California-born country singer-songwriter, Jon Pardi, brought his Mr. Saturday Night World Tour to Brookings on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2023. This marked one of 33 stops on the tour and Pardi’s first time performing in South Dakota since 2021.
Opening acts included rising country artist, Ella Langley, and established country group, Midland. Langley, originally from Alabama, went viral on the social media platform TikTok with her song “If You Have To” and has continued to see success with songs like “That’s Why We Fight.” Midland, a Texas-based group, is one of the few successful country groups of the last five years, best known for their chart-topping single “Drinkin’ Problems.”
Pardi, who is best known for his trio of number-one singles from 2016’s chart-topping album, “California Sunrise”, kicked off the show with “Last Night Lonely,” the lead single to his most recent album, “Mr. Saturday Night.”
Throughout his hour-and-30-minute performance, Pardi performed a set that mainly consisted of songs from his most recent album, “Mr. Saturday Night” in addition to his most well-known hits.
Pardi has always stood out amongst his other male peers as he’s leaned into a more traditional country sound and image. He was at his strongest when performing those more traditional type of songs like “Head Over Boots” and “Heartache Medication” which had the entire arena on their feet. While the majority of the setlist consisted of high-energy songs, it could’ve benefited from spacing out more of the well-known songs to help keep the crowd engaged.
Crowd favorites from the show were “Dirt on My Boots,” “Head Over Boots,” and “Heartache on the Dancefloor” which were all chart-toppings singles from Pardi’s sophomore album, “California Sunrise.”
The stage design was simple, but effective for an artist like Pardi who’s on a small arena tour. The stage itself was your typical stage but had a set of risers to elevate his band, creating a two-tiered stage look. Behind the stage was a large screen that displayed a variety of visuals and live video footage of Pardi. One piece that the stage could’ve benefited from was a catwalk into the pit which would’ve helped with the overall audience interactions.
It should be no surprise that Jon Pardi continues to be one of the more notable, consistent touring and recording acts in country music. With multiple chart-topping singles, a Grand Ole Opry membership, and award recognition from both the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association, under his belt, it’s clear that Pardi isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Fans can expect new music as soon as Oct. 27, as Pardi is set to release his first Christmas project called “Merry Christmas from Jon Pardi.” The 12-track album is a collection of original material and covers of Christmas classics.
