With her 2023 entertainer of the year award from the Country Music Association, a best country album Grammy and an acting role in “Yellowstone” under her belt, it’s not surprising that Lainey Wilson is on her largest tour to date. Saturday night, she packed in more than 14,000 fans to St. Paul’s Grand Casino Arena.
What was surprising, though, is how easily she has transitioned into headlining such large venues. Her performance Saturday night felt like it was delivered from a seasoned pro, not someone with a single Top 10 album to her name. That record, last year’s “Whirlwind,” figured heavily in her set list.
It’s been a long time coming for the 33-year-old, who began writing songs as a teenager and landing gigs on the side as — of all things — a Hannah Montana impersonator. (She told the crowd she knew music was her calling when she was just 9 years old.) Wilson moved to Nashville in 2011 and landed a major label deal in 2018. The 2020 single “Things a Man Oughta Know” gave her the first of her six Top 10 hits, all of which received a hero’s welcome Saturday night.
Clad in a series of colorful cowgirl outfits, Wilson commanded the stage and crowd in a manner reminiscent of Carrie Underwood or even ’90s-era Shania Twain. This was a country show, so there was plenty of drinking, but the audience kept their attention focused on Wilson, who broke out an acoustic guitar for songs like “Hillbilly Hippie,” which featured an extended instrumental outro.
Wilson co-writes all of her material, which leans into ’70s country, soul and pop. She’s also not afraid to incorporate key influences into her music. She expanded “Country’s Cool Again” into a medley with Vince Gill’s “One More Last Time,” Dwight Yoakum’s “Guitars, Cadillacs” and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark.” Later, she played “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which interpolates the hook of the Judy Garland classic “Over the Rainbow.”
Sitting on a stool alone on the stage, she crooned “Whiskey Colored Crayon” and called it her favorite storytelling song she’s written.
Wilson boosted her profile by opening for some of the genre’s biggest acts, including both Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs at U.S. Bank Stadium. So she gave each of her own opening acts a moment to shine. Maddox Batson, a fairly ridiculous 15-year-old mini Morgan Wallen, joined her for “Good Horses” (which features Miranda Lambert on the studio version) and she later invited the duo Muscadine Bloodline on stage to play their song “Pieces” as an acoustic trio.
Given her performance, and reception, we’re likely to see her back in town sooner than later.
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