Lainey Wilson showcased her progression into one of country music’s foremost entertainers during the opening concert of her headlining Country’s Cool Again tour on Friday night (May 31) at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater (the first of two nights at the venue). Wilson, the reigning entertainer of the year at both the ACM Awards and the CMA Awards, and one of country music’s hardest-working artists, proved just why she’s worthy of those accolades during her headlining show. She also made good on the tour’s namesake declaration, welcoming two openers whose sets were steeped in twang, fiddle and steel guitar.
Zach Top sailed through a solid lineup of songs with a decidedly ’90s country influence including “I Never Lie,” “There’s the Sun” and his album’s title track, “Cold Beer and Country Music.” Like country stalwarts Alan Jackson and George Strait, Top remained close to the center stage mic for the bulk of the performance, acoustic guitar in hand and letting the music flow into the open evening. Ian Munsick brought “the West to the rest” with his high-energy set that celebrated imagery of his Wyoming roots, melding in lyrics of tumbleweeds, cattle, and open ranges.
His opening music was Eddy Arnold’s “Cattle Call.” “It’s official — country’s cool again,” he told the Nashville crowd, as he sailed through “I See Country Everywhere,” “More Than Me,” and the Cody Johnson collab “Long Live Cowgirls” (sans the Texan hitmak.
