Indianapolis, IN (May 11, 2024) – On Saturday night, Chris Young and crew travel to the Indy city for an emotional show at the open aired Everwise Amphitheater.
Located deep inside the entertainment district of downtown Indianapolis, the Everwise Amphitheater spreads out along the White River in the Indy state park. From late April through October, the 6,000 capacity venue hosts events while inviting guests to the state-of-the-art live music complex. On this warm clear night in May, country singer/songwriter Chris Young comes to town in support of his Young Love & Saturday Nights 2024 tour.
The tour is named after Chris’s latest album that was released on March 22,2024. The 18-song album is the ninth studio album of Young, since his self-titled debut album released in 2006.
Before Young takes the stage tonight, the large energetic crowd welcomes the fast-rising newcomer, Bryan Martin to open the show with a short set. The show starts out a bit disappointing as technical difficulties plague Martin when he tries to play his guitar and sing. After getting the issues worked out and feeling a bit more relaxed, Bryan continues his show with songs from his three albums including the latest, Poets & Old Souls.
With a troubled past that led to some dark days behind bars, Martin now has seen the light and dug his way to a promising career in the music business. With his song-writing abilities, he tells his inspirational story in songs like “Going For Broke,” “Everyone’s An Outlaw,” “Wolves Cry” and “FAFO.”
Mentioning to the crowd that he knows what song brought them to the show early, he thanks the crowd for coming out and supporting him along with turning his debut single, “We Ride” into his first top ten single as well as his first platinum album. The band kicks off with the guitar riff of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” before blending into the hit song.
Although Martin has been on the musical scene sing 2019, he is finally getting recognition as an outlaw, country artist with an older country sound that is slowly making a revival on the country nation.
Bryan Martin setlist:
More Than The Shine / Boot Scootin’ Boogie (Brooks & Dunn cover) / Lost / Going For Broke / Memory To Drown / Everyone’s An Outlaw / Wolves Cry / FAFO / Beauty In The Struggle / Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne cover) / We Ride
Now that darkness has settled upon the amphitheater, Chris Young and his band take over the stage for the next 75 minutes of pure energy as the crowd explodes with excitement. Adding to the enthusiasm, Chris attacks the stage with three microphones stands set up across the front of the stage so as to be able to be up close and in your face during his opening songs “Double Down” and “Lonely Eyes.”
Similar to Martin’s performance, unfortunately, Young appears to be struggling with technical difficulties of his own with his in-ear monitors and audio sound. Chris takes a moment to get that handled and in the meantime interacts with the crowd as some in the front of the stage tell him that it is their birthdays and first time concert goers. Feeling a bit touched by that, he jokes, “your first concert and you decide to make me that artist? And it is your 21st birthday and you decided to spend it with me. You don’t know how much that means to me,” as he gets a bit touched over that. He continues with welcoming the crowd and thanking them for coming and allowing he and his band to continue playing music and do what they love, entertaining the crowd that come see them every night.
During the song “Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song),” the crowd begins singing the song and over powers Chris and the band as the volume is almost deafening. Chris stops singing to address the crowd, “hey now, you can’t sing the whole song. You paid me to come and sing to you. This is my first number one single and I thank you.”
Continuing on with the show, Young performs hits songs from past days. Some of the songs include “Voices,” “The Man I Want To Be,” “I’m Coming Over” and “Raised On Country,” along with adding the title track to the new album and tour, “Young Love & Saturday Nights.”
An emotional moment occurs during his performance of “Drowning,” where Chris tells the story behind the song of losing his best friend and how his friend’s parents still check on him from time to time. As he was trying to not make the moment about him, he asks the crowd to take their phones out and shine a light for someone they have all lost. As the crowd lights up the Indy sky, Chris takes a step back as he gets choked up by it and comments that this night is the fastest that has ever happened. He then calls his bass guitarist to center stage as they embrace one another for a moment after announcing the guitarist just lost his close friend of over 40 years. Still weeping, “well crap…I wasn’t going to cry. Now half the crowd is sad.” He concludes the song before picking up the mood with his show ending single “Famous Friends.”
After a short stage exit and return for an encore, Young wraps up the show with the 2013 hit “Aw Naw.”
Although the evening had a few hiccups at the beginning of each act, the audience didn’t pay any mind to it as they were there to just get out of the house and enjoy a fun evening of live music under the stars. With Martin and Young both, neither showed discouragement to change the mood of the crowds and just continued their best in entertaining the crowds. When the issues were rectified, each of them had the crowd’s attention as everyone danced and sang the night away. During Young’s performance, not many in the large crowd were caught seated as they stood for the show’s entirety.
To catch a future show or stay up on the latest news, click on the links below to stay up to date and informed on upcoming events.
Words by:Leslie Reasoner
Photos by: John Reasoner
Chris Young setlist:
Double Down / Lonely Eyes / Hangin’ On / Looking For You / Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song) / Voices / The Man I Want To Be / I’m Coming Over / You / Young Love & Saturday Nights / Raised On Country / I Can Take It From There / Drowning / Famous Friends Encore: Aw Naw
Chris Young
Bryan Martin
Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
