CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — The juggernaut that is Lainey Wilson didn’t disappoint last night when her “Whirlwind World Tour” took no prisoners, blowing through Blossom Music Center.
On a beautiful Northeast Ohio fall evening, the sold-out affair found 20,000 diehard fans witnessing one of those rare moments when seemingly the zeitgeist bends toward a certain artist at the height of their fame.
Riding high creatively as a Grammy Award-winner, Grand Ole Opry member and prolific songwriter with eight No. 1 hits, the multitalented Wilson — who now acts, appearing on “Yellowstone” — was highlighted last week on the 2025 TIME100 Next List.
She also recently launched her fourth collection with Wrangler, as well as her own boot (Golden West Boots) and jewelry lines (The Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection).
The majority of this momentum took place over the last half-decade due to the charismatic Wilson’s electric live performances, like the one she turned in Saturday night.
Last appearing at Blossom Music Center in 2021 opening for Jason Aldean, Wilson proved she’s a headliner to be reckoned with, emerging on stage wearing a sequin-like cowgirl outfit completed by a cowboy hat and trademark bell-bottoms.
“I feel it in my bones, it’s gonna be a good night in Ohio,” said Wilson, who is engaged to former NFL quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges. (Yes, Browns fans, that Duck Hodges of Steelers lore)
“You all showed up.”
Heavy on material from 2024’s “Whirlwind,” the show kicked off with the subdued title track before crowd-favorite “Watermelon Moonshine” ramped up the energy.
New song “Good Horses” found opener Lauren Watkins replacing studio duet partner Miranda Lambert, while “Country’s Cool Again” featured a medley of classics — Vince Gill’s “One More Last Time,” Dwight Yoakum’s “Guitars, Cadillacs” and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishing in the Dark.”
The most tender moment of the night came after the piano-heavy “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which interpolates “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” with cowgirl-friendly lyrics.
Dressed rodeo chic, Wilson on a riser rose high above the stage wearing a vest with a long train that flowed behind her, creating a beautiful flying effect buoyed by the video screen’s clouds.
It turned out a good witch Glinda moment was in play.
Just as the character from the aforementioned 1939 film was looking out for Dorothy on her adventure, the singer had a strong message for the young cowgirls, who dominated the audience.
After beautifully segueing into “Peace, Love, and Cowboys,” Wilson said, “There are a lot of cowgirls tonight,” before from center stage picking out Meredith as the highly coveted cowgirl of the night.
Wearing a shirt saying this was her first concert, the young elementary-school age girl promptly — and without instruction — took charge, walking to the top of the stage stairs with a surprised Wilson following for an important empowering moment.
That’s when Wilson asked Meredith to repeat, “I am beautiful, I am smart, I am talented, I can do anything and I’m cowgirl of the night.”
While every little girl dressed up was jealous, they instead received a personal inspirational message for life from their favorite artist.
That was the case for 6-year-old Penelope Gutowski, who attended the show on her birthday.
“We had her party last week,” said her proud West Park dad, Mike.
Dressed appropriately for the night — wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a Lainey Wilson shirt — the birthday girl said, “I think she’s pretty and I like the outfits she wears.”
Apparently sharing the same sentiment, a dude mid-show yelled out, “I love you, Lainey Wilson.”
We’re guessing that wasn’t Hodges, but the moment spoke to the fandom associated with one of the biggest female country singers since the fervor that surrounded Carrie Underwood 15 years ago.
What the 22-song, roughly two-hour set lacked in stylistic variety, it made up for in earnestness with the Louisiana native covering all of the Music City tropes — cowboys, cowgirls, trucks, horses, true love and booze.
Perhaps due to the fact Wilson dedicated the majority of her set to her latest release with deep cuts galore, the dutiful audience, while taking it all in, often lacked a frenzied response enjoyed by artists with perhaps more of a chart-topping catalog guaranteeing singa-longs.
Still, no one was complaining with hits “4x4xU” and “Heart Like A Truck” ending the night.
Openers Muscadine Bloodline performed a guitar-heavy set straight out from the honky-tonk with the upbeat “Rattlesnake Ridge,” heart-shaped “10-90” and fun “Devil Died in Dixie.”
The latter track, a sequel to Charlie Daniels’ “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” was a rocking affair that had just enough cowbell.
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