Louisiana-born country music star Lainey Wilson made her return to Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday November 9, bringing her Country’s Cool Again tour to the Denny Sanford Center. It marked her first solo headlining performance in Sioux Falls since April 2022.
The tour is in support of Wilson’s third major label album, ‘Whirlwind,’ which was released in August. In the months leading up to its release, Wilson was the recipient of many prestigious awards including the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and being crowned both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association’s ‘Entertainer of the Year’
Opening the show were two of the buzziest male newcomers in country music, Jackson Dean and Zach Top. Dean was nominated for the Academy of Country Music’s ‘New Male Artist of the Year’ earlier this year and has found success at country radio including his number one single, “Don’t Come Lookin.” Top is currently nominated for the Country Music Association’s ‘New Artist of the Year’ award and is climbing the country charts with his singles “I Never Lie” and “Sounds Like The Radio.”
Wilson kicked off her set with the rock-influenced single, “Hang Tight Honey” which had the entire arena on their feet. She was supported on stage by her longtime bandmates, a prop truck, and many large screens.
Before moving into an acoustic part of the set, Wilson introduced herself to the crowd and thanked everyone for coming. She talked about everything that’s happened in her life since the last time she was in South Dakota, highlighting the inspiration behind her new album, her boyfriend former-NFL player, Duck Hodges.
Wilson’s set lasted an hour-and-a-half and consisted of her hit singles and tracks from ‘Whirlwind.’ She did throw in some other deep cuts from her older albums including “Smell Like Smoke” which was featured on the hit television show, Yellowstone.
While most of Wilson’s familiar tracks with fans are mid-tempo ballads, her setlist featured a lot of upbeat tunes and reworked versions of those slower songs. Highlights from the show included a solo stripped-down version of her breakthrough single, “Things A Man Oughta Know” and a medley of her hit collaborations with fellow country artists Cole Swindell, Hardy, and Jelly Roll.
When I reviewed Wilson’s concert in 2022, my takeaway from the show was she was on her way to becoming the next big star in country music. Strong work ethic, unique image and sound, helped propel Wilson into the superstardom she had been working towards the decade prior and she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Setlist:
- “Hang Tight Honey”
- “Straight Up Sideways”
- “Smell Like Smoke”
- “Dirty Looks”
- “Good Horses” (with Jackson Dean)
- “Things A Man Oughta Know”
- “Middle Of It”
- “Whirlwind”
- “Heart Like A Truck”
- “Bar In Baton Rouge” / “Proud Mary”
- “Ring Finger”
- “Atta Girl”
- “Watermelon Moonshine”
- “Keep Up With Jones” (with Zach Top)
- “Country’s Cool Again”
Encore
- “Never Say Never” / “Wait in The Truck” / “Save Me”
- “4x4xU”
- “Wildflowers and Wild Horses”
