Dustin Lynch Showed Concertgoers One ‘Hell of a Night’ in Athens
Photo by Ashley Laflin
Ally Lanasa
Wearing his signature Resistol cowboy hat, Dustin Lynch returned to Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night with guest Travis Denning. Lynch’s fourth visit to Athens occurred during the first weekend of his Stay Country Tour 2020, following stops in Detroit, Michigan, and Troy, Ohio.
The 34-year-old singer released his fourth album, Tullahoma, only 15 days prior to the show. Named after his hometown in Tennessee, the album praises growing up in a small town.
Denning, who also grew up in a small town in Georgia, opened the show at 8 p.m., sporting a Bass Pro Shops baseball cap. The “David Ashley Parker” singer performed a compilation of country music from “badass female artists” like Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, Gretchen Wilson and Miranda Lambert. He followed the mashup with his song “Her World or Mine” cut by Michael Ray. The song peaked at No. 29 on Billboad’s Hot 100 Chart.
Then, he sang “Abby,” a new song about feeling relief at the end of a toxic relationship, which will be available for download soon. He ended his set with his single “After a Few” from early 2019.
Lynch took the stage at 9 p.m. with his latest single “Ridin’ Roads.” Most of his set included songs from Tullahoma, including the duet “Thinking ‘Bout You” for which he called up a fan named Jessica to sing Lauren Alaina’s vocals. Holding her hand and admitting that he had already forgotten his own lyrics several times throughout the night, Lynch tried to comfort her as they sang together. Lynch continued to prioritize his engagement with the crowd, shaking hands with and serenading concertgoers in the front rows.
Later in his set, Lynch was visibly moved as the crowd sang over him during a solo performance of “Cowboys and Angels.” The song is about his grandparents’ 65-year marriage and was his debut single in 2012.
After several visits, Lynch has become familiar with Athens. He acknowledged the “great bar scene here” in between songs before leading the crowd in the university’s unofficial cheer.
“OU,” he yelled.
“Oh yeah!”
Prior to the show, a couple told Lynch at the meet and greet that they gave up tickets to see George Strait in Las Vegas to attend his concert. The “Mind Reader” singer dedicated ‘Check Yes or No’ to the couple after joking that he would have cancelled the show if he had tickets to see Strait.
Every woman in the audience wanted to be a “Good Girl” as Lynch belted out the lyrics and danced across the stage. Then, the crowd was “Seein’ Red” as the crimson stage lights emphasized the energy of the sultry single from his 2017 album Current Mood.
As Lynch sang the final verse of his hit “Small Town Boy,” smoke exploded from the stage. Behind the haze, he took off his hat and raised it up with his back to the crowd. The moment was arguably as iconic as John Bender’s fist pump in the air at the ending of The Breakfast Club.
Despite his excellent finale, Lynch did not exit the stage without first taking photos with children and throwing guitar picks and drumsticks into the audience, providing concertgoers of all ages an unforgettable experience.