Photo Credit: David Bradley

Got the chance to see Chase Matthew play at the Ryman Auditorium. It was a sold-out crowd, every seat filled plus standing room only at the top of the balcony. I wasn’t familiar with Chase or his music before the show, so I didn’t know what to expect.

The first thing I noticed was how many fans were wearing merchandise. There were red Darlin’ hats everywhere, which were given away as freebies for promotion. I wish I’d been able to snag one. There were also handmade t-shirts and official hoodies.

In a unique twist, the show began with an AI narrator named “Eve” who spoke to the crowd and on-screen, welcoming everyone. They showed a trailer for a new TV series about Chase set to air March 12^th on Mav TV. The theme of the night and his songs seemed to be trucks, which makes sense when I learn that Matthews used to be an ATV mechanic.

Fans were on their feet, the whole show screaming and singing along to every word. Now I’m used to seeing teenage girls and even women do this. But not grown men. They were just as into the music as everyone else from what I could tell.

“Tonight is not a show this is not a concert. This is a celebration. Having a celebration in my hometown has been the coolest shit I’ve ever gotten to do in my life. From the bottom of my heart I’ve dreamed of playing this venue my whole life and the fact that we are making this happen tonight thank you!” Chase tells the crowd.

Throughout the night there were a few things that stuck out to me. The first was how family-oriented Chase was. He brought out his dad to sing “Born for This” with him, sharing a touching story about being bullied in school. Later, his grandma came out to play piano on a cover of the traditional hymn “Lean on Me”, with mom on backup vocals. He also dedicated “Sunday Clothes” to Ben Vaughn wanting to shed light on mental illness.

Much to the fans excitement Chase asked if he could perform a brand-new song called “You Turn”. Personally, I’d have to say my favorite was his single “Darlin’”. The crowd went nuts for that one. It’s so catchy, I can still hear it in my head. I also enjoyed seeing Lauren Alaina come out and sing “Half Heart Empty” with him.

Got invited to the post show hang afterwards. Went backstage and got to meet Chase. He approached me and came across very down-to-earth and humble. I also met his grandma, who was bursting with pride. As she should be. It was a great show and a true celebration for everyone involved. Thankful to have been invited to share in the moment.

Here is the set list for those interested:

Drives My Truck
Small Town Shit
We Had It Good
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Backroads
Always Be Mine
Born For This
Everything He Couldn’t
Sunday Clothes
Lean on Me
County Line
We All Grow Up
Half Heart Empty
She’s Country
Darlin’
Love You Again