at Paycor Stadium.
Stapleton’s show was pushed back over an hour Aug. 1, as he was originally scheduled to take the stage at 9 p.m. but didn’t kick things off until after 10 p.m. His first opener, Allen Stone, didn’t perform, and his second opener, Lainey Wilson, sang earlier than she planned to get ahead of the storms.
So, rain aside, what were the takeaways from the night?
These were the standout moments.
Lainey Wilson showed her star power in the rain
I was admittedly surprised Wilson was an opener for Stapleton. While I don’t listen to her music regularly, I know Wilson is one of the biggest names in country music. And you could see why Saturday.
She commanded the crowd, whether she was singing “Watermelon Moonshine” or “Heart Like A Truck,” and her signature southern drawl transported listeners back a few decades to the days of Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood.
Wilson also showed an appreciation for her fans, and she created one moment a select few will remember forever. Amid the pouring rain, Wilson went and found a child in the front row and sang a duet with them, belting “4x4xU.” She also gave her cowgirl hat to another girl before signing autographs while continuing to sing.
It was all pretty special to watch and helped me gain an appreciation for Wilson I didn’t have before the show.
Chris Stapleton wrote a song during the Cincinnati storm
As mentioned earlier, Stapleton went on stage about 3.5 hours after the start of Wilson’s set. And with him beginning his performance an hour later than planned, he had some extra time on his hands.
Stapleton, at one point, revealed he wrote a song for Cincinnati while he was backstage with his two sons during the storm. He then proceeded to sing it for Paycor Stadium.
“I’ve been sitting here wishing I could know when you’re gonna run from the thunder roll while we’re waiting on, waiting on the lightning strike,” Stapleton sang, from what I could interpret, with bluesy music playing in the back.
I have watched artists try to make unique experiences for crowds plenty of times during concerts. Just this week, Hilary Duff ate Skyline Chili during her Riverbend Show, which isn’t something she would do for Chicago or Nashville crowds. It wouldn’t make sense. When Luke Combs performed at Paycor Stadium a couple of summers ago, he wore a Cincy Hat and shotgunned a beer with Trey Hendrickson (before Hendrickson betrayed the Bengals by joining the Ravens).
Writing a song while backstage ups the ante even more and just shows the phenomenal songwriting prowess of Stapleton.
Johnny Bench was in attendance
Stapleton, who grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky, east of Lexington, revealed during the show he attended the Cincinnati Reds game the previous night.
He then said Reds legend Johnny Bench was at the concert.
“Johnny Bench is in the house tonight,” he said. “When I was a kid I used to sit around and pretend I was Johnny Bench. I was a catcher when I played little league. … What a trip to meet him, a wonderful man.”
Stapleton then dedicated his next song to Bench, performing the 2017 track “I Was Wrong.”
Stapleton’s show didn’t feel like a stadium tour
Stapleton packed the house Saturday, and while people scream-sang every one of his songs, I kept thinking how his show felt different than the other recent stadium or arena tours I have attended.
I normally get an adrenaline rush during concerts because of all the upbeat music and dancing, but most of Stapleton’s show was just him and his band. Not a ton of flash. Just his smooth-as-Tennessee-whiskey voice, his wife, Morgane Stapleton’s, voice as background vocals and a handful of instruments, including a harmonica, tambourine and steel guitar.
A good chunk of the crowd sat through many of his songs, too. At times, his performance was almost out of place. Not like he was performing in front of thousands of people, with many of them pounding beers. He was serenading everyone in attendance, making us feel like we were around a campfire or in a hole-in-the-wall dive bar in Arkansas.
Once I got past the awkwardness of hearing soulful track after soulful track in a massive venue that normally hosts rowdy fans rooting for touchdowns, I was really able to enjoy the moment and feel the music.
And the latter is what I think Stapleton wants of fans at his shows − to feel something deep in your soul.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chris Stapleton sings for Johnny Bench, writes Cincy a song. 4 takeaways
Reporting by David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
